I have two of the Prime Primavera in 38 cm. I love them. I actually switched out a brand new Pro Vibe Aero for the much cheaper Prime, that’s how much I like them. Prime Primavera is also 17 grams lighter than the Pro Vibe Aero.
Don’t take “36cm” at face value. One company’s 36 may be the same as a 38cm. I had a set of “44cm” 3T bars that were 42cm c-to-c; same as my 42cm Eastons.
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Thanks!
I ordered the Fouriers (32mm) last week. My aeroad currently has a 400/90 bar stem combo so I will try the 32’s with maybe a 120 stem to see how it feels. The Fouriers are not flat top but the price is super cheap to see how I like that kind of setup.
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****. Just do without the bars. Put your thumbs in the hole at the end of the stem.
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That’s ideal! Lol
Put your thumbs in the hole at the end of the stem
True story….many years ago, one of the guys on our ride had his HB clamp bolt snap (this was before faceplates were a thing in road bikes). Even worse, this was in the middle of a sprint….
He somehow manages to grab his stem with one hand and brake with the other and come to a complete stop w/o going down.
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I personally switched to a Profile design DRV/GMR 105 bars in 36 cm width with hoods slightly turned in. I really like the narrow width of the hoods. Also, the drops are shallow and slightly flared out which gives me better control in the sprints.
Lambda racing also makes super narrow carbon handlebars with aero profile and they aren’t outlandishly expensive here in Europe.
Reviving an old topic. When you guys go narrower with your bars, did you change your stem for a longer one?
Woah, now that’s quite a big change in both the bars and stem. How long did it take to get used to? I’m just wanting to go from 42 to 40.
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The previous width was 40. It initially felt odd but now I’m used to it and wish all of my bikes had smaller bars.
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Who would win, 36cm round bars or 40cm aero top bars?
Don’t buy into the marketing BS. It’s the rider position and not the shape of the handlebar. If a rider is more narrow, you will save way more watts compared to a wider albeit aero shaped handlebar.
Narrow is aero!
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I’m going to say the 40cm aero bars. Not because they’re more aero than the round bars. But because you can turn the hoods in a bit so that the hoods are actually 36cm apart or less, and then when you’re in the aero hoods position your forearms get to rest on the flat tops of the aero bars which offer more support than round bars, meaning more comfort, meaning you’ll spend more time in that position and be faster.
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Yep, this is my approach. Flat top, long reach aero bars in 38cm. Turn the shifters in so the gap is <30cm. Aero AF and it’s sustainable
I haven’t. But definitely thinking about it. I went 42cm → 38cm and am surprised how “cramped” it felt. Not significant, but noticeable. Currently running a 100mm stem, but I have a 110 on another bike I might demo.
somewhat timely series of posts. over the winter I went from 42cm round to 38cm aero profile but kept my 115 7degree stem.
lately, in addition to not noticing any aero difference with going narrower compared to my riding last year, i’ve also noticed occasional discomfort (not consistently, i’m usual pretty comfortable with the setup) associated with shorter reach, so I’m considering going longer to something like 120.
+100. I moved to the Coefficient RR bar, more for some arthritis in my hands and some c6-7 issues than for aero, I was on Deda Trentacinque 44 o-o and agonized over sizing, testing several alloy bars in 40c-c and actually ordering a the Coefficient in that size. I was thinking with the 40 at the hoods and 42 at the drops that would work, but the bar just felt very small and I ended with a set of 42s which feel great.
But the routing!!! Padraig was so spot on. I spent almost 3 hours routing just a mech shift cable through the bars, using their liner guide and fishing it out the bottom of the bars vs the more convoluted routing for fully integrated set ups. Not even going to try the hydro cables internally, will just route them along the bottoms of the bars and be happy with that.
#NarrowisAero
How do you know if narrow is too narrow? Went from 42/110 to 40/120 and took the bike out for a short spin and it feels weird. Riding on the hoods feels fine, but when putting in hard efforts from the drops (sprinting), it feels off, maybe slightly twitchy. Im not sure I want to use the word unstable but it definitely was off to me. Is this just getting used to a new setup or a sign that I went too narrow? Do you get used to over time?
Background: I’m 190cm tall, 90kg. I rode 44s for years before sizing down to 42s last season and they felt great. Was trying to optimize my aero road position so I went down again to 40s.