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CX vs gravel bar width
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Bought a new CX bike.
OEM bars are 44cm c-c. This is up from 42cm c-c on my previous bike.
They feel HUGE.... but I'm considering leaving them for a bit.
I will ride the CX bike for longish gravel rides during the spring/summer and use it as a CX race bike in the fall.
I feel like maybe I should go back to 42cm.
I have a set of 42cm bars sitting in my parts box that are 40.5cm at the hoods... too narrow for CX?
What size would be that sweet spot between gravel and CX?

My road bike has 38cm c-c at the hoods. Narrow is aero!
I'm 173cm tall.
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Re: CX vs gravel bar width [NordicSkier] [ In reply to ]
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I ride 42s for road, gravel, and CX. I thought about going more narrow, as that seems to be the trend right now.

I have the 3T aeronovas on my CX/gravel bike. In gravel races, I'm either in the draft, in my aerobars, or climbing. In the draft or in the aerobars, it's hard to say whether or not there is significant advantage to narrow bars, especially with an aero shaped bar like the aeronovas. I'm guessing there isn't. I imagine due to their aero shape, the bars themselves aren't causing much drag while i'm in the aerobars.

While climbing (or maybe descending), i think i would prefer the feel of my 42s over 38s or 40s. Maybe I'm wrong, since i haven't tried it. It seems like I'd be able to make more power climbing with a little wider bar like a 42, and perhaps have better stability while descending. I don't really know, but that is how i justified more choice to stick with 42s.
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Re: CX vs gravel bar width [NordicSkier] [ In reply to ]
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My first CX bike came with 42s. I rode that and enjoyed it. Then I got a new bike and put 44s on it. For a while I felt like I was driving a monster truck, it was so weird, but I loved it. Two years ago I got a pair of 46s to try out. They were fine, but didn't really feel any different than the 44s. Then the 46s broke (Thomson carbon no less!) and I put the 44s back on and didn't notice the change back. I keep my old bike as a pit bike and feel really weird when I ride the 42s.

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Any run that doesn't include pooping in someone's front yard is a win.
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Re: CX vs gravel bar width [CCF] [ In reply to ]
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I ride 44s on both my cross bikes.

I find the extra width makes the bike less squirmy / twitchy in deep mud.

I find having a longer lever sort of steadies the bike and doesn't require as much conscious steering effort when the conditions are bed.

Ran 42 s originally- and on my road bike, but much prefer 44 s for cross.

I don't ride gravel.

LG
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Re: CX vs gravel bar width [lagazelle] [ In reply to ]
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lagazelle wrote:
I find the extra width makes the bike less squirmy / twitchy in deep mud.

This. Same reason mtb is trending towards 700+mm bars
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Re: CX vs gravel bar width [NordicSkier] [ In reply to ]
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Based on the response here, I think 42 c-c at the hoods as a minimum.
Maybe I'll keep the 44's on for a season, or unless I find them terrible for some reason.
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Re: CX vs gravel bar width [NordicSkier] [ In reply to ]
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My road bike originally came with 42s so when I built my cross/gravel bike, that's what I put on them (both 58s BTW). My wife's bike, a 56, came with 44s and they feel too wide for me. Then again, I'm tall and narrow.
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