How Do I Buy New Handlebars for My Roubaix

how do you buy a bar? Well, you find someone or a store that has a bar you want, then exchange money for it.
sorry, couldn't resist.


The diameter (31.8) needs to match (though some bars are labeled 31.7 and are the same thing, the other common diameter is 26mm, which will not work with your stem). Next thing to worry about is width, typically between 40 and 44cm, but there are narrower and wider sizes out there. Standard advice is your bar should be as wide as your shoulders, but seeing how you already have a bar, I'd focus on wider, narrower, or the same as what you have.
Ergo shaping refers to the shape of the bend (vs traditional or round), and means very different things to different manufacturers. "Shallow" drop can tell you more than you might think. Typically "shallow" is on the order of 135mm from the top to the drop, "deep" is 145 (both approximate). The standard line is bigger hands prefer deeper drops, but even that's changing.

to sum up: as long as the diameter matches it will fit your bike. Everything else, you either have to hold a bar to see if you like it, or compare it to what you have now. Some of those dimensions are often printed on handlebars, if you don't feel like measuring.

Short drop refers to the distance between the tops of the bar and the bottom of the drop.  For example, if you move your hands from the tops and/or hoods down into the drops, the distance (drop) is less than other bars.  Personally, I really like bars with short drops.  I am in the drops much more now that I switched.  You will need 31.8 bars to fit your stem. 

The first measurement you should take though is your shoulder width.  Bars come in different widths to accomodate different width riders.  Then if you still want the short drop, just look for some.

I have a FSA K-Force Shallow Drop Carbon bar on my bike and I really like them.  They are clip-on compatible which is something to look for if you plan on adding any in the future.  Some carbon bars are not clip-on compatible.  I picked them up new online when I was building my bike for $158. Hope this helps.

Cool, thanks guys.  I had my bike professionally fit and I remember him saying he'd like to see me in a slightly wider bar but the current bar would work.  I think it's a 42 now. I'll measure the drops and see if I can find a pair I like.  

My primary sport is mountain bike racing.  I know my mountain bike all the way down to the claws in the hub.  When it comes to my road bike, so many details.   

Just to get a little technical... look at how the manufacturer measures the bars as well. Almost all measures from center to center, but some of the Italian manufacturers (Deda being one) measures outside to outside. For example, this means that I use 3T 42cm bars (c-c), but 44cm Deda (out-out), yet they are the same width.

You may want to look on competitivecyclist.com website and look up handlebars. They have quite a variety and have good reviews that explain the differences.

After looking there I decided on the following:

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/road-bikes/product-components/200...

I thought I wanted expensive CF handlebars, but I got these instead and have been very happy with them. I can now ride comfortably in the drops and reach the Brifters to shift and brake without moving back to the hoods.

This helped me I was measuring CC by the hoods not in the drop.  

http://www.bicycling.com/article/1,6610,s1-5-28-1056-1,00.html