As a road racer, how narrow of a bar would you be willing to go with to get a little more aero?
I’m 5’11" with fairly broad shoulders and have been using a 44cm bar forever. Why am I on a 44cm bar? Because that’s what comes on 56/58 cm bikes. No other reason.
According to the picture above, I’d probably be faster on a narrower bar. Since I’m building up a second bike, I’m gonna try a narrower bar to see how it feels, handles, etc.
What compromises should I expect? Is there a down side to a 42, or even a 40 cm bar?
My first road bike came with a 42. My new bike had a 44. I’m also 5’-11" or maybe a hair more and the 44’s felt GIANT to me. I swapped back to a 42 and it feels better again. I almost want to try a 40, but with internal routing it’s a pain in the butt to swap everything out over and over. And expensive.
I use the 2nd smallest bar. I think a 38. I am 6’3", it is fine. I would be willing to go one smaller if I did it again. If you are used to 44, then 38/40 will feel horrible at first, but you will likely get used to it in a few days and have no problems.
It is stiffer, lighter, and more aero to go narrow. You can fit into smaller spots in a crit or road race too. Less cable housing as well, might make shifting/braking a bit nicer! Save money on bar tape! (ha)
The only downside is that less movement of your hands will result in more steering angle. So maybe if you were already using a really short stem this might result in an unstable feeling. But usually your brain can get used to this change.
As a road racer, how narrow of a bar would you be willing to go with to get a little more aero?
I’m 5’11" with fairly broad shoulders and have been using a 44cm bar forever. Why am I on a 44cm bar? Because that’s what comes on 56/58 cm bikes. No other reason.
According to the picture above, I’d probably be faster on a narrower bar. Since I’m building up a second bike, I’m gonna try a narrower bar to see how it feels, handles, etc.
What compromises should I expect? Is there a down side to a 42, or even a 40 cm bar?
My bike came with 44s which felt normal until I tried narrower. Fitter moved me to 42 and I liked the change. No downsides at all.
I rode my girlfriend’s bike back from the shop a while back with 38 bars on. Was hard to judge on a bike sized for someone 50cm shorter than me… But I definitely didn’t feel out of control even standing up (which was most of the ride, felt like a BMX). If I buy another set of bars, they’ll probably be 40, maybe even 38 too.
40 cm c-c seems to be the sweet spot for me. I’m also trying 38 cm c-c at the moment but in this case find that when I make a low tuck on the hoods I have to bend my elbows outwards in order to clear my knees. In contrast with a 40 cm bar my hands and forearms are inline and parallel, which is more comfortable and I suspect better aerodynamically. Having said that the 38 cm bar introduces a different curve to my shoulders which may or may not be good…
I’m 6-1, normal shoulders I’d say, I ride 40 c-c. When I got fit the fitter said he would have suggested 42 based on my measurements, but if I was comfortable, not to change. I’m very comfortable.
When I moved from 42 to 40 I didn’t really feel any difference, it felt natural right away. I have no problem tucking everything in tight to try to optimize aero and feel comfortable doing so.
I was nervous about 38, but after reading some responses, I want to try it too.
Just get use to the cornering and out of the saddle efforts as the bike will feel like it has a mine of its own when adapting to smaller bars.
Inline seated punch efforts are pretty awesome with narrow bars, 38 and 40’s are the sweet spot for me. Ive tried 37 and 35 scattos as well as 33 alpinas and didnt feel I was gaining anything over a 38 o-o.
Also, your rhomboids may get a bit fatigued during the first few adaptation rides.
My bike came with 44s which felt normal until I tried narrower. Fitter moved me to 42 and I liked the change. No downsides at all.
I rode my girlfriend’s bike back from the shop a while back with 38 bars on. Was hard to judge on a bike sized for someone 50cm shorter than me… But I definitely didn’t feel out of control even standing up (which was most of the ride, felt like a BMX). If I buy another set of bars, they’ll probably be 40, maybe even 38 too.
I ride 42 c to c on my flats bike, and 46 c to c on my climbing bike. Wider handles better and climbs better when you’re out of the saddle. I am an MTBer though and prefer wide bars, both MTBs have 27 inch wide bars on them.
As a road racer, how narrow of a bar would you be willing to go with to get a little more aero?
I’m 5’11" with fairly broad shoulders and have been using a 44cm bar forever. Why am I on a 44cm bar? Because that’s what comes on 56/58 cm bikes. No other reason.
According to the picture above, I’d probably be faster on a narrower bar. Since I’m building up a second bike, I’m gonna try a narrower bar to see how it feels, handles, etc.
What compromises should I expect? Is there a down side to a 42, or even a 40 cm bar?
Thanks,
Scott
If you have broad shoulders i would not do it, i have very wide shoulders and have been on a 38cm bar for the last two years. Last week i went back to 42cm and it was so much more comfortable. Right away my shoulders and upper back were able to relax. The wider bar is also nice as it clears room for your knees when you are nosing the saddle. The other aspect is steering stability, i just feel more stable on a 42cm bar compared to the 38.
Speaking of bar width, since it’s all about aero I was suprised Cervelo didn’t specify narrower bars are the new S5 (44 cm c-c bar on the 58 cm model!).
Good question. I’m 5’10" and I do a lot of cat 1 criterium and road races and I just went to a 42cm bar this year and noticed 3 things. One I can shoot gaps and move through the pack easier. Second I lose torque when sprinting since the bars are narrower. Lastly there was no noticeable aero dynamic improvement.
I’m riding a 34cm track bar (Nitto) and love it. BTW, I’m 6’4, 176lbs. The only negative is that the shifters/brake levers bow out slightly. https://www.flickr.com/...triathlon_2014_bike/
I’m riding a 34cm track bar (Nitto) and love it. BTW, I’m 6’4, 176lbs. The only negative is that the shifters/brake levers bow out slightly. https://www.flickr.com/...triathlon_2014_bike/
not saying it’s good or bad; but that’s a very “interesting” look. 34cm looks super narrow. The first thing I thought of was this
