HandleBars

[sarah jansen]

I bought my Lemond road bike about 6 months ago, and I've been told my handle bars are too big for me. How does one measure that sort of thing? Anybody know?

Thanks!

Sarah

[velogirl]

The width of your bar is from the center of one drop to the center of the other. It will be in centimeters and will likely be something like 40cm or 42cm.

The width of your bar should be no more than 2cm wider than the width of your shoulders from A/C joint to A/C joint. So, if your shoulders are 37cm, you want a 38cm bar.

Now, it's hard to measure your own shoulder width, so one way to do this without a tape measure is to straddle the top tube of your bike, lift your arms directly in front of you (like you're shaking hands with someone with both hands), and that's where your hoods should be.

[Grog]

One symptom of too-wide handlebars can be persistent pain behind your shoulders, and/or a feeling that your shoulderblades are always sort of squeezed together. Some pain is normal at the beginning of the season as your muscles adapt to the "new" position, but persistent and acute pain is not.

I have realized that my handlebars are too wide when my boyfriend commented on the unusual size of my deltoid muscles for a women. At my next ride, I noticed how I was actually using those muscles more than I should, and that my arms were extended wider than shoulder-width on my bike. After three months of this "discovery", I still haven't acted upon it, mostly because adaptation has made this painless, even on very long rides. But my next significant investment in my bike will probably be a complete re-fit and, if the problem is confirmed, new handlebars.

[DebW]

I've got a 38 cm handlebar on one of my bikes (the old one that only gets used on the trainer now), and it's really too small for me. The 40 cm on my other bike feels perfect, the 38 feels too narrow. So, if anyone really needs a 38 and can't find one, I'd be willing to swap you a 38 for a 40. I believe it's a Cinelli bar, but I could send pictures if you're interested.

[Bike Goddess]

Grog- Do get those handlebars to fit you as soon as you can! You'll notice a BIG difference in power going up the hills and handling your bike in general!