drop bar width?

Quoted message said:

Standing as I would be when sitting on bike with
arms out and filling lungs with air puts them approx 44cm apart (they
move out when I breath in). I assume 44cm is the 'correct' choice.

By 'them' I meant hands, in an 'as if I'm gripping the bars, centre-to-
centre' stylee.

In article <[email hidden]>, Mark
Thompson
pleasegivegenerously@warmmail*_turn_up_the_heat_to_reply*.com says...

Quoted message said:

The width of drop bar handlebars - does it matter?

Fed up with the slight discomfort of the old style handlebars I'll soon be
upgrading to the anatomic variety. Does width make a difference?

Convention is that wide gives more control but is less aerodynamic. Narrow
is more aero but restricts breathing.

Plenty of sources say this is rubbish, but when standing in an 'on bike'
position with arms on imaginary bars, filling lungs with air does make them
move out a little, and reducing width of bars must reduce the frontal area
of the cyclist just a little, surely?

I reckon if your bars are too narrow you'll tend to stick your elbows
out to compensate, but I didn't think very hard to come up with that
idea.

Quoted message said:

Measuring shoulders from lumpy boney bit on back of shoulder gives a
distance of roughly 43cm. Standing as I would be when sitting on bike with
arms out and filling lungs with air puts them approx 44cm apart (they move
out when I breath in). I assume 44cm is the 'correct' choice.

However, if narrow isn't a problem for breathing, it'd make sense to go for
very narrow bars - easier to store bike, possibly more aero, teeniest bit
lighter etc. What do you lot think?

I think it's really just down to personal preference and what you're
used to. A few years ago 44 would have been considered wide, but these
days it seems quite common - I imagine that this gradual evolution
wouldn't have occurred if it were a bad thing.

Mark Thompson said:

The width of drop bar handlebars - does it matter?

Fed up with the slight discomfort of the old style handlebars I'll
soon be upgrading to the anatomic variety. Does width make a
difference?

Makes a difference to comfort, at least. Affects control only at first,
IME, while you re-learn how to handle the bike.

Quoted message said:

Convention is that wide gives more control but is less aerodynamic.
Narrow is more aero but restricts breathing.

Plenty of sources say this is rubbish, but when standing in an 'on
bike' position with arms on imaginary bars, filling lungs with air
does make them move out a little, and reducing width of bars must
reduce the frontal area of the cyclist just a little, surely?

Reduces the frontal width but makes you more upright, so you'd have to get a
longer stem to compensate to really reduce the frontal area (if you wanted
to).

Narrower bars also reduce the difference in the amount you lean forwards
between the top position and the hood or drop position, so you have less
variety in that way. This is one reason I prefer wider bars now myself. I
also like having more hand space on the tops.

Quoted message said:

Measuring shoulders from lumpy boney bit on back of shoulder gives a
distance of roughly 43cm. Standing as I would be when sitting on
bike with arms out and filling lungs with air puts them approx 44cm
apart (they move out when I breath in). I assume 44cm is the
'correct' choice.

I think that is traditionally "correct", yes, though I never found bars that
were much narrower than my shoulders a problem for breathing. (Very narrow
bars used to be fashionable years ago, whereas 46cm o-o seems to be the norm
nowdays on road bikes).

Quoted message said:

However, if narrow isn't a problem for breathing,

and isn't uncomfortable for back, shoulders, arms, hands,

Quoted message said:

it'd make sense to
go for very narrow bars - easier to store bike, possibly more aero,
teeniest bit lighter etc. What do you lot think?

I think it's worth experimenting to find what feels best. Storage and
weight should be put right to the bottom of the list of considerations when
deciding between widths.

~PB

Pete Biggs said:

I think it's worth experimenting to find what feels best. Storage and
weight should be put right to the bottom of the list of considerations when
deciding between widths.

I agree with Pete. For us normal everyday riders worrying about
aerodynamics when choosing width of bars is a tad excessive I think,
specially if it leads you into getting an uncomfortable setup.
I would just stretch my hands out at shoulder width and get someoen to
measure how far apart they are. Try a few handlebars in the shop.
I have 42cm bars, which I've said before that I find very comfortable
though they're reckoned to be very narrow these days.

in message <[email hidden]>, Mark Thompson

('pleasegivegenerously@warmmail*_turn_up_the_heat_to_reply*.com') said:

The width of drop bar handlebars - does it matter?

Yes, there will be a width that is most comfortable for you. Other widths
won't be impossible.

Quoted message said:

Fed up with the slight discomfort of the old style handlebars I'll soon
be
upgrading to the anatomic variety. Does width make a difference?

Convention is that wide gives more control but is less aerodynamic.
Narrow is more aero but restricts breathing.

I don't think the 'more control' thing is relevant at road bike speeds -
steering inputs are very small and are done mostly with movement of body
weight. Where your arms sit most naturally is what matters.

Quoted message said:

Measuring shoulders from lumpy boney bit on back of shoulder gives a
distance of roughly 43cm. Standing as I would be when sitting on bike
with arms out and filling lungs with air puts them approx 44cm apart
(they move
out when I breath in). I assume 44cm is the 'correct' choice.

Probably is, for you. Also easiest to get hold of.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
;; If God does not write LISP, God writes some code so similar to
;; LISP as to make no difference.

John Hearns said:

I agree with Pete. For us normal everyday riders worrying about
aerodynamics when choosing width of bars is a tad excessive I think,
specially if it leads you into getting an uncomfortable setup.
I would just stretch my hands out at shoulder width and get someoen to
measure how far apart they are. Try a few handlebars in the shop.
I have 42cm bars, which I've said before that I find very comfortable
though they're reckoned to be very narrow these days.

Even for elite riders getting their position right is a compromise
between aerodynamics and what is practical. If narrower bars put you
in a position you can't hold because it's uncomfortable, or if they
reduce your aerobic capacity because your breathing is restricted, any
reduction in aerodynamic drag is unlikely to be useful. For most of us
the goal should be to get a reasonably efficient position while
remaining comfortable and fully in control.

--
Dave...

Mark Thompson said:

The width of drop bar handlebars - does it matter?

Fed up with the slight discomfort of the old style handlebars I'll soon be
upgrading to the anatomic variety. Does width make a difference?

Convention is that wide gives more control but is less aerodynamic. Narrow
is more aero but restricts breathing.

Plenty of sources say this is rubbish, but when standing in an 'on bike'
position with arms on imaginary bars, filling lungs with air does make them
move out a little, and reducing width of bars must reduce the frontal area
of the cyclist just a little, surely?

Measuring shoulders from lumpy boney bit on back of shoulder gives a
distance of roughly 43cm. Standing as I would be when sitting on bike with
arms out and filling lungs with air puts them approx 44cm apart (they move
out when I breath in). I assume 44cm is the 'correct' choice.

However, if narrow isn't a problem for breathing, it'd make sense to go for
very narrow bars - easier to store bike, possibly more aero, teeniest bit
lighter etc. What do you lot think?

For me it doesn't seem to matter.

I have two bikes with 44cm bars. One set of bars actually feel wider
than the other, but then the wider feeling set are lower down. although
the ride is different, neither give me cause for discomfort.

Another road bike has 42cm bars on it, and is generally more comfortable
than the other two, but this is probably the set-up as a whole and not
just bar width.

In terms of what performance I can achieve, bike with 44cm bars and 42cm
are about the same. Bike with 44cm and lower config (whilst being
marginally heavier) seems to give me better results over 10 and 25 mile
distances.

Nothing scientific, but as I got the 42cm bars buckshee, I made a mental
note to see if I could feel the difference.

in message <[email hidden]>, John

Hearns (') said:

Pete Biggs said:

I think it's worth experimenting to find what feels best. Storage and
weight should be put right to the bottom of the list of considerations
when deciding between widths.

I agree with Pete. For us normal everyday riders worrying about
aerodynamics when choosing width of bars is a tad excessive I think,
specially if it leads you into getting an uncomfortable setup.
I would just stretch my hands out at shoulder width and get someoen to
measure how far apart they are. Try a few handlebars in the shop.
I have 42cm bars, which I've said before that I find very comfortable
though they're reckoned to be very narrow these days.

I too prefer 42cm - although I don't have them on my good road bike, as
they're now quite hard to find!

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
;; Generally Not Used
;; Except by Middle Aged Computer Scientists

In article <[email hidden]>,
Simon Brooke <[email hidden]> writes:
|>
|> I too prefer 42cm - although I don't have them on my good road bike, as
|> they're now quite hard to find!

Well, it would certainly help with negotiating through some of the
psychle farcilities around here :-(

Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Simon Brooke said:

I too prefer 42cm - although I don't have them on my good road bike, as
they're now quite hard to find!

I like 42s as well. Very easy to find though - ITM do 42 in all
their ranges. I have a nice OS alloy bar which is not only much
cheaper than a carbon bar but lighter too!

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune PGP/GPG Key: http://www.clune.org/pubkey.txt
The struggle of people against power is the struggle
of memory against forgetting - Milan Kundera

Quoting
Mark Thompson <pleasegivegenerously@warmmail*_turn_up_the_heat_to_reply*.com>:

Quoted message said:

The width of drop bar handlebars - does it matter?

I certainly found the tandem less work to control with wide bars on - it
can be a bit of a handful in a crosswind.
--
OPTIONS=name:Kirsty,menustyle:C,female,lit_corridor,standout,time,showexp,hilit
e_pet,catname:Akane,dogname:Ryoga,fruit:okonomiyaki,pickup_types:"!$?=/,scores:
5 top/2 around,color,boulder:0,autoquiver,autodig,disclose:yiyayvygyc,pickup_bu
rden:burdened,!cmdassist,msg_window:reversed,!sparkle,horsename:Rumiko,showrace

you could have a look at the midge bars, available from http://www.on-one.co.uk

flared, with the drop being shallower than normal, they might be just
what you are after., i have them on my on-one il pompino and would
recommend them

cheers

stuart

Simon Brooke said:

in message <[email hidden]>, John

Hearns (') said:

Pete Biggs said:

I think it's worth experimenting to find what feels best. Storage and
weight should be put right to the bottom of the list of considerations
when deciding between widths.

I agree with Pete. For us normal everyday riders worrying about
aerodynamics when choosing width of bars is a tad excessive I think,
specially if it leads you into getting an uncomfortable setup.
I would just stretch my hands out at shoulder width and get someoen to
measure how far apart they are. Try a few handlebars in the shop.
I have 42cm bars, which I've said before that I find very comfortable
though they're reckoned to be very narrow these days.

I too prefer 42cm - although I don't have them on my good road bike, as
they're now quite hard to find!

Bontrager go down to 38cm (centre-to-centre) - I like narrow bars so I've
just ordered a pair.

--
Jim