Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - narrow handle bars

why is it that most of the single speed bikes I see have these super narrow handlebars?
e.g.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/voyage1228/3352004336/in/pool-56662375@N00/

I also noticed that Oury Grips seem to be very popular among those bikes.
http://www.euroasiaimports.com/productcart/pc/catalog/ourygripcircle_873_general.jpg

Well, technically the justification is that it helps you get through narrow gaps, I.E. when filtering through traffic.

I suspect most do it for purely aesthetic reasons, however.

Yeah, that's what I don't like about mine right now. They are 22.5 inches wide and it's just too hard when going through traffic. I am thinking whether to cut them or try to look for a new one.

like cat whiskers homey... my bars are cut the exact width of my pedals...

I got my flat bars a little over shoulder width

Well, technically the justification is that it helps you get through narrow gaps, I.E. when filtering through traffic.
I had these (original equipment) on my 1960s vintage Italian city bike:

http://os2.dhs.org/~john/MilaneseCityBars1955.jpg

I wish I still had them. I gave the bike to my son when he went to college, and some low-life ripped it off.

Damn, those are some very unique bars. Shame they got stolen.

Mine are cut just over my shoulder width. The smoothness of getting through traffic justifies it for me. I do think they look nice though

I use some fairly narrow TT bars, for the traffic-dodging reason, and because narrow bars force you into a somewhat more aero position

Mine are cut just over my shoulder width. The smoothness of getting through traffic justifies it for me. I do think they look nice though
That's not narrow, it's pretty normal. Mine are shoulder width as well.


I use some fairly narrow TT bars, for the traffic-dodging reason, and because narrow bars force you into a somewhat more aero position
It can restrict breathing however and make you not perform as good. Plus less leverage when climbing or sprining out of the saddle, resulting in sketchy steering when you pull on the bars.

I had these (original equipment) on my 1960s vintage Italian city bike:

http://os2.dhs.org/%7Ejohn/MilaneseCityBars1955.jpg

I wish I still had them. I gave the bike to my son when he went to college, and some low-life ripped it off.

http://www.bynumonline.com/airheads/slash7/757sclb2.jpg

Kinda remind me of clubman motorcycle bars.


Hmmm.... I should toss my extra bar on one of my bikes and try it out :)

I ride 44 cm road bars and I have no trouble in traffic whatsoever -- and I ride in some pretty heavy, bumper-to-bumper traffic.

i dont like the look of narrow risers and flat bars at all, but i suppose its a little better than wide flats or risers.


Damn, those are some very unique bars. Shame they got stolen.

i bet they could be pretty decently approximated with flipped risers, which reduces the perceived uniqueness for me a little bit.

I just picked up some of those Syntace bullhorns from Chucks, but all they had were 38cm. Still haven't mounted em' yet. This is gonna be a little weird.

could androgynous shoulder widths be driving this rash of narrow bars?

^ wouldn't androgynous shoulder widths increase the popularity of medium-width bars?

I just put some risers on after riding with bullhorns for a year. They're a hair over 21" and just a little wider than my shoulders. Honestly, it feels like I'm riding a cruiser. They also make me feel like I'm not going very fast at all, but the width makes climbing much easier. I'll probably cut them down another inch and a half or so.

I ride 44 cm road bars and I have no trouble in traffic whatsoever -- and I ride in some pretty heavy, bumper-to-bumper traffic.

yeah everything is relative. If your bars are cut short, but your hips are big you're not gonna take squeezes that you can't make. in general most people know spaces they can or cannot make so the width of the bars doesn't matter as much as it seems.

it depends on if you're comparing against a 42cm road bar or against a 68cm mountain bar. you can't squeeze thru much of anything with the latter.

Can anybody recommend a decent flat bar?
If I wanted to cut my bars, do I measure the outer part of shoulders? or from bone to bone?

Can anybody recommend a decent flat bar?
If I wanted to cut my bars, do I measure the outer part of shoulders? or from bone to bone?

Just ignore the grips on your bars currently, then reach forward and grab the bars in the most natural spot. That's about where you should put your grips