The present pattern within the professional peloton (and your native crits) is a protracted and tight setup. Slim bars – starting from 36cm to 38mm (principally) with an extended stem and never completely slammed just like the outdated days.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.
Nonetheless, 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 girls riders particularly.
Nonetheless, the UCI (the identical governing physique answerable for eradicating the Ritchey Rainbow stripes) and the restricted sock top ruling are stating that these slim bars aren’t secure for the peloton. Sadly, that isn’t one thing that can simply have an effect on the professionals; it’ll quickly trickle right down to you too.
So, bike match crusaders, My Velo Vit (the net match software/app), is taking the bull (or bar, in case you’re into puns) by the horns and saying they’re misinformed and, extra so – simply improper.
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 workforce at MyVeloFit—a platform sitting on the most important pile of rider-submitted match knowledge 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 general width of handlebars (exterior to exterior) for mass begin highway and cyclo-cross occasions will probably be set at 400mm, with an internal 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) should be at the very least 400 mm.
- Brake lever width: The inner width between the brake levers should be at the very least 320mm.
- Efficient date: The rule will take impact on January 1, 2026, for highway and cyclo-cross mass-start occasions.
- Observe racing: Observe 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’ll be able to signal it right here). The petition merely asks the UCI to rethink its newly minted rule. It doesn’t sound like a lot to folks not immersed within the skilled pits, however in case you are, you already know it’s not gonna work. Not in case you’re a smaller rider, or most girls, or, properly, anybody who’s really had knowledgeable match.
Jesse Jarjour – CEO of MyVeloFit says “Primarily based on real-world knowledge, the common handlebar width for ladies must 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 kinds, 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, intention to make sure that all athletes, no matter their physique kind, can compete with gear that’s each high-performance and secure. 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 should 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 probably be 80mm.”
So, Why is This a Massive Deal?
Right here’s what MyVeloFit—and the info—say the UCI bought improper:
- 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, growing pressure and harm threat (particularly you probably have damaged your wrists a number of instances, like me).
- Trendy Levers Are Already Extensive: 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 huge for his or her frames can result in long-term points, together with numbness, discomfort, and much more extreme issues.
- Intent vs. Affect: Even when the purpose is to curb aero positive aspects or sketchy setups, this transformation doesn’t contemplate the complete image, akin to what occurs when the bars are too huge.
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 needs to 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.”
Need to again it? The petition is stay now, and open to anybody—riders, fitters, mechanics, manufacturers—who assume the game must be inclusive, not unique. Particularly when the info is that this clear.
