Worth getting narrower road bars?

[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.

[OakLeaf]

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.

I like the drops and the hooks too. I think ideal bar width is pretty much the same for drops/hooks vs. hoods - so if you like both, you'll want bars that don't splay out too far.

On reach to the brakes - if you don't already have the short-reach Shimano shifters, it would be less expensive to swap just the shifters than to take your whole drivetrain to Campy. But little tweaks can make a lot of difference in that department too - moving the levers up or down on the bars, changing the tilt of the bars - or since you're considering different bars, trying a different bend.

[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!

[tzvia]

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.

I have the same issue-If I setup the hoods top surface to be a nice flat horizontal extension of the top of the bars, the reach to the levers when in the drops was wayyy too far for my stubby little fingers. I use Shimano Ultrega SL shifters btw. Specialized makes reach-wedges for Shimano shifters- that fit between the lever and the shifter body, basically partially 'pulling' the lever and decreasing the reach. I use them on my commuter and my Ruby and they have made it possible for me to really be confident in the drops, without having to buy two new sets of short-reach levers. I don't think they make them for SRAM or Campy, however.

Yesterday I was in such a headwind that going downhill the wind was slowing me down so much I was pedaling hard; it felt like I was going back uphill! Having those drops available and being able to use them confidently and tucking in my arms and knees made things much easier. Sometimes the silliest little things make a huge difference.

Years ago, I had such a hard time finding narrow enough bars, but last month I went into an LBS and fouind Torelli bars in 34, 36 and 38 just hanging on the wall...

[Bethany1]

How do you measure your shoulders? If I go from the outside edges of my shoulders behind my back I run 45cm. It looks like that measurement from my thumbs as well maybe a little smaller.

I have a Madone with the stock bars. How do you measure the bars and what would you look for if they are too small/large?

[Kathi]

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.

My neutral measurement is 33 cm. The 34 cm bar puts my hands slightly wider than my neutral. I also have short arms, which I would think affects the reach to the hoods, and 1st grade sized hands which affects my reach to the brake lever while in the drops. Modolo Venus bars are designed for smaller hands so I can use campy components.

BTW, the handling of my bike is not twitchy and I don't have a problem breathing while climbing. I comfortably ride in the hoods and drops, and can reach my brake levers etc. The smaller bars have really helped my confidence on downhills because I've learned to descend while in my drops and I know I can reach my brakes for slowing or stopping..

When I had the Deda 4 girls I didn't feel comfortable in my drops and couldn't reach my brake levers. I mostly rode with my hands on top of the bar because that is where I felt more comfortable. I used my brakes from the hoods so I had less power braking. Even though my frame was correct size and fitted I still had shoulder soreness and rode with stiff elbows.

Here in Colorado I've ridden some really scary terrain. The smaller bars make the difference between riding vs walking or sagging down.

The Modolo Venus bars aren't fancy but they do their job and I'm very happy with them.

[Sardine]

I just wanted to let you know that following your helpful responses, I decided to swap the handlebar on one of my existing bikes to a 36cm one. Kathi, I was interested in getting a Modolo Venus after your recommendation but couldn't source one and ended up with a Salsa bar which also helps me reach the brakes easily. It's really made a difference to my comfort level and the ride is much nicer. I've decided to leave the stock bars on the new road bike which is coming in next week to see how that goes before I make a decision as I figure I should at least give it a chance. But now I know that 36cm bars work for me.

Thanks again.


P.S. Thanks also to Indysteel for your response on another thread to do with rust in one of my steel frames. Your views consolidated my own concern and I took it to my bike shop. It wasn't a major problem but there was a tiny hole in one of the welded areas where the tubes join near the bottom bracket and that was letting moisture in. It's now been sealed.

[Kathi]

I just wanted to let you know that following your helpful responses, I decided to swap the handlebar on one of my existing bikes to a 36cm one. Kathi, I was interested in getting a Modolo Venus after your recommendation but couldn't source one and ended up with a Salsa bar which also helps me reach the brakes easily. It's really made a difference to my comfort level and the ride is much nicer. I've decided to leave the stock bars on the new road bike which is coming in next week to see how that goes before I make a decision as I figure I should at least give it a chance. But now I know that 36cm bars work for me.

Thanks again.


P.S. Thanks also to Indysteel for your response on another thread to do with rust in one of my steel frames. Your views consolidated my own concern and I took it to my bike shop. It wasn't a major problem but there was a tiny hole in one of the welded areas where the tubes join near the bottom bracket and that was letting moisture in. It's now been sealed.

Thats exactly what I did bought the Modolo Venus put it on my old bike. Liked them so much I put them on my Serotta. Glad the smaller bars are working for you.

[Miranda]

Glad you got your bars worked out. And yes, TE is a wonderful place for information! Don't know what I'd do without it.

Just throwing in the bar thread here that I never thought I'd be one to ride on the tops until I upgraded to a carbon bar that happen to have flat tops. I have kinda wide-ish palms, and the flat tops are nice and comfy. Though I'm still more on the hoods and some drops. Just never the tops until I got the flat surface.

Good luck with your new bike.