julz

So what are you guys running. I have only ever run 42cm myself being 184cm tall and wide in the shoulders im thinking of trying some 44s.

Are wider bars better for sprinting or is it "to each his own"

Any idea what the pros ride?

JeremiahW037

Take my response with a grain of salt as I am no expert, but I was always under the impression that you were supposed to match the width of your shoulders. I am only ~ 5' 9" (175 cm) and have narrower shoulders and have only run 40cm bars. They feel comfortable enough for me to never have really thought of changing. Reason suggests that if you are comfortable there is no need to change.

botto 

my bar width is irrelevant to yours.

Kai Winters

I have 40cm shoulders and use 42cm bars.

khatfull

I have pretty narrow shoulders and I'm currently on 42cm bars. I've used 40cm and probably like them better. I would like to try a cheap 36-38mm bar just to see what bringing the arms in that much feels like. Yeah, yeah...narrow bars, restricted breathing yada, yada...but I'd still like to try them.

grolby

It's a load of crap. Use narrower bars without fear. I am much happier with 40cm bars on my road bike than 42s.

ETA: Earlier in my cycling life, I bought into the Rivendell Theory of Handlebar Width, that is, that Wider Is Better. It was exacerbated by the first set of drop bars that I ever used, which were a randonneur style bend that I found very uncomfortable (in case it's unclear, randonneur bars are effectively much narrower at the hoods than their measured width). So I was riding handlebars that were too wide until fairly recently. Ironically, my preferences have always gone the other way with MTB bars. I hate the tractor-wide bars that are so popular.

As for sprinting, wider bars are not any better. Any supposed leverage advantage that you would gain (which is nonsense, because your sprinting power comes from your legs) is counteracted by poor fit. The width differences aren't enough to matter. Some might find slightly wider bars a bit easier to use on, say, a 'cross bike, but for road riding it's a lot more comfortable to get a comfortable fit.

Jaeger

I ride a vintage bike with 38cm bars - you can certainly get used to them and I'm not sure I buy the restricted breathing theory. But I think slightly wider bars are more comfortable.

go4gr8

6'3", long arms, wide shoulders, using 44cm width.

iareConfusE

You should be measuring from armpit to armpit. Once you get this measurement, add 2 cm to it. That is the length of bar you should ride. I'm currently riding 42cm.

BMWdoc

im 6 foot even and I ride 46 cm bars.

schnee

I prefer wide, I like the leverage and stability when standing and hammering.

I have freakishly broad shoulders and run 46cm bars.

Jakedatc

that's confusing.. the way i was measured at my fitting was AC joint to AC joint.. aka. where your shoulder meets your collar bone.


i ride 42's.. i could be on 40's

khatfull

Interesting, I've heard of the top of shoulders, the pointy things on the front of the shoulders, but not armpit to armpit. And, I assume you mean width of bar...and C-T-C or O-T-O on the bar measurement with your method?

gbond

6'1.5", long arms, wide shoulders, 44cm C-C width.

Jakedatc

it doesn't make sense that way. muscle mass/fat or lack there of is way more variable. bony landmarks are consistent. AC joints mark where your shoulders will be straight forward.. where you want to be while riding.

daxr

I built my last road bike with 42 cm width bars, but after a lot of miles they didn't really feel right when out of the saddle climbing. On my MTB the bar ends are pretty wide-spaced and have a good strong and stable feel climbing. I switched to 44 cm bars on the road bike, and its a much better feel - a good compromise between aerodynamics and leverage.

All the stuff about breathing easier is nonsense, and I don't think the standard formula is worth much - its how you ride and how things work for you.

iareConfusE

Er, yeah width, not length. Center to center.

Also, when I said armpit to armpit that was kind of what I just said because I didn't know the names of the parts you actually had to measure. The correct parts are a bit further out from your armpits. What Jakedac said sounds about right.