Why are drop bars so narrow, ie 46cm max?

[Frankenorange]

If you're willing to pay, they exist.

View attachment 723305

the 630mm variant measures 535mm at the ramps, probably not much less at the hoods, and there is a wider one yet...

Klingon Bird of Prey

 

[br0qn]

there is another on the Crust site, the Nullabar, with a different bend but also super wide.

and there are these still available in 510mm

 

[Mangizmo]

there is another on the Crust site, the Nullabar, with a different bend but also super wide.

and there are these still available in 510mm

View attachment 723348

I cant find anything like this in the UK however they exist and I will find some somewhere thanks

 

[novocaine]

Look at you hand rotation on a drop bar vs a flat bar. You body geometry is completely different, your elbows point more downwards so when they bend they move down and back rather than out and back. It also rotates you shoulder differently. A wide road bar is putting more stress on you shoulder and rotating you hand to flatter which make riding on the hoods less comfortable. Riding on the drops is going to be even harder as you arm will be inboard of the bar so you will have to bend your wrist back which is it's weaker direction.

On phone so that's all in typing but hopefully goes a little way why drop bars are narrower.

 

[brocklanders023]

I've got a pair of these I'm happy to sell on if any use? They are 50cm hood to hood.

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/funn-g-wide-gravel-bike-handlebar/rp-prod166455

 

[MattiThundrrr]

I had a narrow set from some junk 80s mixte.
Boring, standard stuff, too narrow, too deep, so I clamped them in the vice and made a few tweaks here and there
Haven't had a chance yet to try them out. It's a coaster brake, so no worries about the hoods

 

[Frankenorange]

I cant find anything like this in the UK however they exist and I will find some somewhere thanks

You must have a different internet than the rest of us in the UK!
Google - wide gravel bars uk - and there are plenty from all sorts of places. Amazon, Wiggle, evilbay and independants like Bikemonger etc.
Another option is to make your own as you just need a bar with the ramps and drops you prefer, cut them off, and then put those bits into a sleeve to get the prefered width. Just make sure there is enough in the sleeve for bonding. It is good to recycle/upcycle stuff.
The stock bar/tube, for the sleeve, will have to be worked on a lathe, to get the right fit, but you will get what you want. I know people who have done it with steel, aluminium, and carbon bars and they are all still alive. You just have to get the tolerances right and choose the right materials.

What i have been looking for, and so far have failed to find, is a pic of some chap who made his own p!ss take gravel bars. They were VERY wide and looked hilariously ridiculous. It looked well over a meter wide, maybe nearer 1.5m. I think it might have been a pic on LFGSS?

 

[Mangizmo]

I don't really understand drop bars at all. People keep telling me they offer more hand positions but I have just found it to be a range of uncomfortable positions. The ergon grips on my riser bars give me much more support and comfort without needing to change position. All just seems to be a nonsense.

Saying all that, I would like to try a wider drop bar, just to see. My shoulders are 50cm apart so I would need at least that. My risers are all 760mm and that is very comfortable for me.

For years I used drop bars but only ever used the hoods and tops, the drops were too uncomfortable but I have realised that the trick is to get the bars higher with either a steer tube extender and/or a riser stem and 460mm wide minimum, I now quite like my drop bars and ride for long periods on the drops in comfort, it maybe doesnt look quite so "cool" but its the only way I can make drops useful

 

[Mangizmo]

You must have a different internet than the rest of us in the UK!
Google - wide gravel bars uk - and there are plenty from all sorts of places. Amazon, Wiggle, evilbay and independants like Bikemonger etc.
Another option is to make your own as you just need a bar with the ramps and drops you prefer, cut them off, and then put those bits into a sleeve to get the prefered width. Just make sure there is enough in the sleeve for bonding. It is good to recycle/upcycle stuff.
The stock bar/tube, for the sleeve, will have to be worked on a lathe, to get the right fit, but you will get what you want. I know people who have done it with steel, aluminium, and carbon bars and they are all still alive. You just have to get the tolerances right and choose the right materials.

What i have been looking for, and so far have failed to find, is a pic of some chap who made his own p!ss take gravel bars. They were VERY wide and looked hilariously ridiculous. It looked well over a meter wide, maybe nearer 1.5m. I think it might have been a pic on LFGSS?

I want about 50cm between the hoods, not that easy to find, but it seems they are about, I will find some

 

[Mangizmo]

These look interesting so I have ordered some from China