Choosing handlebar width?

Since 2001, over 90,000 cyclist's have joined Cycling Forums to discuss topics from general cycling to equipment, training, racing and travel or vacation destinations (especially in europe during the tour de france). We also feature an great deals in our online store, 100's of articles, classifieds and product reviews.

I've been told from several sources when fitting a road
bike, that you should choose bars that are approximately
shoulder width.

It seems, after watching the pros on TV for several years,
that not everyone follows this particular bit of wisdom. It
would seem to me that some pros have bars that are wider
than what conventional wisdom would indicate.

Any comments on choosing the proper (drop bar) handlebar
width? Is this like an "aero-penalty-versus-comfort" type of
thing? I was thinking a slightly wider bar (like a 46 vs. my
current 44) might be more comfortable on the road. Am I
wrong in thinking this?

Regards,
H.

"HardwareLust" <noone@nowhere.com> wrote in
news:FqAIc.45261$Xq4.18515@nwrddc02.gnilink.net:
> Any comments on choosing the proper (drop bar) handlebar
> width? Is this like an "aero-penalty-versus-comfort" type
> of thing? I was thinking a slightly wider bar (like a 46
> vs. my current 44) might be more comfortable on the road.
> Am I wrong in thinking this?

Handlebars as wide as your shoulders depends somewhat on how
you measure your shoulders. Another guideline is that the
handlebars should be as wide as the widest part of your
chest. Women with narrow shoulders may want to make their
handlebars as wide as their hips, otherwise their knees
could be bumping into the handlebars.

Yes, tourists often choose slightly wider handlebars for
more stability when you're riding on the brake hoods. Some
racers choose slightly narrower handlebars for more
maneuverability.

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

In article <FqAIc.45261$Xq4.18515@nwrddc02.gnilink.net>,
HardwareLust <noone@nowhere.com> wrote:
>I've been told from several sources when fitting a road
>bike, that you should choose bars that are approximately
>shoulder width.

_ I think this is just a rule of thumb that works for most
people. A lot depends on the rest of your riding position.

>
>It seems, after watching the pros on TV for several years,
>that not everyone follows this particular bit of wisdom. It
>would seem to me that some pros have bars that are wider
>than what conventional wisdom would indicate.

_ Are they perhaps climbing or sprinting specialists? Wider
bars really help when you're out of the saddle.

>
>Any comments on choosing the proper (drop bar) handlebar
>width? Is this like an "aero-penalty-versus-comfort" type
>of thing? I was thinking a slightly wider bar (like a 46
>vs. my current 44) might be more comfortable on the road.
>Am I wrong in thinking this?
>

_ Unfortunately, the only way to know is to try and a lot
depends on what you're used to. I road 38cm bars for years
because that was what was on my bike and poor grad students
don't have money to experiment. I've tried wider bars and
you can definitely go too wide. 42cm seems about right for
me, which is slightly narrower than the common wisdom would
suggest. At this point I'm only concerned with comfort on
long rides. I think wider is generally more comfortable
until you get wide enough that it gets difficult to ride in
the drops. Also, you have to look at the style of the bar,
IMHO the width across the top bends is much more important
than the width at the bar ends[1]. What works for me is to
have the bars "wide enough" so that your hands naturely rest
centered on the top of the drops before the brake levers. I
wouldn't get wider bars unless you feel like you have to
"squeeze in" to rest your hands on the bars.

_ Booker C. Bense

[1]- This is the standard place to measure bar width. On a
standard bend bar it's roughly the same, on a flared bar
it can be quite different.

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2

iQCVAwUBQPLdpGTWTAjn5N/lAQHPlQP/Tfr73ibOrps7cGKsycU+cni3JN5-
x0cml UPYP6yvxdqkHUsN9a4I7F+LdbjcoMt3kgt5CNbXuikUSMdHdniDy/-
azVzQkC5OKX ZXv97madTom98wqzwQLVjIXW9GqNP6oq5zJjXUx3crEcxu/-
UIxTBkrDhD7rN/tRq 66XVZe/gH8Q=
=0SVt
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

"HardwareLust" <noone@nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:FqAIc.45261$Xq4.18515@nwrddc02.gnilink.net...
> I've been told from several sources when fitting a road
> bike, that you should choose bars that are approximately
> shoulder width.
>
> It seems, after watching the pros on TV for several years,
> that not everyone follows this particular bit of wisdom.
> It would seem to me that some pros have bars that are
> wider than what conventional wisdom would indicate.
>
> Any comments on choosing the proper (drop bar) handlebar
> width? Is this like an "aero-penalty-versus-comfort" type
> of thing? I was thinking a slightly wider bar (like a 46
> vs. my current 44) might be more comfortable on the road.
> Am I wrong in thinking this?

Unfortunately, handlebars seem to be one of those individual
preferences that is hard to experiment with. I retired an
old (42) set and replaced it with a 46 and kicked myself for
not doing it sooner. I have big shoulders, so I should have
known it would be better. I discovered that I didn't like
the shallower drops on the new ones though. Oh well, in
another few years I'll get to experiment again.

"HardwareLust" <noone@nowhere.com> wrote in message news:<FqAIc.45261$Xq4.18515@nwrddc02.gnilink.net>...
> I've been told from several sources when fitting a road
> bike, that you should choose bars that are approximately
> shoulder width.
>
> It seems, after watching the pros on TV for several years,
> that not everyone follows this particular bit of wisdom.
> It would seem to me that some pros have bars that are
> wider than what conventional wisdom would indicate.
>
> Any comments on choosing the proper (drop bar) handlebar
> width? Is this like an "aero-penalty-versus-comfort" type
> of thing? I was thinking a slightly wider bar (like a 46
> vs. my current 44) might be more comfortable on the road.
> Am I wrong in thinking this?
>
> Regards,
> H.

I'm certainly no expert, but you are correct in my way
of thinking. You must've had "thoughts" about the wider
bar, and if you're a big person (6'+), a 46cm may be
just what you need?

Remember this, if your buying online, make sure you know if
the bar is measured center to center, or end to end on the
bars. Different Manufacturers use these two different
methods of sizing. Mark