Peter, et al,
The question that begs to be asked (at least by me) is where are these measurements being taken - at the ends of the drops, the widest part of the flats on the tops or where?
Last night I remeasured a number of different bars, Cinelli, TTT, Belleri, Milremo, and even some new Nitto bars. One thing that I found was differences in widths of same size and model Cinelli and TTT bars. Were they hand bent - probably?
I've run across a lot of bars from the early 70s that were 40cm wide (either C to C or O to O) at the drops but were 36 to 38cm wide across the widest part of the tops. Most of these bars had long reaches and I suspect that they were intentionally made that way for wrist clearance when riding the drops.
And then there are randonneur style bars with the upraised flats and flared out drops....
Chas. Colerich Oakland, CA USA
-----Original Message----- From: Peter Brueggeman Sent: Sun, Jul 26, 2009 9:50 am Subject: Re: [CR] GB bar sizes
Regarding Tom Forbes' question " ...were GB bars ever available in 44-46 sizes?...I need an alternative to my 38's on my "74 Raleigh Pro...."
I will answer with what was available around 1974, since you can install wider handlebars of later vintage of any brand. The 1975 Holdsworth Bike Riders Aids catalogue lists handlebars from Giro de Sicilia, Fiamme, Allez, Birmalux, Cinelli, and GB, with none wider than 16 inches (40.6 cm). For its widest handlebars, the 1966 GB catalogue lists its Capoberta bend at 16 inches wide and one of its Touring bends at 17.5 inches wide. The 1973 GB catalogues lists the Randonneur bend as its widest at 16.5 inches.
Peter
Peter Brueggeman
La Jolla California USA