I go by shoulder width personally. I have 18" shoulders (suit measurement) and run 460mm flare bars.
Preferences would be narrower = more aero, wider = more stable especially off road.
Something to note with flare bars....the listed measurement usually is one size larger as when you mount the hoods on flare bars, it appears the mount points are narrower. So my 460mm bars on the label, measure 440mm at the hoods. This was the same with the stock 400mm listed bars, measured 380mm at hoods.
smoothmoose wrote:I go by shoulder width personally. I have 18" shoulders (suit measurement) and run 460mm flare bars.
Preferences would be narrower = more aero, wider = more stable especially off road.
Something to note with flare bars....the listed measurement usually is one size larger as when you mount the hoods on flare bars, it appears the mount points are narrower. So my 460mm bars on the label, measure 440mm at the hoods. This was the same with the stock 400mm listed bars, measured 380mm at hoods.
That depends on the company. Salsa measures the bar width at the lever mounting point, so a flared 44cm bar is wider at the ends. My 42cm Cowchippers are nearly 52 at the tips
My bars are shoulder width at the hoods and perhaps 4cm wider at the drops (2cm each side). Works well for me as I tend to use the drops when riding on loose surfaces or trails. If I rode trails on the hoods I'd certainly not want less than shoulder width. The other thing I'd pay attention to is the diameter of the tubing if you have big hands - the stock bars on my bike had quite narrow tubing and I found that very uncomfortable on rough surfaces.
It really depends upon your preference. My shoulder width would be better suited for 46cm but I prefer 42cm. I ride a tri/tt bike often, the aero bars are very close together. I've gotten used to that position so when I ride drop bars, the narrower bars are worth it because of the aerodynamic benefit. If I rode gnarly/technical terrain, I'd go wider.
All great feedback. I ride MTB so I prefer a wider bar in general. I am pretty happy with the bar that came with the bike actually. I was looking at different ways to shed some weight as well as add more compliance so carbon is the option on the table. I will probably look for a similar bar to the one that came with the bike in a carbon version.
I watched that video up until they said he only fits 44s on larger humans (rugby types).
If your rides are chunky or slippery and you need greater control, wider helps. Narrow is aero, so it l depends on terrain and riding style.
I'm 6' with wideish and ride 44s on my gravel race bike and 52s on my gravel non race bike. 46s would have fit me better, but they weren't in stock. You can adapt to anything given enough hours.
Update on this. I ended up getting Easton EC70 AX Carbon 42cm. They actually measure out to 44cm. Love the bars. My only issue is they say they are Di2 ready... not really. I had to drill a hole for the left side as well as figure out a way to get the wire through the bar.
I'll add my 2 cents in for anyone who is stumbling upon this thread looking for handlebar sizing info. I also come from primarily mountain biking but had a Canyon Grail AL (normal bars) that came with 44cm wide bars, no flare.
I went bigger because that's just what I was used to on my mountain bike and the internet just keeps saying "bigger = better!" as long as you don't care about aero gains. I ended up with PNW coast bars which were 480 at the tops and 560 at the drops. They also have an extremely short reach and short drop, which enabled you to use all three position much easier.... Sounded perfect. It was indeed more stable when pointing the bike straight. Fast forward to getting a new bike, I decided to get a bike fit right away. I had brought over the PNW coast bars paired with a short 60mm PNW coast stem. I was brought aware during my fit that my shoulders are only 420mm wide, and the wider you go the more pressure it put on your shoulders and upper traps. Not good since I separated my AC joint a couple years ago hitting some jumps at a bike park, and I'm still dealing with mobility issues. I replaced the PNW bars with 440 mm wide Ritchey Ergomax bars which had a slightly longer reach but still the short "gravel reach". Oh my god... the difference. I can engage my lats more easily in all positions, which takes the load off the shoulders and sends it into the core. My shoulders are way less sore.
Something to consider even for those without shoulder issues - nearly everyone spends too much time looking down at their phones or sitting at a computer. The load on your shoulders and upper traps contributes to the muscle tightness and imbalances that your phone and computer already do to your body on a daily basis. Bars that are closer to your AC joint width can help disengage those muscles. I'd keep my bars to equal my shoulder width or at max 20mm wider (which is what I'm doing). Flare bars are nice since you can sit on the hoods and flats with a comfortable shoulder position, and when it gets rough you can hit the drops where the handle bar width is much larger. Kinda best of both worlds.
Now here's something that people don't talk about with these extra wide bars coming out: you give up control for straight line speed. Personally, I ride my gravel bike on many XC mountain bike trails in California, and technical downhill is NOT straight. Maneuvering through rocks and cornering on loose gravel are the times most likely to lose control in my experience, and the wide bars work against you in those situations. Your ability to move your arms is diminished since they need to be out to the sides. If you have too wide of bars, it becomes hard to drop your inside hand closer to the dirt WHILE keeping your body up on top of the contact patches of your tire. This can be difficult already without a dropper post, and now you've essentially limited your ability to lean the bike over. Not leaning the bike over and keeping your weight on top of it reduces the friction. Reducing friction means you are going to start sliding out over a certain speed. You don't notice these things on the mountain bike because of the shorter stems allowing you more arm movement, your more upright position, and dropper post.
Am I the only one that rides the hoods always? I don't use the drops. Even going down super sketchy descents, I use the hoods. I feel like it gives me better brake control and is way easier to move my weight around. The only time I use the flat part of the bar is when I am riding on the flats and don't need to shift or use the brakes.
I would say that I do get sore on longer rides between my shoulder blades and neck. I have a nagging neck injury from back in the day and has really made me think about my choice of riding drop bar at all.
Yeah to be honest that's just a comfort level thing... you physically have more leverage on the brakes in the "hooks" of the drops and the lower COG is better for descending as well. You can be on drop bars and not have your weight on the front - I bet you need a bike fit. Watch Poh shred in the drops on some single track with some pretty hard airbone hits and he stays stable:
I bet I ride in the drops more than half the time, and I have two herniated discs in my neck. Perhaps a fitting would be helpful before abandoning the drop bars to see if there are other geometry factors involved, like too much drop or perhaps issues in the bar dimensions as noted by dagowey. I pretty much always descend in the drops for control, using one finger on the brakes as with MTB, and don't like descending on the hoods because there's less braking control and confidence that I can get my weight back effectively when I need to. It's relatively less important, but I also tend to climb in the drops when I need traction on a loose surface. All this before getting to the aero advantage which, when added, means for me the drop bars are pretty much the bees knees because they are just so versatile. The flat bars go great on my bulldozer 29er HT but if I had to choose, it would be the one to get the boot before my gravel bike did. My humble advice is explore all variables before concluding that drop bars can't work for you...
I don't share the same sentiment as far as not having braking control from the top of the hoods. I can lock the tires any time I want... not sure I need anything more. It also gives me easy access to the shifter. I have decently long fingers as well as a good grip which helps. Maybe it's harder for peeps with stubby or weak hands?
I would also argue you have more ability to move your weight around from the top of the hoods. MTB's work well because of that same ability to shift your weight around the bike.
I am working with a very reputable bike fitter. No matter how good the fit, the further you are leaned over, the more you have to crane your neck to look down the road. No bike fitter can solve that.
I would not use that video as a how to for riding a trail. It's like taking a knife to a gunfight. Taking big hits on a gravel bike is well beyond the design of the bike. I would be on my SB100 for that ride.
Well... asked and answered. I crashed the road bike that preceded my current GT Grade, riding it on gravel on the hoods. Broke my hand and several ribs. Perhaps with that in the back of my mind I'm biased to the drops for added control. My hands are quite large so that's not it. Anyway, nothing to defend from my end; simply offering the counterpoint you were asking for. I'd miss the aero option as my rides always include quite a bit of road and there's only a minor difference in pace over my old road bike, despite using Resolutes (which I love). Good luck, I would definitely second that riding in the drops puts a lot of stress on the cervical discs, in particular on long, rough downhills. I'm grateful that I've been able to deal with that - I had my doubts too when I got the road bike.
