I never put too much thought into this but my first couple bikes came with 42cm bars I believe awhile ago 56cm and 54cm bikes. My past and current bikes that I built up, I picked 44cm bars because I know I have wider shoulders/chest and the person that I did a fit before said I should be on 44cm as well. However, he didn't really measure or anything, it was a "hey what bars should I use, 44?" he replies "sure" some BS like that.

1. I never felt bad on 42cm
2. I dont feel bad on 44cm

I ask because I have a frame sitting next to me that I am planning to build up and might end up using 42cms.

Is there a rule of thumb like frame size, if one is between two sizes they should go smaller since there is more adjustment?

Any drawbacks riding too wide of a bar?

I read that Lance trains on 44cms and races on 42cm, I have no idea why, as in what the 42cm provides over the 44cm. Correct me if I am wrong..

I know riding shorter bars can lead to not allowing your lungs/chest to open up but I don't feel any diff or any restriction.

Track riders ride tiny bars, whats the deal with that?

thanks

The lungs / chest thing is utter b.s. As is the "as wide as your shoulders" thing. They are both just old traditions with no basis in science or reality.

Wider bars give a bit more feeling of leverage, most noticeable when climbing out of the saddle. A bit noticeable if sprinting in the drops, but that depends also on your sprinting style and form. Wider bars are a bit less aero (more frontal area).

Ride the bars you like best and don't worry.

I was between sizes and one bar that I liked was on clearance for $20 but only in 44 so that's what I went with.

moar aero-er

I wanted to mention this in the first post but forgot, I do feel better sprinting and climbing on a 42cm.

Thanks

Bars can be measured center to center or outside to outside, so a 42cm c-c is not much different than a 44cm, measured o-o. Also, there are some bars that are up to 2cm narrower at the brake hoods, than they are at the ends, where the width is measured.

You should be riding whatever size you feel comfortable with. I ride 40cm c-c or 42cm o-o, but I've made the mistake of buying bars that were narrower at the brake hood (only 39cm) and that was my limit. I could feel that they were too narrow.

Wider bars are better at slow speeds. Look at mountain bikes as an extreme example. You have a lot of leverage. Wide bars are great if you want to turn around on a sidewalk or steer around people in a parking lot.

Narrow bars work fine at higher speeds; there's less inadvertent input due to less leverage. It's like when you ride one handed, it's most stable to hold the bar next to the stem. This effectively decreases your bar width down to about 20cm; this makes your bike more stable. Narrow bars are more stable when in a low-input, high speed situation, so something like a tucked descent at 50-60 mph, rolling along in a pack at 25-30 mph, etc.

Narrow bars also help (marginally) get through smaller gaps in races. Gives you another cm or so (per 2 cm bar) leeway when negotiating a tight situation. Also, because narrow bars have less inadvertent input, they're more stable if someone hits your arm/shoulder/etc.

I could use a 44 cm bar. I used to use one for a couple years, with a bit of time using 43s and 42s. But in general, for a while, I've been using 41s.

I used to swap bars for the winter, putting on a wider bar. This gave me a slightly wider range of hand positions, gave me another cm or two to slide my hands out on climbs and such, and it felt more "pro" (I grew up in the Lemond era, where a 44 cm bar was kind of wide, and a 46 was the schnizzle). Then, as racing season approached, I'd reinstall my regular bars. This was a pain so I stopped doing it.

+1

A significant portion of all of track racing is done at relatively high speeds, so aero is important. Hence the use of skinsuits and aero booties.

As Carpe mentioned, narrow bars are better for negotiating the bike in tight situations. All of track racing (except for time trials) is done in close quarters. It's not uncommon to rub shoulders repeatedly at 40MPH while on a 44 degree banking. Races at the higher levels are very often won and lost by inches.

I shot this photo of a pro Keirin (the colored helmet caps were part of the festivities). These guys are about 40-50M from the finish line. They were going in excess of 40MPH.



All of the bars in this photo are 40cm or less. All of the riders are around 6' give or take 1-2 inches.

I have wide shoulders and have used 46cm,44cm, and now 42cm. I feel fine with all of them.

For the thread: I'm 6'1, broad shoulders (like a linebacker/tight end) and I ride 40cm bars on my 58cm road bike and love them.

44cm bars make me feel like I'm driving a big rig steering wheel.

I "should" be on 42 but I got silly and bought some 36s one day and haven't looked back.

Use the handlebar that is comfortable according to you...not what other people say you should because of (insert reason here).

thanks, I will try 42cm for this build!!!

Well, no, but I "should" be on a 46cm bar and prefer to ride a bar that's 42cm c-c. Just more comfortable and more precise steering.

SP
Bend, OR

All my bikes have 42's. Recently got a a Fondriest and it had 40's. I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't measured.

the 44s I am on now seemed wide at first, but I am completely comfortable on them now (they are on a cross bike, so probably why wider for a 54 frame) but Ive had a bike with maybe 40s tops, and while I thought they were fine then without knowing better, I see now that they make me feel restricted and would get wider ones at the drop of a hat.

44cm feels amazing to me, I'll never go back to narrow bars.

I couldn't agree more with this. I'm 5'9", average build and 42cm bars are probably just fine for me, but I love the feel of 44's. I switched the bars on my training bike from 44's to 42's and I could definitely feel the difference when out of the saddle. My race bike will stay with 44's.

Also, does anyone know if they make a 43cm bar? That would be sweeeet.

I think I am able to man handle / grip the bike better we a 42cm bar.