Road Bike Handlebar Width Calculator
Bike sizing is intended to assist you select a bike that has a frame size and shape that is appropriate for your anatomical proportions riding style and physical condition including flexibility and any relevant injuries.
Road bike handlebar width calculator. There are two schools of thought floating around. In general terms narrower faster. Replace bar if this measurement is different. If you look at photos of bike racers throughout history you might notice the variance in handlebar width.
Handlebar tilt or angle. You ll have to choose between carbon or aluminum internal or external cable routing bar width and the shape of the drop. By kip mikler and joe lindsey. A bike of an appropriate size is a precursor to establishing a good bike fit.
Record method of measurement. Like handlebar width stem length plays a key factor in the bike s handling. Measure drop type bar angle off of lower section of drops using level angle. For example 46cm center to center.
Even among modern road bikes bars can be found in a fairly wide variety of widths. Then find out how you want your handlebar to be measured. There are a ton of different options to choose from when it comes to road bike handlebars. Because this is such an important topic i wrote an entire article on the specifics of stem length and how it affects handling.
Common sizes are 38. Handlebar width can have an impact on your aerodynamic drag too. 2 ways to measure road handlebar. The standard is measuring your shoulder blade width and getting the same width handlebar.
Now you can find handlebars that are 31 inches wide. Measure from the outside of one hand to the outside of the other to get your ideal handlebar width. Some of it just needs to be what feels right especially for the average cyclist that s not trying to maximize aerodynamics and efficiency at the expense of comfort. First let s discuss width.
The standard fitting advice is to get a handlebar as wide as the measurement between your ac joints. The width after the crash can be compared to the width before the crash. This makes it much more important on the trail than on the road. For example if your shoulder measurement is 38 cms you need a 40 cm.
Most companies measure a bar s width between the center of each drop. A brief history of the road bike handlebar. If you re currently riding 44cm bars and would like a little free speed consider moving to. Eventually the mountain bike world started to learn its lesson handlebars started to get wider.
If the handlebar you want to use is measured from the inside edge to the other inside edge just add 2 cms to your shoulder measurement to get the right size. As a general rule the wider the handlebar the shorter the stem should be.