# Handlebar sizing: Cyclocross vs. road



## greywell7

Hello all, I am new to cyclocross bikes and have a question about the size of the stock handlebars that came on my 2009 Jake the Snake. The bike is new to me, fresh off of craigslist and I want it to match the fitting of my road bike as much as possible. My road bike is a Jamis Xenith Comp. Both frames are 56 cm.

My roadie bars are 42cm wide (outside to outside) - very comfortable with this size for years.

Cyclocross bars are 46 cm wide (outside to outside) - feels way to wide to me.

Is it normal for cyclocross bars to be this much wider for balance on rough terrain? Thinking about swapping the bars out for 44s or maybe 42s to match the roadie. Any thoughts?

Also noticing that the bars on the cyclocross reach out much further, 3.2 cm farther than my roadie bars. Do narrower bars typically have less reach as the size steps down? 

Thanks


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## krisdrum

Width is personal preference in this context. I was running wider bars my first few years, but just switched to slightly narrower on my cross bike (44 o-o vs. 42 c-c). I ran them for the first time this weekend at a clinic in the rain on pretty slick grass and didn't feel the least bit insecure with the new bars. And yes, different models have different reach lengths. You also have to figure in where the hoods are set on the bars. But reach does NOT change as the size of a bar changes within the same model. At least I've never seen that.


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## m_s

I went up to 46 but now back to 44 and I thinkt hat's good for me. I don't have a pure road bike anymore but 42 felt about right there.

Remember that wider bars effectively increase reach, so if as you said your bars are also longer than your road bike you're going to feel really stretched/splayed out. Whether to go wide or not is personal preference but if there's one thing I can safely say its that overall reach being *increased *is not very desirable on a cross bike when compared to its road counterpart.


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## Schmucker

I started with 42cm. Now I'm moving my road bikes over to 44cm. My 'cross bikes are 46cm. I really like that.


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## kc929

I ran 46 for three seasons. Just switched to 44 and it feels better to me.


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## pigpen

44 road
46 cross

But everyone is different. I like a 2cm jump.
If you are running 42 on the road a 44 will feel different but no too strange amd give you a little more leverage.


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## OnForm

I went to a longer bar on my mountain bike this season and it seems to have made a big difference in handling. I can really lean the bike into turns at speed without worrying too much about washing out. Because of this, I put wider bars on my CX bike and so far I like it.


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## greywell7

Thanks for the responses, helped to convince me to go ahead and run narrower bars. Probably going to 44s and going to measure up my setup to get the new reach to match or go slightly less than my road bike. I'm also planning on using the same saddle as the road bike, the more similarities the better I guess.


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## Guymk

40cm road
42cm cross

When i bought my cross bike it had a 46cm bar and it was nice but felt some what awkward to me. the 42cm bar is much better. I would suggest go 2cm more than your road bar.


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## availpunk9

46 road & cross.


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## 251

My cross bars are significantly wider than my road bars (46cm vs 42cm). I prefer the wide bars (w/ flared drops) on the cross bike for trail riding, indifferent for racing, and it's a liability on the road. However, I ride mostly single track with the occasional race so I'm very happy with them. If I were riding mostly road, then I'd likely opt for something closer to 42-44cm.


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## EvilScience

I like to run the same nominal bar width road and cross (42), but use shorter reach, shallower bars with flared drops for cross. Currently using the Salsa Cowbell 3 and loving it.


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## ZenNMotion

I thought this was going to turn into a roadies vs. psychocrossers thread-


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## kneisly

44 road
46 cross


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## m_s

As an aside a shallow drop with some flare will give you a wide bar with tons of control in the drops but a more "normal" stance on the hoods/tops. I just got some of Salsa's new bars, Cowbells, and they are really great in this bar. I think I like them even better than my heretofore standbys, Ritchey Biomax


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## Speedmenace

Schmucker said:


> I started with 42cm. Now I'm moving my road bikes over to 44cm. My 'cross bikes are 46cm. I really like that.


Same here


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## mblock

I run 44 for road and 46 for cross (Salsa Bell Lap). I like the extra leverage and the Bell Laps have a little different flare to the drops that I've come to like.


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## pretender

If the reach from saddle to bars is the same on your cross rig as on your road bike, then use the same width bars.

If the reach is shorter, then you might like wider bars.


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## Todd_H

pretender said:


> If the reach from saddle to bars is the same on your cross rig as on your road bike, then use the same width bars.
> 
> If the reach is shorter, then you might like wider bars.


:thumbsup:


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## Kram

44 on both. I had 46's on my cross bike a few yrs ago and hated it. 44 is much better (for me)


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