Bicycle Handlebars — How to Choose the Right Type for Your Riding Style

Handlebars have a bigger impact on your comfort and control than most cyclists realise. The wrong bar width, rise, or shape can cause shoulder pain, poor handling, and fatigue on longer rides. Getting it right transforms how your bike feels.

The Main Types of Handlebar

• Drop bars — the classic road cycling bar, offering multiple hand positions and an aerodynamic tuck. Ideal for road bikes and touring.
• Flat bars — straight and simple, offering an upright riding position. Common on hybrids and commuters.
• Riser bars — similar to flat bars but with a slight upward sweep, popular on mountain bikes for better control on technical terrain.
• Butterfly/trekking bars — wide bars with multiple hand positions, favoured by long-distance tourers.

Getting the Width Right

A general rule of thumb is to match bar width to your shoulder width. Road cyclists often go slightly narrower for aerodynamics; mountain bikers tend to go wider (760mm–800mm) for leverage and control. Width is measured centre-to-centre on drop bars, and end-to-end on flat bars.

Rise, Sweep, and Reach

• Rise — how much the bar curves upward from the clamp. More rise = more upright position.
• Back sweep — the angle the bar sweeps back toward the rider. More sweep = more comfortable wrist angle.
• Reach — how far forward the bar extends. Affects how stretched out you feel.

Material Matters

Aluminium handlebars are affordable and durable. Carbon fibre bars are lighter and dampen road vibration better, but come at a higher price point. For most riders, a quality aluminium bar is the smart choice.

Compatibility

Check your stem's clamp diameter before buying — the two most common standards are 31.8mm (oversized, most modern bikes) and 25.4mm (older or budget bikes). Drop bars also come in 26.0mm clamp diameter on some older road bikes.

Explore our handlebars collection to find the right bar for your setup.