The_Snail

i think i'm coming to the conclusion that my bars might be too wide
i've never measured my shoulders, but i think i'm a little on the wider side, but i find that my wrists want to naturally roll inwards while on the upper curves, and hoods (which are already slightly toed inwards)
has anybody done this and noticed at significant difference?
currently using zipp ergo 70
pretty sure i don't want to go 38cm. i'm not that much of an aero-weenie

nathand

I have 40cm Easton bars on most of my bikes. I've tried 42cm and it feels too wide to me; on the other hand, I do have a 38cm bars on one bike and that also feels comfortable. Different manufacturers measure from different points, so if you're looking to swap bars to a different manufacturer and not just a wider version of what you already have, make sure they're measured consistently (ie, measurement could be at the hoods or in the drops, and could be as center-center or outside width).

79pmooney

The time honored way to measure your shoulder for handlebars is to hold the bars to your shoulders. Bar ends fitting neatly over the balls of your shoulders was considered "right". (And worked for me very well until I started getting older and less strong as well as dabbling in gravel. For me. 38/39 "fits" and served me very well my racing days and long after. Now, at age 70, I trend to 40+. 42 or more for gravel and fix gears that are going to see serious hills.)

Trakhak

As mentioned the last time this topic was broached, the Union Cycliste Internationale, the international organization governing professional bike racing, recently mandated a lower limit of 35 cm (outside to outside) for handlebar width, after decades of specifying only the maximum outside width (50 cm).

In other words, pro cyclists, ignoring the old wives' tale that the best width for bars is equal to your shoulder width, have been going to narrower and narrower bars. to the point where the brass at the UCI felt obliged to step in.

Pros, of course, train and race far greater distances at higher wattages than anyone here would dream of doing, so handlebar width is less of an issue for any of us. But if nothing else, their use of narrow bars suggests that it's probably not a bad idea to try narrower bars on your own bike.

Iride01 

I had similar when I was on 42cm bars. My wrists would roll in and then I'd have a large bend in my wrists that only helped them get numb quick. For me it was mostly when in the drops. It also braced me too much and my shoulders and elbows bore too much of the swaying from pedaling and other forces from the ride. I'd only been on 42cm bars for about 4 years. Prior to that all my vintage bikes had 38 cm bars or there about. And they were also large size bikes that were over size for me. So not sure why the disparity between the bar size then and now for new bikes. Although some of my old bikes weren't acquired when new.

So I changed back to 38cm bars and the bending wrists were pretty much gone. Also, the bikes handling seemed more natural for handling twisty downhill turns. And road hazards such as potholes that were seen at the last minute became much easier to dart around.

Kontact 

Pros using narrow bars isn't really evidence of superior fit. It is evidence of an attempt to get an aero advantage.

On topic:
Too-wide drop bars are a strain on your shoulder joints and don't contribute to performance or control. Too narrow bars can feel restrictive - especially if you are used to something wider. The case for "just right" bar width is pretty strong.

Keep in mind that some bar brands are measured outside to outside, others are center to center. The best thing to do is pick up the bars you are considering and hold them to your shoulders. Also, some models are measured at the drops but are angled in to be narrower at the hoods - so a 42 will still feel like a 40.