Drop Bar Width

[coopman]

I am getting a little bit of discomfort in my hand while cycling on the hoods. I seem to get a pressure point at the bottom of my thumb. I feel like I am having to curve my hand in a bit to hold the bar and was wondeing if i slightly wider bar would help or of anyone else has experience of this.
I am a short guy and ride a 52cm road bike, which i am confident is the right size of frame for me, the next size up frames felt like i was stretching out to much to hold the bar. I have fairly broad shoulders for a small guy and thought maybe being a small bike it has narrower bars than maybe a larger framed bike.
Any thoughts or other ideas would be most welcome.
I have had the bike for a few months now after deciding to give a proper road bike a go, my mainstay up to then had been a hybrid.
I love taking the bike out and its great to ride, just wish i could cure the slight hand discomfort. I do use a quality set of gloves.
thanks in advance guys.

 

[beanzontoast]

My experience of drop-bar comfort issues is this...

I have 2 bikes with drop bars.

One frame is slightly smaller than the other, and the bike is older too. It has quite narrow drops by modern standards. I find I sit slightly more upright on it as a result of not having to reach so far forward, and the pressure on my hands is also less. I can ride this bike all day without much discomfort.

My second bike is more modern with wider drops, and though the frame is right for my size, I realised when I first had it that I was reaching further forward and down than on the older bike - not unreasonably so, but definitely further and with more weight on my hands, which felt less comfortable. I experimented by adjusting the seat, moving it further forward on its rails and a little lower, and raised the bars slightly (well within the safety limits). The result is that it now feels like the older bike and is just as comfy over distances with less pressure on my hands and only a slightly more upright riding position.

Incidentally, I've always felt comfortable on my mtb. The road bikes have required far more adjustment to get a riding position that I'm happy with.

 

[Ian H]

For drop bars your arms should be about parallel. You might try moving the brake levers up a bit and/or twisting the bars up a little. For instance, I like the top of the drop to be level or sloping slightly up, and the hoods to form an extension in the same plane. Look at other set ups and see what others do.

 

[Saddle bum]

It was suggested that drops should be as wide as the shoulder joints. Because I am barrel chested, I use 46cm wide 'bars, which are not easy to get in every make.

 

[andy_wrx]

Is it the bars which are too narrow, or the angle of the shifter hoods ?

If you stick an allen key down the groove on the outside of the hood (I'm assuming Shimano), you can loosen the band which holds the shifter to the bars and then twist the shifter out or in a bit and alter the angle your wrist makes.

 

[jimboalee]

My experience of drop-bar comfort issues is this...

I have 2 bikes with drop bars.

One frame is slightly smaller than the other, and the bike is older too. It has quite narrow drops by modern standards. I find I sit slightly more upright on it as a result of not having to reach so far forward, and the pressure on my hands is also less. I can ride this bike all day without much discomfort.

My second bike is more modern with wider drops, and though the frame is right for my size, I realised when I first had it that I was reaching further forward and down than on the older bike - not unreasonably so, but definitely further and with more weight on my hands, which felt less comfortable. I experimented by adjusting the seat, moving it further forward on its rails and a little lower, and raised the bars slightly (well within the safety limits). The result is that it now feels like the older bike and is just as comfy over distances with less pressure on my hands and only a slightly more upright riding position.

Incidentally, I've always felt comfortable on my mtb. The road bikes have required far more adjustment to get a riding position that I'm happy with.

I am in the same situation. My older bike ( 1974 Pug ) has narrower bars than my 2005 SWorks.

To be honest, I haven't had problems.
This is mainly due to 30 years gym membership where I do Deadlifts, Floor Upright rows, hyperextension bench and bent over lateral dumbell raise.

All of these build the spinae and to a lesser extent, posterior deltoids.

 

[joebe]

Plus one for bars the same width as your shoulders

 

[coopman]

thanks for all the tips chaps, I have been playing about with the bar position, to see if i can hit a sweet spot, but I do still feel i need a touch more width on the bar to get the arms parallel as has been suggested, thats my gut feeling anyway.
I am relatively upright by pro road bike standards and the weight is not to much on the hands.