A Guide to Reach and Handlebar Setup

So you need shorter reach? Most people only think in terms of stem length and bar width for the front of the bike. However stack, and reach of the frame along with head and seat tube angles all play a part in getting comfortable. When stretched out, you get a sore neck, shoulders, hands and lower back. Too short a reach and you put a lot of weight into your sit bones via the saddle, and can also lead to sore wrists. 

All of a sudden we have discovered narrow handlebars, well more rediscovered as back in the day most handlebars were made in Italy, and Italians rode 40cm bars, so, so did we! The old wives tale is that your bars should match your shoulder width, custom made bars it is then! What you should actually be looking for is that your hands are inline with your shoulders with a basically straight arm, and  a soft bend at the elbow. Ideally your brake levers will be inline with the tops of the bars, forming a nice level shelf that allows your wrists to sit comfortably with a good level of support to your hand. 

The two things people forget is that narrower bars mean less reach to the brake lever hoods, which can be just enough to relax your position without shortening the stem. It is also worth noting that not only do handle bars come in different widths, and shapes, but the reach from the tops to the bends, where the levers attach can vary as well. So it’s by no means all about chopping CM’s off the stem length.

During your bike fit at Saint Cloud we will look at your overall reach and adjust the bar width, reach and stem length as needed to allow a comfortable and supportive position.