Currently use 42cm FSA Omega Compacts on my 52cm Croix De Fer. Lovely bar with nice drop and reach. The only thing is, they size up quite narrow, something I found out after buying them, and measure 41cm C-C across the hoods. As such, sometimes they feel a bit too narrow when off-road and on the hoods.

Now, I stride the puny world like a colossus at 5’7, and a slightly stocky build, so wondering if 42cm, while they may feel a bit narrow when things get a bit slidey, are probably what I am best using.

…or should/would I give the 44cm FSA Omega (so 43cm C-C) a try. As after all it’s only an extra 1cm a side, and may give me a bit more leverage off road.

Or are there downside to this particular course of action?

I know this is a how long is a piece of string type question, and I will only know if I try it, but it’s a bit of a faff to swap over bars (+ cost), so thought I would elicit some erudite opinions from the STW knowledge bank.

I was thinking this too on my ride in, I’m even more of a giant at 5″6 but quite wide! I thought wider bars may make stuff a bit easier.

I await some helpful responses….

I’ve not ridden much offroad on drop bars, but I did have a wider pair on my roadbike for a while, it was quite achey and uncomfortable. Mid sized bars just seem to fit me comfortably, so on that basis I’d stick with comfortable rather than wide.

Do you really need leverage on a steep angled cross bike?

I was thinking along the lines of MTB bars that the wider they are the more your chest opens to allow easier breathing etc? It that not the same for road biking?

For your cross bike – off road – you can go even wider.
I ride 42 FSA on road bikes but 46 on Cross – extra leverage and control. Hope this helps.

Cheers, Len. Might order a set of the 44cm just to have a look/feel of.

Wide is good, fattie.

But then I ride Woodchippers off road.

I run deda rhm 2’s(46) on my cx bike and my winter road bike .. Deda measure outside to outside and they are cracking .. I’m not the broadest of shoulders but they feel just right ..

Wide is good, fattie.

It’s me rippling pecs.

i use those deda bars too, ^^ an di feel like i can breathe a bit better.
also, the steering seems a little lighter.
i think* that traditionally, wider bars are seen as less aerodynamic, but this doesnt affect me, im a fattie anyway.

*i could be talking crap here*

42cm on my mongrel training bike (fixed gear M2 with drops, flared drops).

44cm flared on my general purpose bike (Peregrine) – like the comfort, like the feeling of not whacking knees near the bars, like the fact arms are more or less straight not tucked..

Meaure outside edge of collar bone to other other outside edge of collar bone, buy bars same width was what i was told and seems to work. I am prop forward broad across the shoulders and presumed i’d need 46cm bars, but went for bike fit and they brought me down to a 44cm and they have been more comfortable. You want your wrists to not be bent at all, the flex should be in your elbows.