CalculatorsHandlebar Width Calculator
Handlebar Width Calculator
Measure acromion to acromion — the bony tips of the shoulders — and use that as the road hood-to-hood width. Gravel adds 20 mm for control off-road. A flat MTB bar is measured end to end, so it comes out far wider: about 1.9 times the shoulder width.
Inputs
Results
- Bar width
- 15.7 in
- Added width
- 0.0 in
The Result is indicative and educational. It does not constitute a design, a technical opinion or medical advice and does not replace calculations or verification by a person with the appropriate qualifications and authorisations. Before purchase, installation or use in practice – in particular in electrical installations – the Result should be verified by a qualified specialist. Details: Terms of Service, point 4.
How the number is made
Road bar = shoulder width. Gravel bar = shoulder width + 20 mm. MTB flat bar = 1.9 × shoulder width, measured end to end and kept between 720 and 800 mm. The second output is bar width minus shoulder width.
Hood width and drop width differ, so measure the part of the bar you actually hold. Flat MTB bars have no standard shoulder ratio: 1.9 × puts average 400 mm shoulders on the common 760 mm trail bar, and 720–800 mm is the range most bars are sold in and can be cut to. Trim 5 mm per side at a time.
Related calculators
- Stem Length and Angle Calculator
A narrower bar often wants a slightly longer stem to keep the same reach.
- Bike Frame Size Calculator
Bar width does not fix a frame that is the wrong reach.
Questions
Centre-to-centre or outside?
Match the published bar width (usually centre-to-centre at the hoods) to the shoulder measurement.
Are narrow bars faster?
Only if you can breathe and hold them. Start at shoulder width, then test 20 mm narrower on a trainer.
Is flare added on top of shoulder width?
On drop bars, yes. Road adds nothing and gravel adds 20 mm on top of the shoulder measurement. A flat MTB bar is not shoulder width plus a margin: it is about 1.9 times shoulder width, measured end to end.
Why does the MTB width stop at 720 and 800 mm?
Most MTB bars are sold 760–800 mm wide and should not be cut much below 720 mm, or the controls end up on the thinner, flexing section. Inside that window, trim 5 mm per side and ride before cutting more.
Example products
Product links are Affiliate Links to Amazon websites. Using them does not cost you anything extra, and if you make a purchase we may receive a commission. Details: Terms of Service, point 5.
- Drop bar in your width
A 40 cm bar on 42 cm shoulders closes the chest and loads the wrists.
$40–$300