Hey guys, seem to have finally got my drop / reach figured out (hopefully), but now I have realized that I want to go from a 40cm bar to a 44cm. Help me to understand how is this going to affect my drop / reach?

Background: I'm 44, 5' 9" a commuter mostly, do about 100 - 120 a week. Frame is 54cm (ETT). Saddle is positioned according to kops. I guess, I'm trying to split the difference between comfort and a small amount of performance. This is a new to me bike, first road bike in years, probably have about 150 miles on it total with no real pain issues.

Firstly, what makes you want to go from a 40cm to a 44cm?

As to drop and reach, you should have no problem finding a wider bar with the exact same drop and reach as your current bar-- provided you know the drop and reach of that bar. For example, the reach and drop on Easton bars is the same for all bar widths of the same style.

My hands in all positions feel to narrow and I just haven't been able to get comfortable. My shoulder with, measured from edge of shoulder protrusions is 44cm. I have read that you should add 2 cm to that, however, I cant see needing a 46cm bar, that would just seem too wide.

Disregard the question about drop / reach. I was confused about something I had read on another thread, but after re-reading it and looking at your answer, I now know I was confused

Settle at 42cm. Wider will slow you down.

I like a 40 cm or even a 38 in a randonneur bar. With some 3ttt compacts (ergonova) the 40 cm is near-perfect. My arms just settle into a comfort zone with them. Sometimes even with a 44 my shoulder joints seem out of place. I'm not strong enough to be concerned about faster or slower, but comfort is key.

I'm going through this process too, but in the opposite direction. Note that the recommendation to measure your 'shoulder width' and add 2 cm is based on measuring from the mid-ac joint. There are three bony protuberances on the shoulder: the end of the clavicle, the prominence of the acromion, and the outer corner of the humerous (often buried in the deltoid, and lower than the other two. If you're measuring from the acromion, you're effectively already adding about a cm to each side. You want to measure from the divot between the clavicle end and the acromion to the opposite divot, at least as I understand the fit proceedure.

One thing you might do (if you have a trainer) is set the bike up facing a mirror, ride for a few minutes to get in a good rhythm, and look at how vertical your arms sit (assuming your elbows are in a line between shoulder and wrist). When I do this test, I can see how my arms flair out, which confirms my measurements that my bars are too wide. If it looks like you tend to tuck your elbows in, that might be why your hands feel too close together, since that's going to make it less comfortable to breath.