does anyone know of a good rule of thumb for handlebar width?
or is it purely personal taste?

I seem to remember reading somewhere that the proper set up
should keep your hand placement in the same plane as your shoulders, not too
far inside and not too wide.

I'm riding 36cm dropbars on my road frame, and will be installing the same size
drops on my track frame... it's a little narrow for my body size, but for some
reason it feels right, compared to the 42cm bullhorns i used to ride.
maybe it's the tighter control. i have noticed soreness in my shoulders,
but that could be due to the fact that i've just crossed the 30 year mark.

i realize some of you are riding seriously chopped flat bars and such.

any opinions?

for cruising at sloy speed, I ride with my hands on top of each other on the stem. better handling. for cranking and better control at high speeds, further out. bullhorns rule.

yeah i do the same. feels so steady with the hands close in... plus arms in a "V" cut wind resistance way down.

sometimes i miss the bullhorns for that long reach.. maybe i'll throw em on again.

I think the Fit Kit places handlebar width at a couple centimeters wider than shoulder width, but I ride with my hands butted up against the stem, so what do I know?

Well, my winter bike has flipped cruiser bars, kinda like this:



I hold them either on the (flipped) grips, in the crook of the bend, or right up against the stem.

Edit: just to clarify, flipped as in they look kinda like moustache bars now - not like bullhorns.

upon googling Fit Kit... do any bikeshops really use this system? looks like a lot of gadgets when a tape measurer should do the trick, no?

the 'urban' rule is to ride handlebars the same width as your shoulders. that way you can squeeze through tight spots with some sort of measured level of narrowness.

Tons of bike shops use the Fit Kit. If you had a fit done at our shop, you'd never go back to the tape measure (although a tape measure is used to measure shoulder width in the kit).

maybe i'll try it sometime... to find out how much my frame dosen't fit!

just like cats use their whiskers to 'gauge' width to see whether or not they can squeeze through tight spots...

It's a great process to go through. Some measurements taken include: Arm length, inseam, foot length, hand size, thigh length, shoulder width. Also, the computer program adjusts for such preferences as performance, comfort, flexibility, bike style, etc.

My shop uses the Fit Kit as well, but I can't stress enough that it's only used as a starting point. It's good to take some accurate measurements of a person's body (you can get them in the right postures and take measurements quickly that are spot on). That's not to say you can't do that at home. These are a set of items that really are just specialized measuring sticks. They work well for that though.

The Fit Kit also includes some software. That'll do things like recommend ideal crank length, give you a recommendation for pedal to saddle distance and some recommended cockpit combinations. What that means is it'll work out an "ideal" distance from your saddle to your bars (considering saddle position, stem length and drop, etc.). From there you can either adjust your saddle, stem, get a new frame, etc ... or ignore it completely.

Obviously if you've got an special needs for the bike (physical condition, specific frame style, specific event the bike's being used for, etc.) the Fit Kit's recommendations go out the window ... but it's a starting point.