It took a long time, but around the early 2000s manufacturers finally realised that the bulk of bike sales are not made to elite bike racers.
FSA COMPACT WING PRO ROAD BIKE HANDELBAR HOW TO
How to choose the shape of your handlebars If you’re racing, it can also make moving through the bunch a little easier.
FSA COMPACT WING PRO ROAD BIKE HANDELBAR UPGRADE
Likewise, if you’re currently using a 42cm or a 40cm bar, you could try a 38cm or even a 36cm bar ( the 32cm bars Jan-Willem van Schip uses might be a little extreme for most amateurs though).Īssuming you get on with them in terms of comfort and control (that, of course, is vital), a change of handlebars can be a better-value upgrade than a new bike or a set of fancy road bike wheels. If you’re currently riding 44cm bars and would like a little free speed, consider moving to 42cm or 40cm bars, for example. In general terms, narrower equals faster. Handlebar width can have an impact on your aerodynamic drag, too. For the record, he’s 183cm tall and weighs around 65kg. Our senior technical writer Simon von Bromley uses 36cm (centre-to-centre) handlebars on his road bike to improve his aerodynamic efficiency. If you find your wrists splay outwards to the brake hoods, you might consider trying a narrower bar. However, for more experienced riders, or riders with a naturally slimmer grip, narrow handlebars can offer some benefits. This can be most notable on many women’s bikes, which often come stock with narrow handlebars to suit narrow-shouldered riders. Wider bars may also help riders who suffer shoulder tension, neck pain, jaw pain or hand fatigue from the ‘death grip’ they have due to riding narrow bars. Riders looking to take on mixed terrain, rough roads or gravel tracks may also look for a slightly wider handlebar, or one with flared drops (common on gravel bikes). The same applies on the road, where a broad handlebar slows down steering and can offer stability and confidence to an inexperienced rider, regardless of their size or shoulder width. Off-road, for example, handlebars have become increasingly wide in recent years as riders look for increased stability on rough terrain. While it may be a decent starting point (as we’ll come on to), sizing handlebars using this method isn’t likely to result in an optimal setup for most riders. It’s often said handlebars should match shoulder width, though in reality too much fuss is made about the importance of shoulder width when choosing a bar. Wide bars such as these 46cm G Series gravel bars by ENVE, offer greater stability, which can be important for inexperienced riders or for those who take on mixed or rough surfaces.
0 kommentar(er)
