Worth getting narrower road bars?

[Sardine]

Hello. I hoping that some of you ladies can help me with this question. I'm getting a new road bike and have the option of switching to 36cm handlebars from 38cm if I want. This will be my first road bike in the sense of not a touring bike. I have a bike with 38cm bars as well as one with 40 cm bars (my first proper bike which I know is a tad large but I'm attached to it). The 38cm is comfortable, the 40cm is fine as I'm used to it. My shoulder width is 36cm. The reach on the 38cm bars is not an issue. I'm talking about drop bars.

There seem to be 2 main views as far as I can see. People who think that the bars should be the same width as your shoulders and those who think they need to be a bit wider for leverage, if that's the right word. I don't race and won't be putting luggage on this bike but I will ride hilly terrain (not mountains but maybe one day). It's my mid-life crisis faster and lighter bike. I aim to use it to build back to 50-60 mile day rides at a comfortable pace, ideally with pub stops, nothing serious.

I'd be interested to know what difference getting bars that are the same width as my shoulders would make, if any. Anybody with experience of switching to wider or narrower bars who can share?

Thanks for your help.

[indysteel]

Get the bike and try out the stock bars. If they don't bother you, keep them. If they do, then opt for the 36s. There's really no "right" answer other than personal preference. Before you buy anything, make sure you understand how bars are measured. Some brands measure their bars outside to outside. Some measure them center to center. Just make sure you know which is which--and what you need--before you order.

[indysteel]

I'd add that I my shoulders measure 35 cm, and I run Deda 4 Girls bars on my bikes. These measure 38 cm outside to outside; 36 center to center. At one time, I was on the search for narrow bars and ran into a couple of problems. Few manufacturer make bars that narrow and those that do often run out of stock such that they're hard to find. I have used 40 cm bars before without difficulty; I just like the overall shape of the Dedas more.

ETA: I keep thinking of additional things to say. Based on my own experience and having read any number of threads on bars over the years, I'd add that there's more to bars than just width. Finding a bar with the right reach, drop, and ergonomics can be challenging. Sometimes you have to compromise on one thing to get what you want on another. So, for that reason, I'd give the current bars a chance and see what, if anything else, you like/don't like about them before ordering anything new.

[Sardine]

I have Deda 4 Girls on my tourer and they're comfortable. But the reach for the brakes on drops seemed easier on the Trek to be honest. I think that may be down to Shimano v. my campags though. You have a point about giving the current bars a chance. I was just thinking it may save me a bit of money and hassle if I have it done at the outset but then I would be going from the known and comfortable to the unknown, and may have to undo it all further down the line. Hmm, going to mull that one over. Thanks again.

[Norse]

I personally find that I need to stay with bars no wider than my shoulders - 40 - otherwise I get upper back/shoulder soreness. I swapped out the stock Bontrager that came with my Madone for a FSA model, suggested by a bike fitter, that measures 40 but the drops flare in ever so slightly making the tops a 40 but the drops more like 39.5, and this has been very comfy for me.

[Sardine]

Just wondering whether you worked out how the wider bars were causing the pain?

I'm learning new things about handlebars here and finding that my approach has been very one dimensional.

Thanks.

[Velocivixen]

I think that I've read about the leverage thing with wider bars is that if you're in the drops and you're like sprinting up a hill then the slightly wider bars will give you more leverage. Some say that wider bars "open up your chest" for better breathing and that smaller bars close your chest off. It's hard to say. If you're used to 38's then it might be fine OR you might be missing out on some great benefit (for you) of 36's.
I'll be interested in what you decide and how it works out. My shoulders are 40 and my Surly CC has 42 bars with the drops that slightly flare out. I've had the bike 3 weeks and have only tried the drops a couple of times.

[Sardine]

Ah, didn't think about the different ways of measuring. Thanks. The bike I test rode had 38cm bars and it felt comfortable. If I switch to 36cm I'd have to get those myself though the shop will do the switch for free. Need to remember the measurement point if I buy online. I've never ridden a bike with 36cm bars as they're not that common. None available to test ride even in the big shops. I tested 6 bikes and decided on a Trek. 5 out of the 6 had 38cm bars. One in 40cm

[roo4]

When I was bike shopping, one of the guys put me on a 60 cm bike (eventually bought a 56) and after I rode it I commented that the handlebars felt too wide. He gave me this story about opening up my chest for better climbing. Um...thanks, but I think I'll try another store.

This has nothing to do with the original question, sorry.

[OakLeaf]

I ride on the hoods a lot of the time, so it's easy for me to tell.

If the bars are the wrong width, then my wrists get tired because my hands aren't in line with my arms.

If my wrists break to the inside when they're tired, then my bars are too wide ... if they break to the outside, then the bars are too narrow.

If you like to ride on the tops, then you'll need bars at least another couple, probably four, centimeters wider.

[emily_in_nc]

Wider bars will give you more room on top if you mount various gadgets on them. On my Bike Friday, I have a computer, air horn, and Halt holder, and barely enough room for my hands. Since I do a lot of utilitarian rides, I wish they were wider on top as I do like riding on the tops quite a lot.

My handlebars were 38cm Salsa Pocos, but when Bike Friday cuts them to make them foldable, they lose a cm, so are around 37 cm C-to-C. My shoulder width is around 36 cm.

Narrower bars are also a bit more twitchy; wider bars are more stable.

I would size up just a bit (within reason) due to the above. YMMV, of course.

[KnottedYet]

Stand straight and tall, and put your arms out in front of you with your thumbs up. Hold 'em out in what seems like a "normal" distance.

Ask your assistant to measure the distance from the web of one thumb to the web of the other while you hold still.

Treasure that measurement, that is your neutral. If you wanted a bar that was the same width as your neutral arm position, it would have the same center-to-center distance at the point where you like to place your hands as your web-to-web distance.

If you want something wider for leverage, add a some centimeters to your neutral width.

I've got bars that match my neutral on my go-fast bike. On my commuter/hauler/trailer-puller I've got moustache bars that are a good bit wider than my neutral on the tails. Looooove them, and had to do some searching for relatively narrow moustaches that were close to my neutral on the forward curves.

Knowing your neutral at least gives you a place to start.

[Sardine]

OakLeaf, like you, I ride on hoods a lot but I really like drops, especially outside the city and if I'm honest, would probably use them more if the reach for the brakes was really easy. But hoods when I'm tired , which goes back to pll's point re surface area and comfort. It seems there are bars with different top/drop widths to accommodate this though.

Emily, things I may want to mount on the bars didn't even occur to me. I just have a light, but a GPS is definitely a possibility if I can work out which one stores routes/how to do it.

Knotted, thank you! I've done the measurement and my neutral position is not 36cm, but a shade under 34cm? Can this be? My head now hurts but I'm glad I've learnt this given its importance. This will be my starting point for the decision. Thank goodness the bike is only due mid-Sept.

Ladies, thank you for your valuable insights. You've made me realise that over the years, I've got used to my bikes the way they were set up for me without giving things much thought apart from saddles. I've been commuting since the early 90s but really got interested in cycling about 6 yrs ago. My bikes were bought around that time and I relied heavily on the advice of shops I used, which were independent and reputable. I was also fitted for the tourer. I haven't ridden other bikes since. Hence the one dimensional approach to handlebars and no doubt a whole lot of other things. I have a lot of food for thought. TE is a great forum.

Btw roo4, you made me laugh. Happened to me too when I was a lot younger but I was daft enough to buy it.

[KnottedYet]

Oh, thanks! I just did it, and can see even without an assistant that I hold my arms quite wide naturally.

The anatomical measurements are nice (acromnion span, outer deltoid span, etc) but they really only tell you the dimensions of part of the body. They don't tell you where your arms like to be.

Where they like to be is often where they are most efficient, as well.

What if I have narrow shoulders, but my lungs and ribcage like to expand outwards a lot? I'm going to naturally hold my hands a bit wider, and a bar that matches my shoulder span might not put my arms at the width that lets me breathe most efficiently. Or maybe I've got tremendous pect strength, and my shoulder girdles are most stable slightly protracted. Putting me on a bar the same width as my shoulders might cause me to lose the strength and stability I get from bringing my arms closer.

Function is key!