Originally Posted by dksix

I was riding 44CM bars but when measured I realized these were too wide. I only dropped to 42CM bars and could feel a difference. From 44's to 38's seems like a huge just but if you're just riding what came on the bike and have never been fitted I see no reason why the OEM's would be right for everyone. If you find a good deal on some 38's give them a try and report back.


Don't forget new bar tape.

Originally Posted by Kevindale

Yes, definitely will need new tape. Right now I'm only seeing 40 cm bars among the Cannondale compact bars on eBay, so I'll probably go with that. I rode tonight and paid more attention to my arms with my elbows locked, and I never realized how noticeably my arms slanted outwards from shoulder to wrist. I'm really looking forward to this experiment.

Originally Posted by Miele Man

When you ride in the hooks or the lower straight section of the drop portion of your bar be sure you have enough width that your knees don't hit your elbows.

Cheers

Originally Posted by Leisesturm

They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Oh and how. I personally don't think that other poster was all that harsh actually. In any case I do not believe the issue was personal for them. I was reading through the posts waiting for an opportunity to say much the same thing they said. The cm/mm typographical semantics aside, going from 44cm to 38cm is ludicrous. I am 5'10" and have the classic 42"/34" kind of build. My wife is 5'6". She has the 38cm and I run 42cm on my roadie, but I use a 44cm on our tandem. I would use 46cm if I could find a matching bar in that size. Bigger doesn't hurt anything. Anyone who can use acromion in a sentence should have enough nuance to figure that there would be a point of diminishing returns to making bars too narrow. And... yes.. just as I thought... the o.p. is doing the measurements themselves. Classic. Please, o.p. get someone to measure you properly, do each measurement 3x and average the results and then we can talk intelligently. But, FWIW, I do not think there are enough handling differences between 44 and 38 on a single bike. I noticed a difference between the 64cm (that's correct) flat bars that our tandem had to the 44cm bars that I 'upgraded' to.

Originally Posted by Kevindale

I went to two bike shops yesterday -- both places suggested 40 cm handlebars for my build. The 38 cm bars also felt comfortable, but 40 is what I'll go with. At the LBS I prefer, they suggested the Bontranger Race Aero Lite bar instead of just a straight Cannondale compact bar replacement, since I'm interested in going a little more aero. He also said everyone he's put on those bars has loved them. They're a little more expensive than the Cannondale replacements, but they're good looking bars and the flatten tops seemed comfortable. They're back ordered right now, so it'll probably be 2 weeks before I have them on the bike. I'm ordering some Lizard Skin tape, 2.5mm thickness, to give that a try also.

Originally Posted by woodcraft

Previously ditched the 44cms, & about to go from 42cm to 40cm bars, also for aero reasons.

38cm bars were pretty standard BITD, so I don't see what all the fuss is about.

Originally Posted by Kevindale

On my ride yesterday I was noting how 'pulled in' the elbows are on a rider using aero bars. I've gotten over the idea that the narrower handlebar will degrade my breathing efficiency in some dramatic way. I experimented with riding on the tops of my current bar with my hands pulled towards the stem an extra few cm, and it's not a problem. The elbows naturally pivot out when you get your hands too close together, so breathing is fine. My new bar is in, still waiting on the new tape. I don't have a power meter, so my assessment will be seat-of-the pants, but I will definitely notice if I have an easier time doing my share of the pulling of our paceline at 20-22 mph.