38cm bars... going too far?
Moderator: robbosmans
I have 38cm Zipp SL-Aeros. I have no idea what the leverage bit is about. I'm 5"11, 165, and do well over 10 w/kg standing for a minute up steep 15%+ grades, and sprint pretty well, too. Not sure how much more leverage one would need.
I'm all aboard the narrow/aero train. My 38s are much better than the 40cm on my "climbing bike".
I'm all aboard the narrow/aero train. My 38s are much better than the 40cm on my "climbing bike".
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Only have weights for the 40cm o-o's of the Zero100, but at +2cm wider mine are 241g.
To clarify, these are the "new" aluminum Deda Zero100 RHM's with the two holes drilled near the bar ends for routing electronic.
That's a really good weight for aluminium, if only there was a classic bend option..
It's about comfort. You are pulling the chest muscles away. Is this better for your breathing as well? No.spartacus wrote:40 is good but less comfortable than 42 overall. I had 42cm bars on my "B" roadbike and 40cm bars on my "A" road bike. I sold my "B" road bike and have a new road bike that I am going to buy new bars for. Lots of people act like you're throwing away your mad aero gainz by not using the smallest possible bars so I was wondering if normal people aka weight weenies people think it's worth potentially compromizing (slightly?) on comfort for said mad aero gainz.
A longer stem and a smaller handlebar increases turning capability. I'll see a guy with a 38cm width ride 44cm bars on a short stem. Those 100 stems are short. Imagine how much lower and comfortable he would be on 120 and 38cm bars.
Do you know that a 38cm chest is a clothing term ? It's not the actual width across. Everything is much smaller than some think. So putting a 44 or 46 on a smaller frontal area means that arms go wide. This pulls the chest out. It isn't comfortable.
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The Ritchey WCS Streem are carbon with an aero top section. I have the WCS Neoclassic which are a decent weight at 268g, but unfortunately the smallest size they come in is 40cm.
- SpeedyBoi123
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Thu Sep 03, 2020 4:57 pm
I ride 32cm bars and really get on with them. I went from 42 to 40 in 2018/19 then tried 38 for a bit and then 36 half way through 2019 and finally 32 at the beginning of 2020. Here's an aero position on my crit/sprint bike. Stem length on my bikes range from 130-150 so I've got adequate leverage on the bars and I really enjoying the handling feel of all my bikes; they feel tight and nippy downhill and round bends. At first it took a few weeks to get used to sprinting at first but last year I hit power PBs for MAX, 5s, 15, 30s and 60s.
Aero McAeroface
^And details on shoulder width, too.
Looking very good btw.
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Btw, going back on topic, I've been sitting on my opinion but here it is. To answer OP's question I think viability of 38cm bars is based on:
1. Shoulder width
2. Flexibility
3. How your forearm splays at the elbow joint (does it fan in, out, or neutrally).
And that's just the human fit side of things.
Next is taking into consideration: what goals you hope to achieve going to 38cm, what type of courses you plan to ride, and if there has been any thought given to potential downstream changes to your bike fit to best accommodate narrower bars (for example, is there wiggle room to lengthen the reach and tweak the stack to nail your new fit, given both your equipment and physique).
Everyone's situation will be different but I'm ShortieMcGee over here with 39cm shoulders, neutral bend at the elbows, and I hard-fake my flexibility only when on a bike. So 38cm bars with a 120mm stem works for me.
Despite how "tiny" I am, I know a guy who is 5in/13cm taller than me and a naturally thin ectomorph, with elbows bending slightly inwards. He rides 36cm bars whereas I can't.
Conversely, the elbow/flexibility thing is why some people actually feel most comfortable on wider bars despite narrow shoulders. So shoulder width can sorta determine preferred bar-width... but it's rarely the full story. Everyone's mileage varies.
Looking very good btw.
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Btw, going back on topic, I've been sitting on my opinion but here it is. To answer OP's question I think viability of 38cm bars is based on:
1. Shoulder width
2. Flexibility
3. How your forearm splays at the elbow joint (does it fan in, out, or neutrally).
And that's just the human fit side of things.
Next is taking into consideration: what goals you hope to achieve going to 38cm, what type of courses you plan to ride, and if there has been any thought given to potential downstream changes to your bike fit to best accommodate narrower bars (for example, is there wiggle room to lengthen the reach and tweak the stack to nail your new fit, given both your equipment and physique).
Everyone's situation will be different but I'm ShortieMcGee over here with 39cm shoulders, neutral bend at the elbows, and I hard-fake my flexibility only when on a bike. So 38cm bars with a 120mm stem works for me.
Despite how "tiny" I am, I know a guy who is 5in/13cm taller than me and a naturally thin ectomorph, with elbows bending slightly inwards. He rides 36cm bars whereas I can't.
Conversely, the elbow/flexibility thing is why some people actually feel most comfortable on wider bars despite narrow shoulders. So shoulder width can sorta determine preferred bar-width... but it's rarely the full story. Everyone's mileage varies.
I gave it some serious thought and just ordered 40cm bars.
By the way..
6061 streem 325g (42)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ritchey-Comp-S ... 3439709701
7075 streem 275g (42)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ritchey-WCS-St ... 3439711786
By the way..
6061 streem 325g (42)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ritchey-Comp-S ... 3439709701
7075 streem 275g (42)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ritchey-WCS-St ... 3439711786
Bar width and stem length impact steering sensitivity, any "capability" is based on the geometry.
As you go narrower with the bars, anything you do to move the bars is magnified. Longer stems counteract that, less so than bar width though. The wide bars (less sensitive) and short stem (more sensitive) of said guy counteract each other to some degree.
If he went to 38mm bars he would probably end up with a 100mm stem at the most to maintain the same position and end up with much more sensitive steering.
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