# What's your handlebar length?



## jevagirl (Oct 14, 2008)

What handlebar length do you ride with and how did you choose it? Did you follow one of the many formulas? Did you think about it?

I'm a woman on a non-WSD bike trying to figure out if/how I want to adjust my handlebar width. This is one of the fit measurments about which I think the experience and advice of more experienced women cyclists would really help me to sort out.


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## Andrea138 (Mar 10, 2008)

I ride a 40cm Ritchey Biomax II. Before this one, I rode a 42cm profile design bar w/a deeper anatomical bend. I felt like it was a little too wide, and my forearms would hit the tops sometimes when I'd sprint. The Biomax bars are compact and the ends flare out, so they actually measure 40cm @ the hoods and 42cm @ the ends. The flare, along with improvements in form, keep my forearms from hitting the tops.


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

40cm center to center. I ride a Ritchey classic bend bar. 

I've been known to ride a 42 in the past.


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## jorgy (Oct 21, 2005)

I use a 42cm center-to-center bar with short reach, shallow drop and a classic bend (Easton EC90 Equipe Pro).

The bars that came with my bike were 40cm and my bum shoulder would hurt on long rides and I suspected the bars were too narrow. Shoulder still gives me trouble now and then, but not like it did with the narrower bars.

I'm glad I need a 42 as most bars come in that size, so I have a lot from which to choose.


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## Sacha (Jul 19, 2007)

I have Specialized Ruby SL carbon bars (shallow drops) on both of my road bikes.

Climbing/long distance bike = 40cm c-t-c
(shorter TT, shallow seatpost angle, more comfort)

Crit/race bike = 38cm c-t-c
(longer TT, steeper SP, more aero)


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## Tzvia (Aug 4, 2008)

Maybe it is un-scientific, but I hold the bars up to my shoulders to see where the bends are relative to me, and choose accordingly. The shape of the bars, and how the bend to the drops is, determines the size I choose. I tend to stay in the 38~40 cm area as I am a smallish 5'1 1/2" woman of average build. I like my arms to come down without going out or in to get to the hoods; not being splayed out or squished in. Then I look at the amount of drop, as it affects the stem height and length; and shape. I also like enough bar top to get my hands enough apart when on the tops to be comfortable there. Right now, I have the 38cm 3T Ergonova Team carbon and love it as it fits my criteria. Plenty of bartop for comfort, shallow drop, good hand position behind the brakes, don't feel squished or stretched, and it's lightweight.

Of course, I am assuming that you mean dropbars and not MTB flat or riser bars. There, I am using a 25" Race Face Next SL low riser bar and find that it works well. I get good control without feeling to stretched out but it took a few rides to get used to it as my last bar was 24" flat with barends.


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

jevagirl said:


> What handlebar length do you ride with and how did you choose it? Did you follow one of the many formulas? Did you think about it?
> 
> I'm a woman on a non-WSD bike trying to figure out if/how I want to adjust my handlebar width. This is one of the fit measurments about which I think the experience and advice of more experienced women cyclists would really help me to sort out.


If you're on the fence about which size to get keep in mind that the wider the bar the more stable/slower handling the bike will be. If you like quick handling bikes a narrower bar would be the way to go.


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## orbit (Feb 7, 2007)

40cm on my go-faster bike, 42cm on my commuter - both shallow drop.


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## jevagirl (Oct 14, 2008)

thanks!


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## 180 (Jan 10, 2009)

Bontrager Race VR, 44.5

I'm 5' 7"


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## velogirl (Oct 14, 2005)

How interesting. I perform bike fit for a living. A large percentage of my clients (racers and non-racers) are women. For most, I fit them on a 36cm or 38cm bar. Very few outlyers fit on a 34cm or a 40cm. I have never fit a woman on a bar wider than 40cm.

The rule of thumb that I use is no more than 2cm wider than A/C to A/C joint, similar to Tzvia's "unscientific" methodology.

Lorri


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## 180 (Jan 10, 2009)

I personally am not finding any problem with it thus far. I've been on the bike for a year now. We'll see how it goes when I enter the crits this summer. When I purchased the bike it was one size too big (should of got a 52 instead of a 54) when it arrived, but I shortened the stem and it seems to be working out just fine. Technically the bike is a 53, so it boiled down to being like 1 cm off in the frame. 

I'm not sure why when fitting they measure from the bony protrusions, that seems like it would cause the handlebars to be narrower than the shoulders. Wouldn't that constrict your breathing?


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## velogirl (Oct 14, 2005)

180 said:


> I'm not sure why when fitting they measure from the bony protrusions, that seems like it would cause the handlebars to be narrower than the shoulders. Wouldn't that constrict your breathing?


By fitting from AC to AC, your hands should "fall" pretty much directly in front of your shoulders. This allows your shoulders to drop and your elbows to bend, creating a more relaxed and responsive position on the bike, meaning you can positively react to bumps, etc.

For crit racing, you'll typically find a narrower bar is a plus, because it reduces your footprint in the pack.


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

velogirl said:


> How interesting. I perform bike fit for a living. A large percentage of my clients (racers and non-racers) are women. For most, I fit them on a 36cm or 38cm bar. Very few outlyers fit on a 34cm or a 40cm. I have never fit a woman on a bar wider than 40cm.
> 
> The rule of thumb that I use is no more than 2cm wider than A/C to A/C joint, similar to Tzvia's "unscientific" methodology.
> 
> Lorri


I measure 37.5 for A/C to A/C. I like the way the slightly wider 40cm bars feel. They make the bike more stable.


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## 180 (Jan 10, 2009)

velogirl said:


> For crit racing, you'll typically find a narrower bar is a plus, because it reduces your footprint in the pack.


Looks like a good enough reason to pick up some more carbon


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## zeytin (May 15, 2004)

I was taught to hold the bars up to my shoulders and get them just wide enough to slide over edge of shoulder.


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