I agree 101%. I changed my Scott Addict RC Size 52/Small OEM 440mm handlebar to 380mm and it’s been a tremendous relief. The former felt like doing push ups all the time.
Is there any actual physiological reason for matching the shoulder width? Seems arbitrary, and doesn't match the common experience. Measured that way, I started with 42cm bars, but a decade ago I tried 36cm and found them much more comfortable and resulted in far less fatigue, especially on the long 160km+ rides. (I'm 6'2" and not a small featured person at all)
I spent $7500 on a small carbon full suspension mtb with 27.5” wheels and 750 mm bars that couldn’t be cut down. After about a month of riding this bike, I developed awful pain in the carpal-metacarpal joint of both of my hands. I had to get cortisone shots and wear thumb braces. The hand specialist said that when the bars are too wide people will grip too tightly irritating the CMC joint.
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I agree 101%. I changed my Scott Addict RC Size 52/Small OEM 440mm handlebar to 380mm and it’s been a tremendous relief. The former felt like doing push ups all the time.
I prefer wider bars for greater turning. And I've been a cyclist 60 years.
I'm currently testing out the new bars I had to buy because my Domane came with 44cm bars, just ridiculously wide. So much nicer with narrower bars.
Your right. I’m 6’1” and weight 215Lb and my bars are 40cm wide.
Is there any actual physiological reason for matching the shoulder width? Seems arbitrary, and doesn't match the common experience. Measured that way, I started with 42cm bars, but a decade ago I tried 36cm and found them much more comfortable and resulted in far less fatigue, especially on the long 160km+ rides. (I'm 6'2" and not a small featured person at all)
Bikes rarely are shipped with wider bars
I spent $7500 on a small carbon full suspension mtb with 27.5” wheels and 750 mm bars that couldn’t be cut down. After about a month of riding this bike, I developed awful pain in the carpal-metacarpal joint of both of my hands. I had to get cortisone shots and wear thumb braces. The hand specialist said that when the bars are too wide people will grip too tightly irritating the CMC joint.