The present pattern within the professional peloton (and your native crits) is a protracted and tight setup. Slim bars – starting from 36cm to 38mm (largely) with an extended stem and never completely slammed just like the previous days. I rock an analogous setup on my check bike (Canyon Aeroroad) with a 120mm stem and 37.5 bars (measured hood to hood), and I’ve by no means felt extra locked and loaded on a machine.
Nevertheless, bar width isn’t only for the aero-focused highway racer. Bar width is private for the rider, particularly for smaller riders seeking to maximize their match, and ladies riders specifically.
Nevertheless, the UCI (the identical governing physique accountable for eradicating the Ritchey Rainbow stripes) and the restricted sock top ruling are stating that these slender bars aren’t protected for the peloton. Sadly, that isn’t one thing that may simply have an effect on the professionals; it’ll quickly trickle all the way down to you too.
So, bike match crusaders, My Velo Vit (the web match device/app), is taking the bull (or bar, for those who’re into puns) by the horns and saying they’re misinformed and, extra so – simply unsuitable.
What’s the Deal With Bar Width and the UCI?
If the newest UCI tech regulation on handlebar widths has you scratching your head (or worse, swapping elements), you’re not alone. The crew at MyVeloFit—a platform sitting on the biggest pile of rider-submitted match information on the planet — is pushing again. Exhausting. And we’re right here for it.
The brand new guidelines state, “As of [1 January 2026], the minimal total width of handlebars (exterior to exterior) for mass begin highway and cyclo-cross occasions will probably be set at 400mm, with an inside width of 320mm between brake levers.”
Key Factors About UCI Barwidth Guidelines:
Minimal width: The general handlebar width at its widest level (sometimes the drops) have to be a minimum of 400 mm.
Brake lever width: The interior width between the brake levers have to be a minimum of 320mm.
Efficient date: The rule will take impact on January 1, 2026, for highway and cyclo-cross mass-start occasions.
Observe racing: Observe racing could have a barely narrower threshold, with a minimal width of 350mm, beginning January 1, 2027.
MyVeloFit Hits Again
MyVeloFit has launched a petition that has amassed 4,484 signatures and counting (you possibly can signal it right here). The petition merely asks the UCI to rethink its newly minted rule. It doesn’t sound like a lot to people not immersed within the skilled pits, however in case you are, you understand it’s not gonna work. Not for those who’re a smaller rider, or most girls, or, effectively, anybody who’s really had an expert match.
Jesse Jarjour – CEO of MyVeloFit says “Primarily based on real-world information, the common handlebar width for girls ought to be nearer to 38cm—not 40. This rule dangers sidelining riders, rising damage potential, and messing with correct ergonomics.”
As of June twentieth, the UCI has issued a “clarification” of types, after the backlash from almost all sides of the biking universe. The up to date assertion clarifies the ruling barely, with the addition of diagrams, however the information stay the identical.
“These modifications, outlined in session with stakeholders, goal to make sure that all athletes, no matter their physique kind, can compete with tools that’s each high-performance and protected. As well as, the brand new rule contains one other most dimension regulating the flare design of the handlebar for highway and cyclo-cross bikes: there have to be a most distance of 50mm between the inner extremity of the handlebar and the outer fringe of the handlebar on the identical aspect. For observe, the gap will probably be 80mm.”
So, Why is This a Massive Deal?
Right here’s what MyVeloFit—and the information—say the UCI bought unsuitable:
Dangerous Match for Smaller Riders: The rule disproportionately impacts ladies and smaller athletes, forcing them into setups that simply don’t match.
Biomechanics Bungle: Many riders rotate their levers barely inwards for higher wrist alignment. This rule could negate that, rising pressure and damage danger (particularly you probably have damaged your wrists a number of occasions, like me).
Trendy Levers Are Already Large: Some setups, like Shimano Di2, push lever spacing limits even with none tilt, including to compliance complications.
Security Takes a Backseat: Forcing riders to make use of bars which might be too large for his or her frames can result in long-term points, together with numbness, discomfort, and much more extreme issues.
Intent vs. Impression: Even when the aim is to curb aero features or sketchy setups, this transformation doesn’t take into account the complete image, similar to what occurs when the bars are too large.
What’s the Answer?
MyVeloFit isn’t simply waving a flag—they’re providing an answer grounded within the largest world database of match measurements. They’re calling on the UCI to lean into real-world numbers and make guidelines that mirror the riders they govern.
“If there must be a rule, let’s make it a sensible one,” Jarjour provides. “Thirty-eight centimeters is a way more inclusive minimal, and 28cm between levers would mirror precise rider wants, not simply guesses from above.”
Wish to again it? The petition is stay now, and open to anybody—riders, fitters, mechanics, manufacturers—who assume the game ought to be inclusive, not unique. Particularly when the information is that this clear.
