We Tested Aero Handlebars in a Wind Tunnel and the Results Were Surprising

Does handlebar width make any difference to how fast you can ride? With many of the professional cyclists like Tadej Pogacar adopting narrow handlebars and angled hoods, I joined Saddleback and Enve in the Silverstone wind tunnel to do some testing. The results, while not totally surprising, were very interesting.

Thanks to Saddleback and Enve for letting me tag along for the day.

content
00:00 intro
00:23 inside the wind tunnel
4:45 The Results

Supported by Saddleback

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[onieljohnson]

Shouldn't you have used the same type of bars. How much of the drag reduction is due to the width or to the aero bar?

[MacKiwi]

David, mate!? You are comparing two different bar designs (round v. Aero), but framing this as a test of bar width. The two variables are conflated in your test. I think you are smarter than this.

[Nicoya]

If you don't want to fork over for the fancy Enve bar right away just to try out a narrow flared bar, Rose makes an inexpensive alloy narrow flared bar, the Attack GF Aero, which can be found for about 20 euros.

[markreams]

Whether angled hood are are more aero or not, they look stupid! Not for me!

[buster.keaton]

I started angling my brake hoods in a few years ago just to help my wrists as I think it's more comfortable than straight forward hoods. If there's an aero benefit too, then bonus!

[Thetoad]

When I started racing as a junior in 1987, my coach told us to get the widest handlebar we could ride. The theory was it would open up our chest, improving oxygen intake to our lungs.

[phil_d]

As a smaller rider, the biggest difference was swapping out the stock 42cm O-to-O to a Deda RHM 38cm O-to-O bar. I gained comfort and a little extra reach.

I've since angled the hoods in a little too, and my hands fell so much better on the hoods as you get a much more neutral wrist/forearm angle, as well as placing your forearms on the tops if you want to get in an aero position on the hoods.

Win, win!

[grahambowes]

After my bike fit, I’m now using 380mm Roval Rapide bars. Replacing the 400mm that came with my bike. Initial thoughts are improved position and comfort. And at my age, I’ll gladly take any free watts 😉

[ashleyhouse]

Interesting that your follow-up video is going to cover comfort. Being 6' 4" tall, every bike I have ever bought over the years has come with 42cm or even 44cm bars. I had a bike fit last year and was recommended to switch to 40cm bars based on my shoulder width. I don't know if it has saved many watts but it has definitely made longer rides more comfortable now and wrist pain is virtually a thing of the past. Just another instance in my book where bike manufacturers get bike specs totally wrong.

[jaredfontaine]

The only thing narrow is your wallet after spending $10, 000 on a bike with a narrow handlebar

[bitgeist]

This is a really great video. I love the analysis and I have always wondered about narrow vs wider handle bars. I guess I'm a real 'wind catcher' with my 46cm ENVE (round) handlebars on my carbon Synapse, hehehehe!! But I fancy myself a climber, and as such; I like a wider bar for comfort and leverage in the high mountains. But as I often say; I'm in no danger of receiving an UCI world tour contract 🙂

[andrewocallaghan]

Interesting video, but it would have been more informative to compare traditional round handlebars of different widths instead of using a combination of narrower aero-shaped handlebars and wider traditional round handlebars. The inclusion of aero-shaped handlebars introduces another variable that makes it difficult to isolate the impact of handlebar width on aerodynamics. A more controlled experiment using solely different widths of traditional round handlebars would provide clearer insights into the specific effect of bar width on wattage savings. Nonetheless, an engaging topic worth exploring further!

[robertchandler]

I’d never buy a stock build because the bars are always too wide. Now we’re going the other way which also isn’t good. Measure between your shoulder bones and choose the right handlebar specific for you. Don’t choose it because you might save 5 watts at 40km. Never copy the pros - you just end up poor and uncomfortable on the wrong bike.

[tccycling]

I use those SES Aero bars in that size - 37 hoods 42 drops. They are my favorite bars ever. 37cm in the hoods are very comfortable and the flare with the wider drops gives a great position for sprinting. It's the best bar out there.

[ErwinHeiser]

First time my bike fitter changed on my bike was to switch to a less wide handlebar to fit my shoulder width. Made a substantive difference to comfort on the bike.

[harveyjones]

the problem with this is it's classic lab vs field and to make a direct comparison you have to have a control group and measure for all the variables so all this test tells you is what is happened in the lab.

[thejeffinvade]

My shoulder is only 37cm wide, but I don't like handlebar narrower than 40cm, make the bike difficult to handle.

[bluemystic]

I had 37cm bars and never felt like I could climb very well with them. I much prefer my 39s for climbing and sprinting.

[GummeeH]

Every race I see, the pros riding the super narrow bars/position are chicken winging. Is that really faster?

Narrow to a point, but no narrower is where we're likely to end up. That will probably means 38-40 for most people is fastest in the real world

[michalsz.]

no wonder the difference with angled was so small - he did nothing to utilise the angled hoods properly! cmon! It is the angle AND the way you apply your hands and body to the front...