Profile Design DRV/AEROa 105 Drop Handlebar 36cm

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If, at this point, you’re intrigued by the prospect of some easy aero gains, the obvious follow up questions are: “How narrow should I go?” and “How narrow is too narrow?”. Consider a scenario where two riders (one fast, one slow) both improve their aerodynamics by the same amount, then both ride the same course. I did appreciate the extra width on the flared drops when descending at speed. At 33cm, it’s still narrow enough to offer a tangible aerodynamic benefit, but the increased stability and force input accuracy afforded by the extra width compared to the hoods position is good to have for descending and high-speed cornering (because the consequences of a steering error become more dangerous at higher speeds).

Again, the key thing for any rider is to weigh up the potential benefits against any disadvantages. Your body is the largest contributor to aerodynamic drag in the rider plus bike system and, as a result, anything you can do to improve the aerodynamic profile of your body, particularly on the leading edge, can lead to easy gains. Though your power-to-weight ratio is a large determinant of performance on long, steep climbs, aerodynamic drag is the main problem almost everywhere else. For fast road riding, I found the handlebar surprisingly easy to live with, and the riding position very fast. Russell Burton / Immediate Media However, every product is different, and every brand has its budget products and big flops. Make sure to research the exact product you’re looking at to see if the quality is worthy of the brand it represents. Don’t go for the cheapest thing

Achieve a faster climb with a set of drop handlebars for road bikes from Chain Reaction. Our road bike handlebars are mainly constructed from alloy or carbon with popular drop-down handlebars focused on comfort. Aero bars are precision-engineered for an efficient race profile and help riders conserve energy by encouraging an aerodynamic position. Road racers might have something to gain, but narrow handlebars won’t be for everyone. Russell Burton / Immediate Media Those are just my personal definitions, however, in regards to road bikes. In reality, whether a handlebar feels wide or narrow will depend on the characteristics of any given cyclist, to a degree.

When the qualities of the Primavera bar are taken into consideration, with its ergonomic shape, helpful cable routing and stiff feel, it’s hard to justify spending much more on a different brand. I didn’t have any major issues using a handlebar that narrow, but it does make for a very aggressive riding position, with no space on the tops for a relaxed, upright position, for example. A narrow bar is all race, all of the time, and even a performance weenie like me enjoys riding slowly sometimes. If you don’t want to, or aren’t allowed to, use aero bars, then our wind tunnel testing suggests body position is still the area to pay most attention to. Joseph Branston / Our Media

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If you want eyeballs out, nose to the bar time trial efforts and tend to hold the bars close to the bottom of the drops, think traditional. Safety should always come first. You should never skimp when buying bicycle gear because it could one day save your life. You (hopefully) would never cut corners on your helmet, so you shouldn’t act any differently to the rest of your gear. Again, this is likely something that can be adapted to over time but, Koop says: “someone with less strength and motor skills is better off selecting a wider handlebar”. How narrow should you go? Off-road, for example, handlebars have become increasingly wide in recent years as riders look for increased stability on rough terrain. The same applies on the road, where a broad handlebar slows down steering and can offer stability and confidence to an inexperienced rider, regardless of their size or shoulder width.

Our senior technical writer Simon von Bromley uses 36cm (centre-to-centre) handlebars on his road bike to improve his aerodynamic efficiency. For the record, he’s 183cm tall and weighs around 65kg. Simon Bromley/Immediate Media As a consequence, you essentially lose the tops of the handlebar hand position, unless you don’t mind putting your hands right up against the stem, and you’re left with very little room for handlebar-mounted accessories (such as bike computers, bells or road bike lights). When it comes to handlebar width, though you can go up or down a bit depending on preference, there is a right and a wrong answer: too narrow or too wide will cause you pain and have bike fitters all over the world wincing. However, in the case of handlebar shape, it's much more down to personal preference. While it may be a decent starting point (as we’ll come on to), sizing handlebars using this method isn’t likely to result in an optimal setup for most riders. Choose between bespoke aero bars or clip-on aero bars from Wiggle's wide choice of quality options. TT handlebars offer that transition to pure speed, and at Wiggle you'll find a wide range of pro-performance TT bars featuring lightweight materials and durable construction. Flat Handlebars

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The combination of a narrow hoods position for straight-line cruising, and a more normal (in relative terms) drops position for descending and high-speed cornering, was welcome, then. Handlebar width is often overlooked by bike manufacturers, but because it affects your body position, it also affects how aerodynamic you are. Nevertheless, if you regularly ride lots of very steep climbs or if you have a strong preference for climbing out of the saddle (efficiency be damned), then I can see this being less enjoyable and more tiring. The ugly Choosing the best handlebar shape for you comes down to your riding style. If you're after fairly relaxed endurance rides, think compact.

A couple of years ago I went from 44cm ergonovas (measure 43, I think) to 38cm Bontrager aero bars (measured 39), and the perceived difference in speed far outweighed any frame, wheel, or component change I’ve made in pursuit of aero gains. I don’t have access to a wind tunnel, but I wouldn’t be surprised if created a 20-30+ watt difference.Well, this bar is something a little different. Initially, it was believed this was a UCI legal solution, but the UCI has been very clear that it's not. However, if you're not likely to meet with the UCI rule book (which is most of us), then these are still an option. Another advantage of drop bars is that they are narrower than flat handlebars - meaning they are better for filtering through traffic on the daily commute; drop handlebars can be around 40cm narrower than flat bars, so it’s quite a margin.