Originally Posted by
dddd
Originally Posted by
Sixty Fiver
The Italians also favoured narrower bars... I think it had something to do with their general size compared to other Europeans.
Definitely that jibes with the scarcity of larger-framed vintage bikes from many countries.
I specifically remember really hitting the road in a hurry when larger-framed classics like my Steyr Clubman or my Legnano Tipo Roma ever turn up on Craigslist.
These sizes are extra-rare, but still they have very narrow bars on them.
Heck, even my 61cm Gitane Prof'l Super Corsa has Pivo Professional 8cm stem and 34cm(!) handlebars, and the 61cm Steyr's stem was also an 8cm with perhaps 37cm bars, which sort of complemented the slack steering head angle for casual riding.
I upped the Steyr's stem to 11cm with a 40cm handlebar, but only then found out that I needed a 42cm bar to control it during out-of-saddle situations.
The connection between narrow bars and the relative fragility of aluminum stems is interesting! But I think it's a red herring.
As I understand it, once upon a time racers favored narrow handlebars for reasons of aerodynamics. But instead of asking why old handlebars are so narrow, it's also helpful to consider the inverse question: why are modern handlebars so wide? Well, in answer to that question, it's helpful to observe that road bicycles in general suffered a sharp decline in popularity when mountain bikes became all the rage in the late 80's. A little later, when road bikes enjoyed a bit of a resurgence, they had suddenly become a little more like mountain bikes, with wider bars, higher bars, longer crank arms, longer seat posts... all of which seemed normal to mountain bike riders.
If you dig back through the archives I believe you'll find a post by TMar that explains this much better than I have.