New handlebars...how much difference would I notice?
Discussion
A while ago now I had a bike fitting service (took approx 2 hours, really quite a thorough job) and there were several things highlighted about my bike that were incorrect...most of these were adjusted as best as possible but a few (crank length 2.5mm out for example) remained.
One of these was the width of the handlebars. Now, I'm quite a slim and short chap (5ft 6in) and it was suggested I had 38cm width bars, yet the bike currently has 42cm bars.
Would I notice much difference in terms of comfort...perhaps even speed (more aerodynamic?!). I remember my average speed instantly went up by about 1.5mph after the bike fitting service....was incredible!
Thoughts?
Thanks
One of these was the width of the handlebars. Now, I'm quite a slim and short chap (5ft 6in) and it was suggested I had 38cm width bars, yet the bike currently has 42cm bars.
Would I notice much difference in terms of comfort...perhaps even speed (more aerodynamic?!). I remember my average speed instantly went up by about 1.5mph after the bike fitting service....was incredible!
Thoughts?
Thanks
Magic919 said:
My wife had the same suggestion from the Bike Whisperer. She swapped over on her winter bike and thought it was a great improvement. Stuck some new ones on her summer bike just yesterday. Only about 220 grams in metal.
This seals the deal! Carbon ones I'm looking at are 10% lighter than that. Have found another company have some too, where a friend of mine works so I can get them at trade price so shouldn't be tooooo costly. Thanks chaps!
- you must have more money than I - Still I like to think I've got Campagnolo legs (only think... the reality is that they aren't) 
TwistingMyMelon said:
I'm 5ft 7 and slim ironically I much prefer 42 (maybe even 44) over my 38cm bars I also prefer longer cranks . Technically 38cm bars should suit but feel to narrow and makes me feel squashed in, even more so sprinting on the drops and clubbing out the saddle
44 is very wide, you must have lots of wattage to overcome the air-dam effect.I'm also 5'7", used to ride a 42, but slimmed down on fitment advice.
I noticed that Not all bars measure the same. Have 38cm xxx lite aero bars on my madone, and 40cm enve ses aero bars on my Parlee. The enve bars are only 38cm wide to the end of the bar, although the drops flare out a bit. Regardless, the advice from the fitter is probably correct, and you would probably be more suited to a narrower bar whether that is comfortable though is subjective. As to the cranks, an overly long crank will cause over rotation of your hip and push your legs wider at the top of the stroke (so less aero). Again, what sometimes is better fit in theory is uncomfortable in practice, I'd probably try narrower bars before dropping a few hundred quid on them.
Indeed always better to take the advice of the fitter , esp when starting out so you don't get bad habits (like me )
Just measured The bars on one of my Wiliers are 45 cm from the outer edge of the hoods and 40cm on my other Wilier . Deffo prefer the wider bar . My similar proportioned mate says the same .
The narrowed bar Wilier has a lot more aero position tho
Just measured The bars on one of my Wiliers are 45 cm from the outer edge of the hoods and 40cm on my other Wilier . Deffo prefer the wider bar . My similar proportioned mate says the same .
The narrowed bar Wilier has a lot more aero position tho
Based on the suggestion of my bike fit, I had 440mm bars fitted to my Planet X. Actually very good for commuting as you get a bit more leverage. However, I just couldn't get on with them, also they looked a bit daft on my CX. Eventually moved to carbon bars from Ebay. Much better shape than the standard Planet X bars. Also the Carbon bars reduced a bit of the road buzz and that's always welcome 
Ignoring personal preference / individual choice (and for some the breathing / comfort gains of being wider may outweigh the negatives); bars should (IMHO) always be at the forefront (literally) of any aero tweaks / improvements being made to a bike/rider interface – even before deep section wheels. Granted, it’s pretty difficult to see the value added of aero or narrower bars when posing outside the coffee shop; but comedy bars & stack height pretty much eliminate all the aero benefit (versus compromise) of riding an aero frameset. It always seems to be one of the corners that shops / retailers cut when supplying complete build bikes.
I re measured the enve bars last night and they are just under 38 cm MAX width to end of the hoods, but 40 cm to the middle of the drops. Stock Google image best shows it (if I could work out how to load pics from facebook (find img tag) – I’d post mine.
The only downside I’ve found thus far is getting an out front Garmin mount (typical of enve to announce something and then not follow up with production and release dates). Anyone else have a similar problem?
I re measured the enve bars last night and they are just under 38 cm MAX width to end of the hoods, but 40 cm to the middle of the drops. Stock Google image best shows it (if I could work out how to load pics from facebook (find img tag) – I’d post mine.
The only downside I’ve found thus far is getting an out front Garmin mount (typical of enve to announce something and then not follow up with production and release dates). Anyone else have a similar problem?
stongle said:
The only downside I’ve found thus far is getting an out front Garmin mount (typical of enve to announce something and then not follow up with production and release dates). Anyone else have a similar problem?
Sorry, slight thread hijack.Would this type of mount work?
http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/garmin-gopro...
E65Ross said:
One of these was the width of the handlebars. Now, I'm quite a slim and short chap (5ft 6in) and it was suggested I had 38cm width bars, yet the bike currently has 42cm bars.
38cm is pretty narrow - presumably that's outside edge to outside edge rather than centre to centre ? 4cm is quite a big change, so it might be worth trying a cheap pair before dropping £150. That said, I also have narrow shoulders, and cannot get on at all with wide bars, they just feel horrible.stongle said:
The only downside I’ve found thus far is getting an out front Garmin mount (typical of enve to announce something and then not follow up with production and release dates). Anyone else have a similar problem?
Got my mount from here http://www.racewaredirect.co/product-category/garm...Think he's on PH too.
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