Need help to choose handlebar size??
02-25-13 | 01:42 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 44
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From: San Gabriel , CA
Bikes: Orbea Orca SLT
Need help to choose handlebar size??
i am 5'8 with frame size 53cm. The handlebar current on my bike is 44cm. I feel the handlebars is too wide for me. I plan to get the new one. What size should i get?? I know every one have different ride style, pls share your experience.
also what brand and model will you recommend??
also what brand and model will you recommend??
02-25-13 | 01:56 PM
#2
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2008
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From: Beaverton, OR
Bikes: Yes
It depends on how wide your shoulders are. I'm 5'9" and I think have fairly broad shoulders for my height. I use a 42cm.
Are you looking for carbon bars or alloy? Do you want short reach or long? Short drop or deep? Budget?
Are you looking for carbon bars or alloy? Do you want short reach or long? Short drop or deep? Budget?
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02-25-13 | 02:02 PM
#3
Carpe Velo
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 2,519
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From: Fort Worth, Texas
Bikes: 2000 Bianchi Veloce, '88 Schwinn Prologue, '90 Bianchi Volpe,'94 Yokota Grizzly Peak, Yokota Enterprise, '16 Diamondback Haanjo, '91 Bianchi Boardwalk, Ellsworth cruiser
A reasonable rule of thumb is to have width of the bars approximately match your shoulder width. I measure that at the point where the brake hoods will be. The idea being this will keep your arms fairly straight. I am 5'7" and find a width of 40-42cm suits me. I have narrower bars on one bike and I can definitely tell the difference and I don't like it as much. (I'll be swapping them out soon)
02-25-13 | 02:25 PM
#5
Senior Member
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From: Virginia/DC
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Yep, match approximately your shoulder width. I'm 5'9" and use either 40 or 42cm. My road bike has 40, CX has 42. Definitely feels different. Wider will be less aero but give you more upper body leverage if you want it. I prefer wider on my SS bike too as I'm out of the saddle more.
02-25-13 | 02:46 PM
#6
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Joined: Jul 2012
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From: San Gabriel , CA
Bikes: Orbea Orca SLT
I am looking for carbon bar with wing style. budget under $250
02-25-13 | 04:46 PM
#8
Falls Downalot
Joined: Mar 2004
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From: DC
Bikes: Now I Got Two
Pay attention to how the brand is measured, many are center-center, others are outside-outside. For example, I generally use 44 center-center but needed 46 in Zipp which measure outside-outside.
02-26-13 | 09:00 AM
#9
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Yeah. And a couple of finer points: On some bars the drops angle outward a bit, so the hoods are closer together than the ends of the drops. Also, the radius of the bend going from the tops to the hoods varies too. I had an FSA bar where the radius was rather large which prevented me from putting my hands as far apart as I would like while on the tops, though the hood and drop spacing was what I preferred. I went to a Deda bar with the same width and it had sharper radii between the tops and hoods which worked better for me.
