Handlebar width

[Wetdog]

Hi guys, whilst I'm out riding I get really painful wrists and right tricep. I was wondering how to cure it? I thought it was one of those that would get used to it, but it hasn't. It really is fairly painful, and on this my latest ride I got pins and needles in my wrists. Is the handlebar to narrow?

Cheers, mick.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Hope this helps, it might be different slight if a flat bar I don't know.

 

[Wetdog]

Cheers dude

 

[ColinJ]

I think it is more likely to be the way that you hold the bars/hoods. For example - if you ride mainly on the hoods but they are tilted too far forwards or backwards then you end up with an uncomfortable bend in your wrists. I ride mainly on the hoods and like mine set up so the arm, wrist and hand on each side form a straight line.

 

[Wetdog]

Cheers Colin, does make sense I'll have to try it tomoz.

 

[mjr]

Www.SheldonBrown.com/pain.html may help to track it down. Handlebar width is as much personal taste as anything.

 

[vickster]

I had too wide a bar on my bikes, gave me tendinitis in my hand. Better with the narrower bar but less room for lights etc

 

[Wetdog]

Right, so your saying narrow is better in the long run?

 

[vickster]

Depends on your shoulder width as above. My issues were caused by wrists rolling in on too wide bars, yours may not be. Get advice from LBS. might cost a few quid to change bars and tape

 

[ColinJ]

Until taking part in this thread I never really paid much attention to my handlebars but I just measured those on my 2 road bikes and cyclocross bike and discovered that they are all different widths ...

• Basso road bike: 43 cm c-c/45 cm o-o
• CAAD5 road bike: 44 cm c-c/46 cm o-o
• CAADX cyclocross bike: 45 cm c-c/47 cm o-o

They are all different reach, drop and shape too so it is no wonder that they feel quite different to each other!

I like the stiffness of the oversize CAADX bars, the width of the CAAD5 bars (which actually are the size suggested by @Nigelnaturist's diagram above) and the drop/shape of the Basso's bars. I have just ordered some new oversize bars for the CAAD5 which are that width and shape so let's see how I get on with them. It is an interesting experiment to try, and the old bars from the CAAD5 can go on a singlespeed bike that I am building.

I'll report back here once I have done a few rides with the new setup. I'm not really expecting it to make much difference, but you never know!

 

[MichaelW2]

Once you have correct width bars, mount the levers to suit, not only up and down the bars, but around. You can cant the levers inwards to relieve some tension in your arms.

 

[david k]

I put bar ends on my hybrid and it takes all the weight off my grip as it stops my hands sliding when holding the bars normally

 

[bonsaibilly]

Hi guys, whilst I'm out riding I get really painful wrists and right tricep. I was wondering how to cure it? I thought it was one of those that would get used to it, but it hasn't. It really is fairly painful, and on this my latest ride I got pins and needles in my wrists. Is the handlebar to narrow?

Cheers, mick.

Can you define the wrist pain any further? And are your bars absolutely level from left going to right? I ask because if they're slightly out you could be stretching more on one side to reach. You wouldn't really notice visually but might be feeling it.

Bar width, moving of the shifters etc is almost infinite how you go about it, just note a) can be made worse easily, and b) drop bars can take a lot longer than a couple of weeks your body to adapt to. But adapt, it usually can!

Bb

 

[ColinJ]

My new bars have arrived and they are VERY compact. The width is as advertised. I believe what reviewers said about them being very comfortable on the drops. My old bars felt like too much of a stretch down. I'll try them out tomorrow if I finish reassembling the bike. (Delay to service the right shifter.)

I just measured my MTB's straight bars. I always thought they were a bit wide ... 55 cms!

 

[S-Express]

Hope this helps, it might be different slight if a flat bar I don't know.

Chris Hoy used bars as narrow as 28cm on the track, and apparently still rides 38cm on the road these days. Not sure what his shoulder width is, but it's probably wider than his bars. Let's hope he doesn't see this pic...