I bought my bike with a full aero setup with bar end shifters. Im switching it all over to a standard road setup but I see so many different size bars available. I have a Ritchie stem that says "comp" on the side, and bars made by syntace that say c2 clip. I measured the bars thats are currently on and they come out to be about 48cm. Most of the bars on ebay I see are 40, 42.ect with few that are larger so that leads me to beleive A: My bars are bigger or B: Im measuring wrong/not what I should be measuring.
Depends mainly on the width of your shoulders. 40,42 & 44 are the main sizes. I like 42s because they are alittle tighter in crits (which I primarily race).
In front of your shoulders you'll be able to feel a ball-like bone. Measure between both your shoulders and that should be the ideal handlebar width. Remember to use center-to-center measurement when choosing the handlebar since some handlbars give outside-to-outside measurements (better bring a tape measure when you shop).
what about the clamp size? It looks like ritchie stems only come in one size but I want to be 100% sure before I order
You can hold a metric tape measure over the bar (next to the stem clamp) and get a good idea which size the clamp is (the two primary sizes are about 6mm apart -26 or 31.9).
Depends mainly on the width of your shoulders. 40,42 & 44 are the main sizes. I like 42s because they are alittle tighter in crits (which I primarily race).
Hmmm good point. I was wondering about dropping down a size for criterium racing. I normally rock 46cm because I have massive shoulders and the 46s allow me to breath deep etc etc. I might try 44 or even 42 just for fun on a criterium. Sometimes the 46s feel a little wide in a bunch.
Note that in addition to width you can (or should) be aware of the optimum reach (horizontal distance from clamp to drops) and drop (vertical distance from tops to ends) of your bars. These specs are often overlooked, but can make a tremendous difference in comfort, aero, and braking efficiency.
