Narrower bars - has anyone NOT got on with them?

i normally ride 40s but was given a really nice set of 38s that I put on a build - too small, cramped, couldn't breath, felt like i was riding a child's bike.

didn't make any differenxe to handling just made the bike uncomfortable to ride.

I was told on a bike fit I would be better off with 38 cm bars, I tried some for a few rides but changed them to a 40 cm, 40s are fitted on all my bikes now
The original bars fitted were 42cm

I don't really care to be quite frank! I don't care because I know in about 20 years or so someone will go back and make an argument for wider drop bars again and then we'll all be on that kick, so I just go by the old standard rule of measuring your clavicle and adding 2cm, this will help keep your wrist straight instead of having to constantly be canting the wrist in or out to ride your bike which can cause your hands to get tingly, also a narrower bar could also put more tension and stress on the forearm at the elbow causing discomfort there that can lead to something similar to tennis elbow. If you're measurement comes up odd simply add 1cm.

The original idea for many years is to go with a wider bar even when racing because it opened the lungs up by spreading out your chest, now they say the opposite is the case, quite frankly I don't think they know! I've talked to people who raced with both wide and narrow bars and in the aspect of breathing they said they couldn't tell the difference, and for that I agree.

Of course if you'll be racing the aerodynamics can be an issue, the other issue with racing is that a narrower bar can help you thread through tight crowded bicycle traffic a bit easier, but if you're not racing go for comfort and don't worry about the slight aerodynamic advantage or being able to thread through a crowd of cyclists, it will make your riding experience more pleasurable. On a heavily loaded touring bike it's actually more beneficial and more comfortable to go with a bar that is about 2cm wider than normal even though your wrist might angle out a bit more but the less work you have to do to control the bike will return any discomfort from that. Most of that touring bike stuff is because most touring bikes have a higher trail than a standard road bike and bikes with this higher trail geometry have a tendency to have a wee bit more wheel flop then a lower trail bike and with a load it gets more exaggerated so the wider bar tames that sensation. The problem with going to wide can result in pain between the shoulder blades so you have to be careful on a touring bike you don't go too wide, and usually 2cm extra shouldn't cause a problem (by the way, that is how you can tell if your current bars are too wide).

Also you have to consider the drop of the bar, too much of a drop means you have to lift your head more to see where you're going and this can lead to a sore neck, so generally for the non racer it's better to go with a shallow drop due to better comfort making your riding more enjoyable which means you'll want to stay with cycling for years to come.

Just opinions by the way.

I like 38's.
I bought them by mistake because the quoted width of 40 was measured outer to outer but they really suited me.
My clavicle is about 38.

CookeeeMonster wrote:

Btw the wide bar breathing thing. How can time trialists stay in such a ridiculously narrow position for hours on end if their breathing should be so massively affected?

Or team/individual pursuiters on the track, for that matter. Even track endurance riders tend to favour bars around 36-38cm width, generally-speaking. Assuming one has a normal skeletal structure (ie, you have a rib cage with lungs inside it), how close-together your arms are is not going to affect your ability to breathe. The shoulder width thing is also a red herring..

neeb wrote:

(Incidentally if anyone wants some *really* narrow bars Merlin have a great deal on the 38cm Ernova Ltds (which are effectively 36mm..). £150 (these are the uber light ones). Equivalent superergos are £325 and they don't come in a size that small (the 38cm is 38cm)).

Sweet baby Jesus. What do £300 bars do for their money ?

I recently went from 42cm to 38cm. I'm at least 0.5 mph faster (27mph ave vs. 26.5mph).
Not had a chance to try them outdoors yet though.

started with 42's and have ended up back with 42s on the favourite bike. over the last 5 -6 years have tried all sorts to be honest. 38's from zipp ( Sl70) and then ergonovas in a variety of sizes. sl70 aeros on the climbing bike, which work pretty well at 40cm across the tops and 42 on the drops...

now I'm not racing anymore, i'll just go for comfort... and not worry about aeros.