Road Cycling - Stock vs. "correct" handlebar width

My 58cm Fuji Roubaix-Pro came with 44cm (c-c) handlebars; and when I test rode the bike, they felt wide--wider than I was used to because my trusty Trek 320 came with 42cm bars.

The former shop owner, still there helping out, told me my arms looked spread apart vs. straight when I rode toward him. He said, "Lance Armstrong uses a wider bar to permit easier breathing." Nevertheless, he measured me back inside the shop and said 42cm would be my correct width.

There was a smaller Roubaix-Pro on the rack with 42cm bars, so he swapped bars and said he would sell the smaller bike to a shorter person with greater girth.

I thought this was extremely generous and accomodating of him. Then I got the bike home and started second-guessing myself. Maybe 44 was the correct width after all. Didn't the 42s feel a little narrow?

Two days ago, I rode the bike along Lakeshore Drive in New Orleans with a strong headwind and was glad I had the narrower bars so I wouldn't feel like a drag chute.

Yesterday I read an article on bike fit in Bicycling magazine. When I measure myself the way the article showed, I am definitely a 42, not a 44. And my arms are straight ahead or very slightly spread with 42cm bars.

So now I can sleep better, knowing I did the right thing...didn't I? :o

Narrow bars those 42 mm ones :D You must mean 42 cm :)

I ride 42 cm also and kinda like them, haven't tried anything wider on my roadbike.

Good eyes, Ovara. Yes, I meant 42 cm, not 42 mm.

I just went back and changed it in my original post.

PS: I looked at bike specs on the Torelli web site and noticed that their bikes (e.g., Gran Sasso) come stock with narrower bars than the Fujis. At first it didn't look that way on the chart, but then I realized the Torelli measurements were outside-to-outside, while Fuji uses center-to-center. I confirmed this by e-mail with Torelli.

I wonder if this difference implies that different nationalities have different body types (American v. Italian), or what. Or different preferences.

Im the other way, 46 cm or more for width and control. I do spend a lot of time with my hands on top of the bar though. Guess I should sell off all those narrow bars to people that one them?
kev

Just to make things more complicated... My Road bike has 42 cm 3TTT bars, which are measure outside-outside. My cyclocross bike has 42 cm Bontrager bars, which are measured c-c. That makes my 'cross bars about 1 cm wider... which is okay with me becasue I like having a wider bar on that bike...

It seems it is up to the manufacturer whether to measure CtoC or OStoOS. There's no particular way of knowing which a bar is, unless you do some research.

I don't think it has anything to do with country of origin though.

I've always ridden narrow bars. I'm using 40s now. I've never felt the "cramped breathing" thing, but I have felt the "drag effect" when riding test bikes with wider bars.... I'm 5'11'' ,34-35inch arms (shirt size). 40long coat size.

Where did this measurment guide come from? Is ther any science behind it?

Thanks for any links or comments....

I'm almost exactly the same size. If I went strictly by Bicycling magazines tape measure procedure, I would probably use 40cm (c-c) bars.

The 42's just feel better for me, but the 44's definitely feel too wide.

The best advice I've seen says to go by feel rather than adhere to some formula. I like to remain open to suggestions, however.