Bike Fitter RANKS Handlebars Worst to Best

Bicycle handlebars are not all created equal. Bike fitter James Thomas ranks them from worst to best.

Check out James' new YouTube channel here @Bikefitjames

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[winterwatson]

my current bike is a trek, and i can confirm that swapping out the cockpit for something with shorter reach and narrower width did me a load of good

[dcltdw]

I am very confused - this appears to be a video with bikefitjames, but without the characteristic pauses. 🤣 Loving this new series!!

[djc]

I have a Trek checkpoint ALR5 size 54 which came with a Bontrager size 42 and 93mm reach, it gave me constant neck and shoulder pain.

Couple months ago watched a video from James talking about deda’s handlebars and decided to give it a try and got a deda zero100 rhm size 42 (equivalent to 40 for other brands), 75mm reach.

My only regret is not having done this much earlier; 1 size smaller and the shorter reach fits me much better and allows me to be comfortable for 2+ hours.

Thank you James and Cade media for sharing your knowledge.

[TaisBjerre]

The reason why the FSA Energy Compact size 36 measures 34 cm is because the handlebar has 4° flair and FSA measures their handlebars at the drops (the widest points on the handlebars)

[sventice]

James is totally right about the Trek handlebars. I have an alloy Trek bike, which I should hate but inexplicably quite like, and for about 3 years after I bought it, it was pretty horrible on rides longer than 3-4 hours. My shoulders and neck in particular were in agony at the end of these rides. Finally fed up, I swapped out the ridiculous 44cm bars with a massive reach for 40cm compact bars with a much shorter reach, and the bike was suddenly transformed into something amazingly more comfortable and surprisingly more responsive. It's virtually a totally different bike; I can now ride it all day long with no discomfort at all. It's kind of surprising how much of a difference this one change has made in the ride quality of this bicycle.

[draggonhedd]

im fairly new to road biking and ive always had fit issues with road bikes, and i got my shoulders measured for it. Turns out I needed a set of 49cm drops for my wide shoulders and i found a set of Salsa Cowchippers and im in love with them. I love the flare, i love that it tips the hoods inwards a bit, and i love that the drops are big enough for my larger hands. Being wider is nice too.

[kimdecker]

I now realize I've been riding with handlebars that are too large for me for all these years. That explains EVERYTHING: discomfort, numbness, why I can't reach my brakes whilst in the drops...Thank you, BikeFitJames. And the Cade Team! (Looking forward to seeing the Wild Ones again... :)

[jc]

Last week switched to the Ribble level 36mm handlebar for £18 from that auction site. Went from 42mm. Aero wise saved approx 17+ watts. My Ribble endurance is a little stretched out so the shorter reach helps a lot on the drops. Hoods in, its 30mm across for more aero gains. Added Cinelli cork bar tape, so much cushion for absorbion. Feels like a new bike.

[fishcyclr]

Thanks for the info on the handlebars. This video is absolutely incredible. I'll be showing it to a few of my friends.

[owensnicholas]

Here’s the cool thing about the hover bar. It comes (or came) on the Roubaix. If you buy one of those, it raises the front end without a crazy stem or lots of spacers. That makes it extremely accessible for novice riders…like I was. If you stick with it, though, and gain flexibility and strength, you can swap out the handlebar, lower the dumb futureshock, and you’ve got a more more aero front end.

The bike grows with you. It’s pretty neat, actually. I swapped a Deda onto mine and it’s a different bike.

[staticv]

I'd have loved to hear James' thoughts on the Coefficient RR!

[scotkudron]

Bike Fit James is the best part of Cade Media!

[markowsley]

Would love to hear James opinion on the new redshift top shelf handlebar. I like the idea of a taller stack without having to use a bunch of stem spacers.

[avocette]

Cyclist here in the Philippines. Despite the extensive availability of drop handlebars for at least 15-20 USD sold by SEA online shops (Shopee, Lazada, etc.) catered for the smaller-stature Asian market, most of the bars have a minimum C-C width of 38-40cm, which is dreadful. The only bar that caters to me and my lanky 34cm shoulders is exactly the Fouriers Nanko-T dropbar, which I am pleasantly surprised to find out that you also vouch for them.

Cheers!

[frazergoodwin]

Built up my GRX Di2 equipped Checkpoint SL framset with a Pro Discover carbon bar. Real light, nice shape, slight flare, ergonomic top, internal routing for Di2 and hoses (rear exit port). Only issue was cost. But I do really like them.

[jonathanwithecombe]

Was going to comment about gravel bars... and there we go! Deda added to the list!

[toddmcdonough]

The Ritchey RL1 BAQUIANO for $26.95 is a great budget bar. Reach and drop are 73mm 118mm respectively and it has a generous 12 degree flare. Bars come in 40, 42, 44 measured at the hood and are wider down low. For the same price with no flare and a slightly deeper 128mm drop the RL1 Curve is for you.

[Silidons]

My tarmac sl6 came with shallow drop bars (125/70). Absolutely love them. I can't stand longer reach bars anymore! I like keeping my palm on the flat and still being able to reach the levers.

[jerryb]

Love riser bars, especially if you don’t have much steerer left to play with and don’t want a high rise stem but have a dodgy back.
Ritchey Ergomax is like the Specialized Hover but with a flat top and fluted cable route underneath (I’m old school external routing). Have them in 3 widths on my gravellers and road bike.
Control Tech have some similar ‘CLS’ variants too for less cash but not so ‘ergo’ shaped. All in alloy so not such an expensive way to try them out.

[chrisridesbicycles]

Deda Superzero Gravel Carbon is waiting to be mounted at home. 16 degrees flare, DCR compatible. Only missing out on narrower than 42 (which is 40 because Deda measures to the outside)