Quote Originally Posted by zoom-zoom View Post
My shoulders are actually 38, but my bike is a men's frame and 40 was the smallest handlebars available. My previous bike had 38...I can't really say that I notice a difference, but that's mainly because my 2 bikes handle so differently to begin with. My reach on my previous bike was really a bit too short for me. Current bike has a slightly longer top tube and a 20mm longer stem (started out with the shorter stem, but handling was scary and I felt cramped).

I can say that I wouldn't want my bars any wider, though. If they were wider I don't think I'd be comfortable riding on the hoods.
How does one take a proper measurement of shoulder width (for bike purposes)? I was told that my shoulders are 38 (my bars are 38 also), however...I feel that I'm very broad-shouldered since I have a lot of trouble finding tops that fit properly across my upper back/shoulder area. So now I'm wondering if I really am a 38 in my shoulders and if maybe a 40cm bar might be a better option for me?