Handlebar help

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Brian Stacks

Active Member
Location
Chelmsford
Am looking at buying new handle bars but not sure what width to buy. I am 5"7 72kg with fairly short arms. At present I have 44cm width bars which came with the bike as standard. Advice please :reading:
 
Shoulder width as a starter until you develop a preference for slightly wider or narrower. Mine are slightly wider, too narrow and your chest and breathing can feel a little compressed, too wide and you can get some shoulder blade pain.
 
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Are you also looking to alter the reach and drop of the bars as well? being a shorty at 5ft 5 I have short reach shallow drop 42's on my drop bar bikes. ( FSA Omega compact I think)
If you are not familiar with bar sizings, as well as a width there should be a reach and drop measurement as well. So decide what you are not happy with on your present bars and find out its measurements, do you know what bars they are?
 
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cyberknight

As long as I breathe, I attack.
I used to get aching neck + triceps when i had too longer stem , i would try it with a shorter stem 1st then go for narrower bars if you need too.
 
Achy shoulders have many causes, including your position on the bars being too high. Explained by hunching a bit as you ride which gives discomfort around your neck and between your shoulder blades.
 

ayceejay

Guru
Location
Rural Quebec
The handlebar width, stem length and crank length are all standard sizes on an off the shelf bike. I would expect bars at 44 cms to come with a frame that is too big for someone who is 5' 7". Can you tell us what bike it is and the frame size?
 
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Brian Stacks

Brian Stacks

Active Member
Location
Chelmsford
The handlebar width, stem length and crank length are all standard sizes on an off the shelf bike. I would expect bars at 44 cms to come with a frame that is too big for someone who is 5' 7". Can you tell us what bike it is and the frame size?
My bike is a canondale supersix EVO 105 54cm. I did have a bike fit before buying it last year.
 

ayceejay

Guru
Location
Rural Quebec
The 54 is probably the right size but with short arms the top tube length is as important as the seat tube length although stem length will give you some leeway.
Interestingly I found this comment on a cc road review (he was riding a 56 cms)
Cannondale fits its own C3 branded handlebar, stem, seatpost and saddle. It's all decent stuff, not great to look at, but performs just fine. Handlebar width is a personal issue, but I personally found the 44cm bar a bit wide, I do prefer a 42cm. That's something that could easily be changed though, and you may not find the width an issue. - See more at: http://road.cc/content/review/113257-cannondale-supersix-evo-6-105-road-bike#sthash.vjx84iNO.dpuf
 
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Hi. My bars at present are 44cm and are slightly wider than my shoulders. I also feel after about twenty miles or so achy in my shoulders. My stem is also too long so will change that also.

Change one thing at a time!!!

Its like when they go "I've bought new wheels for a hundred billion dollars and they are super fast and smooth... I also bought a new set of tyres for fifteen quid but that has nothing to do with it."

Bb
 
Hi. My bars at present are 44cm and are slightly wider than my shoulders. I also feel after about twenty miles or so achy in my shoulders. My stem is also too long so will change that also.

I have been experiencing the same problems. My bike fit last week recommended changing 100mm stem for a 90mm and 44cm bars for 40cm. I've also ordered some new shifters which I'm waiting for delivery of, so can't offer any feedback on the impact of these changes until I've got everything installed and done some decent miles, but it certainly felt better when trying it out as part of the bike fit.

This is not to say doing the same will work for you though; saddle height, top tube length and your own posture & core strength could also be factors in causing the achy shoulders. If you had a bike fit when buying the bike, and that's within the last year, perhaps you should call them and say you're not happy with the fit? If they're decent they should offer to give you another look over and see if some tweaks are needed. In fact, if they think you're looking at buying new bars/stem I would have thought they'd be only too happy to offer you a free once-over on the bike!

Of course if they were useless at setting you up first time around this might not be a great suggestion.
 
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Brian Stacks

Brian Stacks

Active Member
Location
Chelmsford
I have been experiencing the same problems. My bike fit last week recommended changing 100mm stem for a 90mm and 44cm bars for 40cm. I've also ordered some new shifters which I'm waiting for delivery of, so can't offer any feedback on the impact of these changes until I've got everything installed and done some decent miles, but it certainly felt better when trying it out as part of the bike fit.

This is not to say doing the same will work for you though; saddle height, top tube length and your own posture & core strength could also be factors in causing the achy shoulders. If you had a bike fit when buying the bike, and that's within the last year, perhaps you should call them and say you're not happy with the fit? If they're decent they should offer to give you another look over and see if some tweaks are needed. In fact, if they think you're looking at buying new bars/stem I would have thought they'd be only too happy to offer you a free once-over on the bike!

Of course if they were useless at setting you up first time around this might not be a great suggestion.
I have just ordered 90mm stem with intergrated 42cm carbon bars. So fingers crossed. Will feed back once I've done a few hundred miles or so:bicycle:
 
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