The present pattern within the professional peloton (and your native crits) is an extended and tight setup. Slender bars – starting from 36cm to 38mm (principally) with an extended stem and never completely slammed just like the previous days. I rock an analogous setup on my take a look at 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 street racer. Bar width is private for the rider, particularly for smaller riders trying to maximize their match, and ladies riders specifically.
Nevertheless, the UCI (the identical governing physique answerable for eradicating the Ritchey Rainbow stripes) and the restricted sock peak ruling are stating that these slender bars aren’t protected for the peloton. Sadly, that isn’t one thing that can simply have an effect on the professionals; it’s going to quickly trickle all the way down to you too.
So, bike match crusaders, My Velo Vit (the web match software/app), is taking the bull (or bar, when you’re into puns) by the horns and saying they’re misinformed and, extra so – simply fallacious.
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 staff at MyVeloFit—a platform sitting on the biggest pile of rider-submitted match knowledge on the earth — 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 street and cyclo-cross occasions will likely 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 (usually the drops) have to be no less than 400 mm.
- Brake lever width: The interior width between the brake levers have to be no less than 320mm.
- Efficient date: The rule will take impact on January 1, 2026, for street and cyclo-cross mass-start occasions.
- Monitor racing: Monitor racing may 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 may 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, it’s not gonna work. Not when you’re a smaller rider, or most girls, or, nicely, anybody who’s truly had an expert match.
Jesse Jarjour – CEO of MyVeloFit says “Primarily based on real-world knowledge, the typical handlebar width for ladies ought to be nearer to 38cm—not 40. This rule dangers sidelining riders, growing harm potential, and messing with correct ergonomics.”
As of June twentieth, the UCI has issued a “clarification” of types, after the backlash from practically all sides of the biking universe. The up to date assertion clarifies the ruling barely, with the addition of diagrams, however the info stay the identical.
“These modifications, outlined in session with stakeholders, intention to make sure that all athletes, no matter their physique sort, can compete with gear 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 street 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 monitor, the gap will likely be 80mm.”
So, Why is This a Massive Deal?
Right here’s what MyVeloFit—and the information—say the UCI obtained fallacious:
- Unhealthy 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 might negate that, growing pressure and harm danger (particularly when you have damaged your wrists a number of instances, like me).
- Trendy Levers Are Already Huge: 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 are too extensive 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 objective is to curb aero positive factors or sketchy setups, this transformation doesn’t think about the total image, equivalent to what occurs when the bars are too extensive.
What’s the Resolution?
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 wise 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.”
Need to again it? The petition is dwell 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.