# HELP! Handlebar "Reach" - What does it measure???



## jafran456 (Jul 8, 2005)

Pardon if this question has been asked before but......In regards to a road handlebar, what does the "reach" measurement make reference to? Does anyone know where I can see a picture or illustration of this measurement? Thanks in advance for any feedback.


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## eltourista84 (Apr 9, 2006)

Some good resources: 

http://www.billbostoncycles.com/bicycle_fit.htm
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/kops.html


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

When talking about a rider's position on the bike, reach generally refers to the distance between the saddle nose and the handlebar. 
When talking about handlebars alone, it's the dimension shown in the drawing.


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## C-40 (Feb 4, 2004)

*several methods...*



wim said:


> When talking about a rider's position on the bike, reach generally refers to the distance between the saddle nose and the handlebar.
> When talking about handlebars alone, it's the dimension shown in the drawing.


Your drawing seems to show a center to outside dimension, which is not the most common. The most common for bars in the 70-90mm reach range is center to center. A few measure outside to ouside which adds about 25mm to this value.

The oddball method, used by Syntace, is the center to outside. 

The picture I've attached shows an outside to outside measurement for Deda, but most online catalogs list the c-c reach.


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## jafran456 (Jul 8, 2005)

Hey C-40.....does the dimension E have a name? I have an anatomic style handlebar on my road bike. When I go down into the drops, I feel like I can't get a good grip on the bars because of the short horizontal piece at the end. My palms drop off the end of the bars. Maybe I'm too stretched out and just need a shorter stem to bring the handlebar a little closer to me so I can get a better grip when in the drops. Or maybe I should switch to the deep style handlebar which seems to have a larger E dimension. Any suggestions or recommendations???


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## brianmcg (Oct 12, 2002)

Some people call 'E' the "Return". But I don't know if that is set in stone. Sounds good to me though.


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## C-40 (Feb 4, 2004)

*means little...*

The E dimension really doesn't tell you much about the length of straight bar past the curve. Personally, I never used the area near the end. Old style round bars have a useful length at the end, while most anatomics don't. I've even sawed off 2-3cm from some bars.

When I ride in the hooks I want to be close the brakes and shift levers, so my hands are up just under the lower edge of the brake hood. I've never found the ends useful.


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## Weav (Jun 21, 2009)

C-40, resurrecting the thread... I have found the ends to be very useful for me when riding in the drops on a casual ride, i.e. when not in a group and when it's not critical to have immediate access to the brake levers. I just bought a set of 3T Ergonovas which do not have any extra length that sticks out behind the tops and I am not going to be able to enjoy them. I need to go with the 3T Ergosum or go back to the FSA Wing Pro Compact, both of which have some extra room to rest on when down deep in the drops. I tend to like this setup.


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## reebius (Aug 17, 2006)

If the reach dimension when measuring a handlebar is defined by the distance between the tops and the spot at which the brake hoods attach, wouldn't that correspond to the overall reach of the bike (saddle to brake hoods)? Meaning, a shorter reach bar equals a shorter saddle to hoods reach.


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## krisdrum (Oct 29, 2007)

reebius said:


> If the reach dimension when measuring a handlebar is defined by the distance between the tops and the spot at which the brake hoods attach, wouldn't that correspond to the overall reach of the bike (saddle to brake hoods)? Meaning, a shorter reach bar equals a shorter saddle to hoods reach.


Reach for a frame is usually defined as saddle tip to center of bar at stem intersection, not hoods. So, no, not directly. Granted most of us spend more time on the hoods than on the tops, so there is wiggle room. I think the reason they do not use the hoods is because they are a "movable" object that can be positioned in various ways to accommodate personal preference. The tops are pretty much a constant unless you switch stem lengths.


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