Road bar width - whats the rule of thumb

geordiefella

there's some nice fsa bars on sale at CRC. 40 / 42 or 44. building a bike. how do i know which width to choose. measure my shoulders maybe. is there a rule of thumb?

Cheers, Dave

skyd0g

Measure the distance between the two 'notches' on your shoulder - this is your bar width. (approx*)

*a certain variation due to personal preference, also some bar manufacturers measure centre-to-centre, some total width and of course some bars flare-out slightly rather than run parallel.

geordiefella

well, thats 48cm from the edge of the shoulder girdle notches.

mattward1979

one way Ive seen people measure them is to "wear" the bars around your shoulders, and choose the ones that squeeze you the least, but grip around your shoulders.