Proper Road Handlebar measurement

Most of the manufacturers measure from center to center, but they are other (deda for example) that measure from outside to outside. Doesn't matter which center.. as it's only one, unless the bars widen as they go to drops (haven't see that yet I think apart from some track bars). Most of them state in their websites how they measure their bars.

The general rule of thumb say that your bars should be as wide as your shoulders but that really comes down to personal taste, some people like it wider so their chest is more open and some smaller so they are more aero. Try a couple before you buy just to see what fits you.

3T measure (at least some of) their bars at the ends and as the ends flare out a little on some (all?) of their bars you may not get the width you expect. For example, I bought a pair of 40cm Ergonova Pro bars, which are indeed 40cm centre-to-centre at the very ends but they are 38cm centre-to-centre where the hoods sit.

I considered returning those bars for a 42cm set instead, but out of curiosity I did some digging on the Internet and came across some interesting discussions on handlebar width. It highlighted an entire area that I didn't know I should have been thinking about - basically one theory is that 40cm bars are wide enough for anyone and too wide for many. The idea behind this is that riders opted for wider bars to allow their chest to expand more comfortably to take more air in. Seems logical expect that apparently many people tended to overestimate the width they needed (and measuring methods can be inconsistently applied) - accorded to one thing I read some study or other found that when the shoulder width of many varied cyclists was actually measured they all hovered close enough to 40cm as to make no difference. And this despite the fact that some of those measured were track riding monsters who were using much wider bars. I can't find that article now, and it contained no references to actual studies that I can remember, but it certainly made me think more.

Also, a consequence of getting bars that are too wide for you is that instead of your upper torso being supported by its weight bearing directly down on your arms, your head and chest actually sink down, suspended between your shoulders, which can lead to longer terms issues with neck and upper back discomfort. Again common sense really but something I certainly hadn't put much thought into before. I ended up keeping my 40cm 3T bars, to satisfy my curiosity and to perhaps put some of these theories to the test, but I've only done one ride on them so far - it was certainly a comfortable ride, a very comfortable ride actually, but this is on a new bike so any of a number of things contributed to that. Time will tell whether I'll grow to love or hate my narrower bars.

Here are some other interesting links that I encountered when routing around: one on drop bar geometry, and one on bike fit which focuses on bars.

I've not tried them myself but I've read and heard good things about FSA's range of handlebars, they seem to be rated highly for value for money. In particular the FSA Omega Compact bars seem to fare well in reviews and at about 40euro they are very reasonably priced. Might be worth a look if you are looking for compact bars (125mm drop) with a reasonably short reach (80mm).

@smacl, Good luck with them, I hope they work out well. They were first recommended to me by a bike fitter who was impressed by the shape of the drops. His experience was that so-called anatomical bars (those with a bump where your hand rests on the drops) can actually be quite problematic for many people as they actually reduce the number of available hand positions. He found the FSA Omega's to be comfortable in a range of hand positions while also giving good access to the levers.

Personally I've tried three different sets of anatomical bars and one (Cinelli Eubios) worked very well for me and the others (ITM, Oval) didn't. I'm finding my new 3T Erognova Pro's very comfortable and their shape is quite similar to both my Ritchey Logic II's and also the FSA Omega's, of which the Omega's are the least expensive by a big margin. I'm now sold on the benefits of that shape of drop.

fat bloke wrote:

Would be interested to hear how you're getting on now since. Do you find yourself more comfortable on the drops now? Do you find yourself actually using the drops more?

I find myself idly wondering how I'll find the 3t bars each time I use that bike. As a result I'm actively looking for a different feeling from my other bikes, and perhaps entirely because of looking for it they do feel noticeably narrower when on the hoods and out of the saddle (not noticeable when in the saddle). It hasn't been a problem at all though, and it's not that it feels "wrong" as such, it just feels a little different. I have no inclination to change the bars for wider ones, for example.

As for using the drops more, that's a difficult one to gauge. I bought my 3T bars when swapping parts from an older frame onto a new frame. The new frame has a higher head tube and a slightly shorter reach (my reasons for changing frame in the first place), and the old frame had traditional drop bars on it. So there is a significant difference between the fit of the two bikes once built. I certainly find it far more comfortable using the drops on my 3T bars compared to the deeper drops on my old frame but I'm obviously not comparing like with like there.

A fairer comparison is with my Canyon, which is a very similar geometry to my new frame and which has 40cm Ritchey WCS Logic II bars on it. I use the drops on my 40cm 3T bars at least as much as those on my Ritchey's, and perhaps even more. In terms of comfort I find there is little to choose between the two bars - again, I (over)think about the difference in widths when I'm on the hoods and I (stupidly) almost convince myself each time that the 3T's may be a little narrow, but the drops of the 3T possibly edge out the Ritchey's in terms of comfort. Ask me again in a few weeks though and my assessment might swing the other way depending on which bike I've been riding most recently then