How To Measure BMX Handlebars? (Beginners Guide)
Using bikes with incorrectly sized handlebars can be very discomforting, which is valid for all riders, both short and taller ones.
Using the wrong size of handlebars causes discomfort and makes riding your bike a lot harder.
Measuring the size of your BMX handlebars is easy to do once you’ve understood how it is done.
To measure the size of your BMX handlebars, you have to know the BMX handlebar width and rise of your bike to ensure comfort and safety. Another thing you would need to be measuring is the tube diameter of your handlebar, as it remains a standard for most BMX bikes.
What Size Are BMX Handlebars?
The perfect BMX handlebar width should range from 27″ to 32″ from one end to another.
Most times, it depends on your riding style, and normally, wider bars would enable you to have more control over your bikes, while narrower ones make the bar spins easier.
In summary, the width is necessary because it affects the control of your bikes.
Like many other specs, wide bars of about (ex. 31″) would allow you to control your bikes, while shorter bars with smaller widths would make the bikes more responsive.
What Size BMX Handlebars Do I Need?
The size of the BMX handlebar you should get depends on your height, but traditionally, it is supposed to be about the same width as your shoulder.
In general, 28″ is the right size for most people, but there might be bigger riders needing about 30″.
Most people get the wrong bar width because they have no idea how to measure the BMX handlebar width.
To measure the width, hook the end of the tape to one end of the handlebar and pull the tape measure through to the other end of the handlebar.
Whatever measurement you get is your handlebar width. To know the height you should be using, and you are going to be needing this table;
| Riders’ Height (cm) | Bar Height (cm) |
| 150- 174 cm | < 8.75” |
| 175-189 cm | 8.75- 9.5” |
| >190 cm | >9.5” |
Getting the right handlebar size for you might be difficult, and that is why you should have a BMX handlebar size chart to guide you on your purchase.
Once you know how to measure the height of your bar and you are aware of your height, using the handlebar size chart will be very easy for you.
I will be breaking down the important things you need to know before getting your handlebars in five steps.
It would be best to look out for the handlebar style that would fit your bike or your trip.
These handlebars come in many designs, including mountain bikes, roads, and gravel, and it all depends on which you feel is more comfortable for you.
After this, then choosing your handlebar width should come in next.
Measuring the width of your handlebar is very important because it is the major factor that determines your comfort.
These handlebars come in either small, medium, or large sizes, and you should choose which of them fits your height perfectly.
When you have determined the handlebar width that is good for you, you also have to choose the handlebars to drop, reach, rise, sweep, flare, and even their diameter.
Before going deeply into this, let me quickly define each of these terminologies.
#1. Reach:
The reach is the length from the center of the bars located at the bike’s stem and the point where you mount your brake.
#2. Drop:
Drop is the distance between the bike’s top bars and its drop when measured between the top and the lowest component of the handlebar’s bend.
#3. Flare:
A flare is when the upper part of your bike’s handlebars slopes outwards to the end of the bars in the drop compartment.
#4. Rise:
A rise is mostly seen in mountain bikes, and the rise is the upward movement of your handlebars when you measure it beginning at the center to the end.
They are also called riser bars.
#5. Sweep:
It is the angle where your bike’s handlebars curve upwards and back to their stem.
The sweep and the rise are most important when you want to determine the shape of the handlebars.
#6. Diameter:
Most of these modern bicycles have a diameter of anything between 25.4mm and 31.8mm for its diameter.
By knowing these, you would be able to comfortably know what handlebar size is good for you using the BMX handlebar size chart and knowing how tall you are or how long your hand is.
The material used to make your handlebar should also be in your mind.
I’d prefer it if you go for aluminum handlebars rather than the carbon selection because, coastwise, it’s about 70% less than the carbon handles.
They also have nearly identical weights.
Lastly, you should ensure that you try your best to avoid some buyers’ common mistakes like buying a handlebar because it looks cool or buying one because it was on sale.
There is nothing wrong with wanting a cool design, but you should first look at other important characteristics.
How Do You Measure BMX Handlebars?
Measuring your BMX handlebars‘ size is very easy for you to know the right size for you just by following these simple steps.
You should first untighten the hand brakes from both handlebars by revolving the screw affixed to the spot where the bike’s brake holds onto the handles.
You should screw it counterclockwise using a flat head screwdriver and then slide the brake from the grip’s location.
And you can then push the brakes away from where the handlebars are gripped and pour penetrating oil on the gap made by the screwdriver.
After spraying the oil, take out the screwdriver and rotate the grip backward and forward as you pull the object forward and farther out from the handlebar’s center.
After one handlebar has been done, do the same thing to take off the next grip from the second handle.
After repeating the same process for both handles, hook your measuring tape on the first grip side of the handlebars and then draw the length of the tape to the other end.
Check the measurement that this provides you with your handlebar width.
Now you know the width of your handlebar, the next thing is to align the cap of the handlebar’s straight edge with the center of the end of the freed handlebars, which you would expose when you loosen your grip.
You should always ensure that the straightedge lines up with the center of every tube end because the hold of many areas of the handlebars is pitched down towards its center.
Hold one end of your measuring tape at the center of the lower hold that is affixed to the bike’s stem and the bike feature that connects the handlebar to the BMX bikes.
Pull the measuring tape up and even over the straight ridge and check the measurement it gives you after it intersects with the cap of your bike’s straightedge.
Whatever you get is the actual elevation of your handlebar.
The standard measurement is usually 22.2mm or 7/8 inch, but if you want to check again, stretch the measure of your tape about one open end of your handlebars grip pipe and look at the measurement just after the opening.
It is never a bad idea to double-check.
Conclusion
The easiest way to think about things before getting your handlebar is that your body touches your bike in just three places; your seat, feet, and then the handlebars.
The handlebar is an important part of your bike as getting the right or wrong handlebars can determine your leverage, comfort, outfitting, and even your overall performance.
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