Why is it that, despite the trend for narrow handlebars in the pro peloton, if you buy a race bike from one of the major brands it will likely be equipped with 40cm to 44cm bars? By commissioning our own wind-tunnel tests, we’ve discovered that by swapping out this simple component for something slightly narrower, you can save around 18 watts at a steady 35kph on the hoods. That’s about a 10% improvement, which got our attention right away.
It gets better. Go narrower still, adopt an aggressive stance, and savings of 50 watts or more can be had. Free speed? Well, not quite, narrow bars can be pricy but they’re arguably better value than fancy pulley wheels or expensive aero socks. After all, 18 watts isn’t a marginal gain, it’s significant.
Many pros have taken optimised set-ups to new heights, or rather, widths, with outlandish cockpits that make a conventionally ‘narrow’ 38cm arrangement seem positively spacious. Intermarché-Wanty, for
