Road bars...all seem too narrow!

mangizmo

Hi, I have always ridden a hybrid style bike with wide flat bars and long bar ends, I can hang off the curve of the bar ends in a similar manner to using the hoods on drops...great for climbing I find
Anyway, I am riding with some clubs now at a brisk pace, so I bought a Felt 56cm Z90 road bike...lovely and the frame size is great, but the 42cm road bars seem soooooo narrow for my big shoulders (and compared to the 60cm flat bars , 44cm doesnt sound a great deal wider.).....can I get wider bars, is there any problem with using wide bars on a road bike ? or do you guys think its just a case of getting used to them....at the moment, I just dont like them at all, my flat bars are 60cm wide!.....its really bugging me
I am about 6 foot tall, around 14st, and across my shoulders (outside to outside) I measure 51cm (about 20ins)
Anybody else had this problem, maybe coming from a mountain bike ?

Thanks

whyamihere

How wide are your shoulders?

mangizmo

Across the shoulders I measure about 51cm (outer to outer), around 20 ins, I am a fairly big bloke

sturmey

You can get 46cm bars easily enough- but you don't really want to go any bigger! I am similar build to you and have 46cm bars on all my bikes. Luckily enough my latest bike- a Halfords cheapie came with 46cm bars as standard. Yet a lot of very expensive machines come with 42cm.
I asked about this in Evans Cycles recently and pointed out to a sales guy that discerning riders would not buy from them as they didn't give any choice over bar width or length of stem.Then again,maybe people who buy £1k plus machines at evans have more money than sense.
Whereas people who buy from Halfords...

whyamihere

Sorry, should have mentioned it should be measured centre to centre. I'd guess about 45cm, roughly. You can get some 46cm bars (I know Easton EC90s are available in this width), but 44s should be fine. It is probably more a case of getting used to the narrower bars, as you say there is only a small difference between bar widths.

inseine

Normally your use bars as wide as your shoulders, but I've never seen wider than 46cm. Your 42cm are quite norrow and you obviously have very wide shoulders. I'd splash out on some wider ones.

mangizmo

sturmey wrote:

You can get 46cm bars easily enough- but you don't really want to go any bigger! I am similar build to you and have 46cm bars on all my bikes. Luckily enough my latest bike- a Halfords cheapie came with 46cm bars as standard. Yet a lot of very expensive machines come with 42cm.
I asked about this in Evans Cycles recently and pointed out to a sales guy that discerning riders would not buy from them as they didn't give any choice over bar width or length of stem.Then again,maybe people who buy £1k plus machines at evans have more money than sense.
Whereas people who buy from Halfords...

Hey, thanks....well Halfords do have their moments, and have stocked some really decdent bikes from time to time (and some really bad ones), my fave was the previous generation of Carrera Crossfires (NOT the current versions), there were three versions, but the top of the line, the carrera crosfire 3000 was a great fast tourer with full mudguards/carrier and top notch equipment (deore LX throughout), they started off at £700, and when they cleared them out about 2 years ago, they went for £249.00, so I bought 2, the frame is lovely and light, thats what I am riding right now, and keeping up on quite fast club rides
I will take your advice and buy some 46cm bars, that should do the trick...trhanks again

synchronicity

ITM lite lux road drop bars are also available in 46 cm centre-centre.

Mettan

mangizmo wrote:

is there any problem with using wide bars on a road bike ? or do you guys think its just a case of getting used to them....at the moment, I just dont like them at all

It'll take you a couple of months before you're fully comfortable with drop bars - at first they do feel narrow, and lacking in steering control (relative to flat bars) - after a few months though, they'll feel part of the furniture - just takes time.

mangizmo

whyamihere wrote:

Sorry, should have mentioned it should be measured centre to centre. I'd guess about 45cm, roughly. You can get some 46cm bars (I know Easton EC90s are available in this width), but 44s should be fine. It is probably more a case of getting used to the narrower bars, as you say there is only a small difference between bar widths.

Fitted some Bontrager 46cm bars and a 135mm Cinelli stem....fantastic now, no problems at all, the difference between 42cm and 46cm bars sounds insignificant, but they feel MUCH wider, and the longer stem makes so much difference
My bike also has additional top mounted levers (standard on the Felt Z90) like on a cyclocross bike, so I am really at home with that set up after riding big wide flaty bars
Thanks folks.....next club run I will give them a good run

teagar

I didn't know handlebars could be wider/narrower. I always feel mine are slightly too wide! I'm only a shortie.

How small do they get over the standard size?

redddraggon

teagar wrote:

How small do they get over the standard size?

I've seen 34cm and 36cm bars, womens versions come in the narrower versions quite often.

I use 38 or 40cm bars