Handlebars. Go narrow?

fat daddy

I have a 42cm 3T on my fast road bike which measures at 40 on the hoods and a 44cm on the CX bike.

I much prefer the wider bars when commuting .... I haven't noticed any difference fitting in gaps but slow speed manoeuvring around busses or getting some serous leverage when sprinting or going across Bristols many cobbles, the wider bars are far more confidence inspiring and relaxing.

infact not just when commuting, the wider bars I find better for the uneven road surfaces around here


double edit : actually its non-conclusive, the wider bars are on a different bike, with different geometry and different tyres and set up ... chances are just prefer the cheapo Tricross than the sworks Roubaix !

gmkleuser

bernithebiker wrote:

In answer to the title? Yes!

Try typing '3 good reasons to try narrower handlebars' in Youtube.

I youtubed it. Great video. Then I watched another, another, another....

Great content. Thanks!

bernithebiker

gmkleuser wrote:

bernithebiker wrote:

In answer to the title? Yes!

Try typing '3 good reasons to try narrower handlebars' in Youtube.

I youtubed it. Great video. Then I watched another, another, another....

Great content. Thanks!

Thanks Dad, cheque's in the post!

bristolpete

gmkleuser wrote:

bernithebiker wrote:

In answer to the title? Yes!

Try typing '3 good reasons to try narrower handlebars' in Youtube.

I youtubed it. Great video. Then I watched another, another, another....

Great content. Thanks!

I watched it too - good stuff you handsome devil.

Anyway, after reading this earlier in the week, last night I ordered, as a test some basic Zipp ergo 40cm c-c with slight flare on the drop bars. £24 delivered this afternoon . Dropped into LBS and bought a longer Giant 0D2 stem adding 15mm to the reach. Got home fettled it onto the bike and managed to save / reuse my current tape which was a nice bonus and took the TCR around the block. Felt good. Going to give myself time on 40 c-c now. It really is incredible how it tightens up the feel and performance of a race bike, making it feel exactly that and more use of the BB rather than pulling the bars which should equate to a nice steady upper body. The more you read on bar fit / shoulders you realise it is out outmoded advice based on old skool coni bike fit advice before STI, compact bars, sloping top tubes and so on. An interesting thing occurred too as sometimes we think we need to come up and back fit wise - shortening the fit all the time, but the fit felt far more natural and matching my upper body and reach where as on 44 I felt like I was collapsing over the front of the bike. Feedback to follow.

gweeds

I'm 6'1", and 86kg with a 41"'chest and ride 40cm c-c Zipps. Love them. So for me narrower is good.

bristolpete

Gweeds wrote:

I'm 6'1", and 86kg with a 41"'cheat and ride 40cm c-c Zipps. Love them. So for me narrower is good.

^ He is a unit, we have previous as skilled photographers.

Fast legs too

gweeds

Ha!!! Cheers buddy

bendertherobot

All my dales came with 44 which are horribly wide Imo. So a process to swap out soon.

hsiaolc

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/3t-aerotundo-te ... andlebars/

I have this on my bike atm and it works fine in London city riding. I wouldn't say it is too narrow or too wide in London. It lets me go through some small gaps.

OH I have the 40cm version. Compare to mountain bike obviously there is no comparison for control but you don't need to do sudden big turns normally.

drwae

I used 44cm bars that came default on my Cannondale for over a year, I didn't think they were too wide because I didn't know any different but I found myself getting uncomfortable in my shoulder blades after a few minutes riding and moving in one hand to the centre of the bar to narrow the distance, without thinking about it.
Switching to 38cm bars was the best thing I could've done, it feels a lot more comfortable now. I have since picked up a second Cannondale that has 42cm bars and will change them to 38s ASAP, it feels way too wide now.

priory

I am 190cm , 6ft 2inch +, and 44cm bars have been a big improvement in comfort for me.

ryan_w-2

Just ordered some 42cm (c-c) Zipp Contour SL bars... Can't wait to be back on carbon, ally are so crashy!

I'm a biggish guy too (92kg but shrinking)...

okgo

Carbon are flexy.

I've had Zipp Sl-70 Aero and prefer the £15 deda ones I replaced them with

OnTheRopes

bigjim wrote:

Wide bars is a newish thing isn't it? Most of my bikes are pretty old [like me] and they all have narrow bars as standard. I'm broad shouldered but don't find them a problem. I wonder why they changed to a wider bar on modern bikes?

What do you mean by newish, Greg Lemond used wide bars suggesting it helped with breathing

bristolpete

Zipp SL alloy stiffest alloy bar I have ever ridden and tremendous VFM as well as reach choices.

Also, two rides this week and running 40 c-c it amazing how tighter and more responsive the front end is after hanging over 44's for what 6-7 years as per bike fit mantra !

bernithebiker

OnTheRopes wrote:

bigjim wrote:

Wide bars is a newish thing isn't it? Most of my bikes are pretty old [like me] and they all have narrow bars as standard. I'm broad shouldered but don't find them a problem. I wonder why they changed to a wider bar on modern bikes?

What do you mean by newish, Greg Lemond used wide bars suggesting it helped with breathing

Well he pioneered the use of aerobars (ultra close together), so he obviously wasn't too worried about his breathing there.

Maybe he did use wider bars on his normal bike, I've no idea, but noone seems to mention breathing anymore in relation to bars. Is there a scientific study that shows wider bars let you breathe better? If so I haven't seen it, and again, Bradley seemed to be breathing OK when he was doing his hour record...!

ryan_w-2

okgo wrote:

Carbon are flexy.

I've had Zipp Sl-70 Aero and prefer the £15 deda ones I replaced them with

Gunna have to disagree with you there mate.

Some carbon bars a s**t, however, others are fantastic.

S**t: 3T Aeronova, so flexy!

Fantastic: Syncros RR1.0, Enve (any), Bontrager XXX

Will report back on the Zipps...

okgo

Well I found the SL70 which is obviously their top of the line handle bar to absorb road buzz, but I don't care about road buzz, but by flexible, and eventually I was sick of it.

ben@31

I got a bikefit a few years ago. I don't really trust it as the guy in the shop looked confused and didn't fill me with confidence. I think in the end he just raided the parts bin and fitted whatever stem and bars were to hand.
The bars that were fitted are noticeably narrow. I'm guessing 38cm. What I notice the most is the handling of the bike seems so twitchy.
I don't find it any more comfortable to my other bike with wider factory bars. If I ride one bike for a few days, I only notice the width of the bars on the first ride, after a few days on it I get used to the fit of whatever bike I'm on.

bernithebiker

ben@31 wrote:

I got a bikefit a few years ago. I don't really trust it as the guy in the shop looked confused and didn't fill me with confidence. I think in the end he just raided the parts bin and fitted whatever stem and bars were to hand.

Unfortunately, I think this is quite common. The ability to use a tape measure is considered by some sufficient skill to be nominated 'The Official Shop Bike Fitter'.

It takes a lot of experience, time and effort to fit correctly, and clearly, not all 'experts' are the same.

Moonbiker

dwanes

There you go! evidence that wider bars opens up the rib cage encouraging more oxygen to the hair follicles in order to promote faster hair growth.

sloppyschleckonds

Use the Greame Obree method for measuring bar widths

bristolpete

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

Use the Greame Obree method for measuring bar widths

Which is what ?

dennisn

I suppose, key word "suppose", that IF you ride in lots of crowded pelotons like the pros. You know, couple 'a hundred guys, it could be of some advantage, maybe, to have narrower bars to help slip between all the other riders. Maybe, possibly, there's a chance, etc. Are you riding in the pro tour races? Sounds like you're grasping at straws.

meanredspider

I'm gonna apologise right off for the link but it was a great picture that Google threw up and I'm on a hospital ward

Disclaimer over, look at the picture of Froome here (on a TT bike which may even illustrate the point better) and tell me that a couple of centimetres on the width of your bars is going to make any noticeable difference to your frontal area

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/others ... er-it.html

Buy what you feel comfortable on - for me that's 44cm and the Bike Whisperer concurred. Those with little narrow shoulders (like many racing snakes) will want smaller I'd wager.

bristolpete

meanredspider wrote:

I'm gonna apologise right off for the link but it was a great picture that Google threw up and I'm on a hospital ward

Disclaimer over, look at the picture of Froome here (on a TT bike which may even illustrate the point better) and tell me that a couple of centimetres on the width of your bars is going to make any noticeable difference to your frontal area

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/others ... er-it.html

Buy what you feel comfortable on - for me that's 44cm and the Bike Whisperer concurred. Those with little narrow shoulders (like many racing snakes) will want smaller I'd wager.

I bought a bike with integrated bars and stem. 110mm stem and 42cm bars. Ideal. No faff, no extra cost and feel fantastic. 50 miles in 3 hrs 3 mins this morning and no issues at all. Happy days.

philbar72

okgo wrote:

Well I found the SL70 which is obviously their top of the line handle bar to absorb road buzz, but I don't care about road buzz, but by flexible, and eventually I was sick of it.

got the same ones and kind of agree(definitely on road buzz), am a few kg heavier than you but when sprinting they aren't quite what you want, they aren't flexy by any means but the feel isn't quite right. the heavier alloy ones (SL70) are great for that (and a lot cheaper).

mac9091

Started with 400mm then went to 420 as it was o. the bike now running 380 due to shoulder width but have smashed my knee off the bottom of the bar end a couple of times when sprinting.

Not ideal as it knacks and I nearly fell off the 1st time.

ZMC888

There was an uber-wide craze in MTB a few years ago 680 went to 720, then 750 and then to 800mm. Then people realized it was just getting daft. People settled at about 710-780 depending on preference. I settled on 720. So when I started riding road I thought 440mm was narrow enough for me.