Anybody here use wide handlebars (for your size). I know they are less aero, but wondering if they would help stabilize by bike better on climbs. I like to climb in the big chainring and really mash away( very steep hills I'll use small chainring) and it would seem that It would be easier to use my upper body to hold bike more stable if my bars were wider.

Current handlebars I use are very narrow.

I'd consider handlebars to be 'narrow' if they measure less than your shoulder width, and wide if they measure greater than your shoulder width. I measure 44cm across my shoulders, and ride with a 44cm handlebar. My first bike came off the rack with much narrower handlebars (38cm), and I find the wider bars much more comfortable.

your shoulders are nearly 4 feet wide!!?!!? how do you get through doorways?

to answer the question, wider handlebars will make for a more stable feeling for climbs, but will make your steering feel a bit slower. wider handlebars will also put your hands farther apart, which will open up your chest and let you breathe deeper, which will help you climb farther without getting too winded. the downside to that is that on the descents, more air will hit your chest and slow you down. but if you really crouch down (i'm talkin' teeth to stem here, mister speedy-pants!), that shouldn't be a problem.

oops....dangit......cm of course....

i'm pretty sure everyone knew what you meant. RAZZ RAZZ RAZZ!!!

% like wide bars. they are really nice for in the saddle climbing, lots of room to put your hands...its nice. although, you shouldn't be gripping the bars really hard while climbing. you should be resting them on the bar tops like you're playing the piano. I just got a heart-rate moniter and I have been looking for ways to keep my heart rate down on climbs, and I found that my HR is a good 5 beats lower if I keep a loose grip on the bars as opposed to a death grip.

Thanks for the input. This idea came to today during my morning ride. I was doing a lot more out of the saddle climbing than I normally do using the big chainring instead of staying in the saddle and downshifting to the small ring.

I think I prefer out of the saddle climbing in the big chainring ...I just need some wider bars to make it more efficient.

As you can imagine having your arms close together when you are out of the saddle is less than perfect.

If you grip the top bar more tighthly wouldn't that warrant the increase in HR because you're going faster by pulling on the tops?

Mtb, 61cm with ends for hex-out collars, Ridged fork, heavy on leverage...love it big, can suck big air on hills.

Biggers better, ask the girls.

I don't think you'd like them because standard alu ones can
be a bit too flexy. Maybe some of the new materials and the
oversizing would be better, but the the old alu 44cm bars I had
years ago were far too wobbly. I think that's why Greg LeMond
had to invent those silly looking struts that attatched the end of
the bars to the forks.

I'm not sure about the exact measurments, but the bars on my Specialized felt considerably wider and more comfortable for me than the ones on the Treks I rode.

What kind of bars do you use? Stiff would be better.

Yep. Mine are aluminum.

I just use 40s and put up with the slight narrowness but I could probably use 42s. I prefer that because I hate the flex of the 44s, and I'm not prepared to spend hundreds of dollars on carbon.

Your bars aluminum?

Yeah I know what you're thinking.....hundreds of bucks for handlebars?

Yeah, just alu. I have two pairs of old ITM Pro 260s and 2 pairs of old Cinelli 64/40s, both with a shallow drop.

Also be aware of the drop you want. I like a very shallow drop -- this is one thing that's often over-looked -- and I HATE ERGOS

Handle bar prices in Australia have become rediculous. I got my ITM bars second hand for $25 US, and the new Dedacciai bars can be over $200 US!! In the 1990s, the Cinelli "64/40" bars were about $35 US, brand new!!

nope, I go faster, actually. higher cadence, smoother spin, faster speeds. just try it. start climbing a big hill, just gently place your hands on the bars. spin a gear that you can do 90 in and then...relax your upper body. you have to think about it the first few times. do it muscle by muscle, shoulders, lats, hands, forearms. you'll go faster, becuase you're using using less energy on clenching your upper body.

as for big bars, I like them a lot. I have experienced flex while standing, but it doesn't rally bother me unless it makes noise. and I like ergo-shape bars. so ha, 531.