Greetings.

I have a chance to get an '88 Specialized Sirrus for very little money. It's in very good condition, with a full105 group, everything as it should be, except for one thing.

The guy who has it put an aftermarket stem and aero bars on it, and no longer has the originals. In looking at quill stems, I'm seeing 20-something mm diameters, while bars I'm finding are 30-something mm. Am I missing something? Looking at the wrong piece of information? Are bars bigger around than they used to be? (I know I am.)

Thanks for any insight you can offer.

Most modern handlebars are 31.8mm. Quill stems for the most part take 26.0 diameter bars, though some are 25.4 and 26.4. There are 26.0 bars still being made, you just have to look a bit harder to find them - Cinelli is one example.

Thanks. I checked the Cinelli site and did indeed find 26 mm bars. Thanks for the info.

I have a '90 Sirrus. I have a 10cm 25.4x22.2 Nitto quill stem and Nitto B115 25.4x40cm drop bars on it. Probably my favorite bike to ride.

Is the Nitto equipment stuff that you added? Nice-looking ride. The one I'm looking at is red, which makes it fast.

Origin8 makes 31.8 quill stems if you want a fattie bar. I think they only come in pretty high rise configs, though.

Origin8 Pro Fit ATB Quill Stem - 1" (22.2) 90 x 31.8mm, Black

I got mine as an used, bare frame and transferred parts from another bike to it. What I put on would be comparable to what would have originally come on the bike. If it were me (71.5") putting together a 56 to 58 cm road frame I'd put on a stem like this one.

Kalloy Road Quill Stem New 22 2mm 100mm | eBay

A set of bars like these.

Nitto Classic 115 Road Handlebar 40cm Width 25 4mm Bar Clamp 140mm Drop 100mm | eBay

A set of aero levers like these.

Shimano Tiagra Sora Level R400 Road Brake Lever Set | eBay

Add some bar tape and go ride.

Thanks for the links. I feel better about getting the bike "correctly" configured. I think the brake levers that are on the bike are original, or at least similar. They're kind of awkwardly stuck on the drop part of the tri bars.

What's the reason for bigger bars on more modern bikes? Comfort? Strength? Marketing? Just curious.

The companies will tell you they're stiffer. But I think that real reason is that since both road and MTB bars are now the same size then it makes it easier to manufacture stems.