Indicators that drop bars are a size too wide ?

Raffles
Raffles Posts: 1,137
edited August 2012 in Road beginners
My bars are size 44 , around my chest I am about 41.5 inches. What are common signs that bars are a size too wide ? My left deltoid muscle gets a bit sore after about 25 miles and my neck and right shoulder are unaffected, thats my reason for asking.
2012 Cannondale CAAD 8 105

Comments

  • benkxk
    benkxk Posts: 151
    Get someone to look at you from the front, if your hands on the hoods are in parallel with your shoulders they're the right size
  • Raffles
    Raffles Posts: 1,137
    I had my wife measure my shoulders from acromium to acromium, she said its 40 cm across. Im using 44 cm bars , is it viable that this could be contributing to sore left deltoid ?
    2012 Cannondale CAAD 8 105
  • t.m.h.n.e.t
    t.m.h.n.e.t Posts: 2,265
    If your arms point out too big
    Point in too small
    Raffles wrote:
    I had my wife measure my shoulders from acromium to acromium, she said its 40 cm across. Im using 44 cm bars , is it viable that this could be contributing to sore left deltoid ?
    Yes absolutely.
  • Wulz
    Wulz Posts: 100
    I only realised that my 44`s were a little too wide when i bought a second bike which had 42`s on and felt the difference. So i would try a different size, see how it feels.
  • thegreatdivide
    thegreatdivide Posts: 5,807
    I've tried 40's which were fine, 42's for a bit of a change and post bike fit 44's. The 44's are now annoying the hell out of me so I'm back to 40's.

    The 'get the right bars so your chest isn't compressed' thing is IMO a lot of rubbish. I breath from my diaphragm so it's purely for comfort. The 44’s were giving my shoulders grief.
  • Raffles
    Raffles Posts: 1,137
    with the fsa omega compact, the width measurement is from c to c + 2 cms, so 44s are for somebody of shoulder width 42cms. as Im 40 across the shoulders, my size for omega bars is thus 42 cm. I got a set of size 42cm fsa omega bars today and hopefully they will be a lot better for me.
    2012 Cannondale CAAD 8 105
  • MattC59
    MattC59 Posts: 5,408
    Measure knobly bit to knobly bit on the front of your shoulders. Take this measurement and round it up to the nearest bar size, that's the one to choose.

    When you buy some new bars, hold them up to your shoulders. you want the ends of the drops (or where ever the measurement is taken from) to line up with your knobly bits.

    note: knobly bits is an official medical term.
    Science adjusts it’s beliefs based on what’s observed.
    Faith is the denial of observation so that Belief can be preserved
  • pst88
    pst88 Posts: 621
    What knobbly bit? It's all muscle.
    Bianchi Via Nirone Veloce/Centaur 2010
  • pilot_pete
    pilot_pete Posts: 2,120
    pst88 wrote:
    What knobbly bit? It's all muscle.
    Well, unless you're a track sprinter could I suggest a diet? :wink::lol:

    PP
  • smidsy
    smidsy Posts: 5,273
    pst88 wrote:
    What knobbly bit? It's all muscle.

    I guess he means where the collar bone joins?
    Yellow is the new Black.

Categories