Take this in steps. Make the switch to narrower bars, and then look at changing stem length or stem height. 3cm narrower bars will affect reach, but it will be a subtle reach change. The bigger change will be getting used to the narrower width.

Good luck

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Matthew
Twitter: @AlphaDogCycling
Instagram: @AlphaDogCycling

It's geometry:
Reach to stem = x
Barwidth/2 = y
Reach to bars = z

x^2 +y^2 = z^2

Narrowing your bars by 1.5 cm per side doesn't take much away from the reach to your bars.
I wouldn't change anything else.

I'm a fairly small guy and I'm on 36 and 38cm road bars, I've been riding them for years. On the road my shoulders ache with the 36's, it's a little better with the 38's. I recently went to a 40 on one of my bikes and I like it a lot better.

I don't have the problem on the trainer where I don't really have to hang onto the bars and steer, it's just on the road and it still takes a few hours for me to have the issue. The bars I use are fairly inexpensive and all aluminum, I'm probably going to go the the Performance Bike carbon bar when they go on sale.

I notice in wrists when climbing out of saddle for longer bits

Switched to 38s from 44/45s and it was great. The single best purchase made this year. Has made me much more aero on my road bike.

I'm rather thin/narrow and heard that the road bars are not to be wider than your shoulders.

What I immediately noticed was U-turns. That was a shock; yet, worked itself out. Corners, etc. were not a problem. It's also good that my bars are not wider than me while riding in a group.

yeah I noticed descending down a local mtn was flowing the switchbacks and such better

As I dropped weight, I measured for narrower bars. Went from XXL tee-shirts to Mediums. Made the switch from 44s to 42s. No problems.

Going from 42 to 38 I ended up with 2cm longer reach, hoods rolled down/forward and bars ~10mm higher. Now I can replicate a TT posture whilst in the hoods where before I had a more classic stance.

-SD

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https://www.kickstarter.com/...bike-for-the-new-era

as of now I havent changed anything but bars, notice wrist bother me mainly out of saddle but unsure the cause since started 2 months after changed

I spent several years riding 42/44cm on the advice of my fitter, since I have wide shoulders.

Went to 40 on a whim and loved it. For a while I had a second bike that still had 42's and it was annoying to me to ride that bike.

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-Physiojoe
Instagram: @thephysiojoe
Cycling coach, Elite racer on Wooster Bikewerks p/b Wootown Bagels

did you change anything when swapped bars?

Nope. Didn't change anything when I went wider either.

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-Physiojoe
Instagram: @thephysiojoe
Cycling coach, Elite racer on Wooster Bikewerks p/b Wootown Bagels

Same.. I have fairly wide shoulders and always rode 44cm, snagged a pair of 40cm for cheap to try them out and they work well, although I feel like my shoulders and upper back feel it more the day after a ride than they did with 44cm.

My gravel bike still has 44cm and they feel stupidly wide in comparison, although still comfortable.

thanks, I have 44s on cross bike and feel wicked wide haha. But nice for cross but may go to 42s on them my 40s measure more like 39.

When I switched from 42cm bars to 40cm bars, it was a revelation. It was immediately more comfortable and the consistent pain I'd get in my upper traps on long rides disappeared. It was like, "why did I wait so long to try this?" I ended up making the switch because I found riding on my aerobar hoods - which were 40cm - to be more comfortable than riding on my road bike hoods. And it was awesome.

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"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp

I ride 38cm. I wish I had a bike-fit-savant reason other than a customer returned the bars and our shop owner said I could have them :-)
The only thing I've noticed in 3 years of riding them is - out of the saddle on the hoods I (used to) feel less torque. Now its just normal. Sprinting feels the same.

I have a pair of 38s collecting dust. Pm me for a bargain.

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Want: 58cm Cervelo Soloist. PM me if you have one to sell

Vintage Cervelo: A Resource

I tried 38 cm bars on my CX/Gravel/Winter bike for over a year. Great for flat gravel races, ok for climbing, lousy for cornering, fast or twisty descents and out of the saddle efforts. Switched back to 42 cm bars and am happier.

What a crock of shit.
There is no reason for narrower bars to not corner as well as wider ones.
I have never ridden a drop bar bike that doesn't just think it's way around corners, it's not like there is some huge force that needs to be overcome.

I'm a big boy at 6ft2 and 200lbs and I have a 36cm bar on my road bike, and a 28cm bar on my tt bike. I haven't noticed any problems at all. If anything, the 36 bars feel weird and wide after riding the TT bike for a while.. I use long stems on both of the bikes (150mm road bike and 130mm on the TT-bike). Feels very stable and no problems with tight corners, only some toe overlap, but hasn't got anything to do with the width of the bars.

Only thing that feels weird is standing when climbing on the TT-bike. In combination with a long stem descending this year went smoother than ever before. Only downside for me is that my girlfriend laughs at me with my little kid bars..

I am debating trying a 10mm longer stem..