I've just got a vaya and i am loving it. It came with the bell lap handlebars, although I'm not sure of their size. They feel way too wide to me. I've been told I have broad shoulders, so I wouldn't expect the stock bars to feel too wide.

The only other drop bar bike i've ridden before now was an 85 steel road bike. Am I just too used to the "vintage" bars? Anyone else feel this way about the vaya bars?

Are extra-wide bars good for off-road?

How do you measure you bars?

I really like the Bell Laps myself but not everyone does. They are cyclocross bars, so yes, they're better for offroad use than a typical drop bar. The flared drops makes it less likely you'll smack your forearms against the tops.

From what I understand the ideal is when your hands are about shoulder width apart when you're on the hoods.

They do feel wide if you're not use to them, but even the more standard drop bar on my 2005 road bike is wider than the drop bar on my old 80's Peugeot.

I might be wrong, but think Salsa measures center to center of the bar where the hoods will be. A 42 Bell Lap or Woodchipper should have the hoods in the same place as a 42 ctc conventional bar. I'm fine riding bars that flare in the drops, because I don't spend the majority of my time there and my core holds my weight better than when on the hoods. On longer (road) rides, if I'm using a bar that's too wide at the hoods I get elbow and shoulder pain, I think because my core is not as active and I let me chest collapse some, putting too much weight on my arms in an awkward way. Someone with more upper body strength probably won't have this problem.


The only important measurement is the hood to hood measurement. That should roughly line up with your shoulders (refer to a fit guide). A bar that's wider than that may still work fine for you, it's depends on your build and core strength. In my experience, if you feel like you have too much weight on the bars, and your saddle and stem positioning are correct, a narrower bar may help you. Angling your hoods inward will help too.

It's also very possible the stock bars are too wide, because salsa only makes two sizes of off road bars (42 and 46). I think the smallest Vaya ships with 42s, whereas the smallest Casseroll ships with 38s.

If the salsa gods are listening, please make a 38 off road bar for us ladies!

Weird. It seems no matter where I measure, I can't get 46 or 42cm. Center of drop to center of drop, I get 49cm. So I definitely have the large bars.

Its across the open end, bottom of the drops .

2 points are used, Tube centers, Or width out side to outside.

That's how they are sold.. catalog spec..

For most riders the significant measurement is across the ramps,
just above the brake levers.. ..

There's definitely a point on the Bell Laps where it measures to spec. If I remember correctly, that point is just before the bar starts to bend for the drops (center-to-center).

I'm not sure about 1985, but I had a 1977 Gitane that came with bars that were something like 38cm for a 53cm frame. After riding that for a few days, the 42cm bars on my other bikes felt like driving a bus. You might want to give it some time to see how you adapt to the wider bars.

There's a nice picture showing "proper" handebar width size at this link:

https://www.jimlangley.net/crank/bikefit.html