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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Location
    Maryland
    Posts
    55

    Handllebar size and comfort

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    Well, my bike is on order and should be here the third week of November, and I am thinking about things I may need to change for better fit - mainly saddle and handlebars. The bike, a Felt F85X, comes with 420/450 mm handlebars. I'm not sure why there are two numbers, perhaps center to center and outside to outside? They appear to be compact, and have a 86mm reach and 130mm drop. Seems big for me. I just measured my shoulders and they are apx 390 mm. I looked at the women's specific Felt ZW2 specs and they come with a 380mm with a 77 mm reach and 123mm drop for the bike that would be my size, so I am wondering if that is what I should be looking for in a new handlebar.

    My questions are: what size (width, reach, drop) bar are you using, does it fit well, and did you deviate from the normal recommendations to get that comfortable fit? Everything I read says shoulder width, but it seems some people find wider or more narrow to be more comfortable. What is your experience?

    I should add that I do have rather small hands, so the drop and reach especially concern me. Even with women's small gloves, the fingers tend to be too long, so usually I resort to children's medium or large.
    Last edited by Bones8; 10-26-2014 at 06:56 AM.
    2007 Trek 7.2 FX
    2015 Felt F85X with Specialized Oura seat, Specialized Road Pro II handlebars, and Look Quartz pedals

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    northern Virginia
    Posts
    5,897
    I have these, 380 mm width.

    http://www.bontrager.com/model/09192

    My bike (Madone WSD) came with the same bars in a 400 mm width, but I was having neck pain so I switched to the narrower bars.

    I find them to be pretty much perfect, comfortable when riding in the drops and easy to reach the brifters.

    - Gray 2010 carbon WSD road bike, Rivet Independence saddle
    - Red hardtail 26" aluminum mountain bike, Bontrager Evoke WSD saddle
    - Royal blue 2018 aluminum gravel bike, Rivet Pearl saddle

    Gone but not forgotten:
    - Silver 2003 aluminum road bike
    - Two awesome worn out Juliana saddles

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Location
    Maryland
    Posts
    55
    Quote Originally Posted by Muirenn View Post
    I just looked up your bike. Very nice cyclocross! One of the road bikes I mentioned is a CX's, a cannondale CAADX, you're gonna love having a cross bike!
    Thanks! I am very excited about it. I'm not sure how I will feel about the paint scheme long term, but it is more of an entry level bike anyway I suppose and hopefully in a few years I will be able to upgrade and/or add another bike for duathlons/triathlons. For now, I think it is just what I need! I hope I am satisfied with the Tiagra setup.
    2007 Trek 7.2 FX
    2015 Felt F85X with Specialized Oura seat, Specialized Road Pro II handlebars, and Look Quartz pedals

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Location
    Maryland
    Posts
    55
    Quote Originally Posted by ny biker View Post
    I have these, 380 mm width.

    http://www.bontrager.com/model/09192

    My bike (Madone WSD) came with the same bars in a 400 mm width, but I was having neck pain so I switched to the narrower bars.

    I find them to be pretty much perfect, comfortable when riding in the drops and easy to reach the brifters.
    Those look like they would possibly be perfect for me! The sizing still gets me though. On my 7.2FX I had to move the shifters and grips out because I was getting elbow pain, which makes me wonder if I will also be more comfortable on a slightly wide drop bar. Then again, I am a bit over extended on that bike since I fell for the old "We'll give you a great deal on this odd size bike that's not quite your size that we're having trouble getting rid of from last year."
    2007 Trek 7.2 FX
    2015 Felt F85X with Specialized Oura seat, Specialized Road Pro II handlebars, and Look Quartz pedals

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Concord, MA
    Posts
    13,394
    Those original numbers you posted are a really long reach! I like the short and shallow bars, with a 123 drop and a 75 reach. I have the Specialized ones, but there are a few other companies that make the same dimensions. Like Murienn, I hate the ergo bars, they hurt my hands. The bars are cheap, like 45.00 USD for the aluminum ones. It's made a world of difference for me.
    2015 Trek Silque SSL
    Specialized Oura

    2011 Guru Praemio
    Specialized Oura
    2017 Specialized Ariel Sport

 

 

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