I removed the Profile Canta Race (→here) from
a Nine bike.
It's not that I disliked it.
I just wanted to put it on a different bike.
The reason I bought this handlebar was
because there was a 330mm size
in the lineup.
Excluding junior drop bars with shallow reach,
this is the only option for such narrow width.
Even at the premium price of ¥69,800 including tax, I bought it for that reason.
If there were other choices in aluminum drop bars of the same width
for under ¥20,000,
I would have bought those instead.
(Or I would have bought those "as well").
The C-C (center to center) measurement at the handlebar ends
is about 331mm in actual measurement.
So the C-C 330mm designation
is not incorrect.
The other sizes of this handlebar
increase in 30mm width increments,
continuing as 360mm, 390mm, 420mm.
And the 330mm is still out of stock.
This is a handlebar size chart from a distributor's website.
According to this, width A is the C-C of the bracket section,
width B is the C-C of the bar ends,
and when we say size 330mm, width A is 330mm
and width B is 24mm wider than that,
representing the flare (outward spread).
But this is clearly incorrect.
The actual 330mm model has width B of approximately 330mm.
Additionally, the C-C of the bracket section
is around 290mm when width B is 330mm.
So the difference should be 40mm,
but the diagram above shows 24mm.
That 24mm figure rings a bell—
it's the outer diameter of the handlebar.
The difference between C-C and outer-to-outer of handlebar width is
because the handlebar has an outer diameter of 24mm,
with a radius of 12mm added on each side,
totaling 24mm difference.
This is likely where the printing error occurred.
That said, this isn't the distributor's mistake.
They're simply using the image that was once posted
on Profile's manufacturer website,
so it can't be helped.
On the page with this incorrect size chart,
there's a link to a PDF of the Canta Race manual,
and in that size chart:
The designated size 330mm refers to width B,
and width A is 40mm narrower on both sides combined
from that, representing the flare.
This diagram is correct.
However, the manufacturer's site size chart has since been updated, and:
What was previously called width B—the C-C of the bar ends—
is now called width W and matches the handlebar's designated size,
what was previously called width A—the C-C of the bracket section—
is now called width C and is 40mm less than width W,
the handlebar's outer-to-outer is newly called
width B (←which is confusing),
24mm more than width W,
and an annotation was added stating that
only the two wider sizes comply with
the UCI regulations effective from 2026.
So the folks at the distributor (Nakamura K.), when you see this, make sure to update it.
Also, that blonde hair doesn't suit you.
By the way, the outer-to-outer measurement location of width B in the diagram above
clearly appears to be measuring from the outer edge to the outer edge of the handlebar.
You might ask, "What's wrong with that?"
I don't know how it's done now,
but handlebars used to be made by filling aluminum tube
with sand, then bending it,
and handlebar outer-to-outer referred to
the outer-to-outer width of the jig used for this.
The actual handlebar's outer-to-outer
is exactly 24mm different from C-C,
yet we still hear "the difference between outer-to-outer and C-C is about 20mm,"
which I suspect is a remnant of this.
↑This is an old 3T Forma handlebar,
compared to lighter aluminum handlebars,
the pipe wall is thicker.
With this kind of thickness, if you define "outer-to-outer" as
"the outer edges of the handlebar holes,"
the difference between outer-to-outer and C-C becomes about 20mm.
Because of the UCI's new regulations
regarding handlebar width
(requiring outer-to-outer of 400mm or more),
I'm concerned that manufacturers may hesitate
to make narrow-width handlebars going forward,
so I've bought several current narrow-width models.
The handlebar in the image above
is a ZIPP Servus Cruris SL70 model.
The 70 refers to the reach length,
↑with 70 it looks like this,
↑and with 80 it looks like this dimensionally.
It's listed as C-C 360mm,
but this is a size not listed on the home country website.
The actual outer-to-outer width measurement
(by my definition, not "the jig width!"
but using the common definition of
the handlebar itself's outer width)
comes to about 396mm.
When I actually looked for where this handlebar
measures C-C 360mm,
it was at the bracket section.
However, ZIPP does not clarify
where they measure C-C from.
The bracket section C-C of 360mm
opens slightly into the drop section,
and the bar end section C-C is 372mm,
and the outer-to-outer width is 396mm.
Want to see a truly narrow handlebar?
The Canta Race instructor
fits completely inside the ZIPP "C-C" 360mm handlebar, and
when you touch the bars on one side,
on the other side there's this much space.
Speaking in terms of bracket section C-C,
a 70mm difference between 290mm and 360mm!
Next, Deda's Super Zero RS Alloy bar
with outer-to-outer 360mm.
Deda handlebars use outer-to-outer designation
rather than C-C.
From this notation, Deda also
means outer-to-outer as the outer edges of the handlebar itself.
The Super Zero RS, a drop bar with an airfoil cross-section upbar
that has a hole for cable routing to the stem—
it's the aluminum version of the carbon drop bar.
The airfoil shape of the upbar is
more pronounced on the carbon bar,
and it's not a complete reproduction here.
The Super Zero RS Alloy, not the Super Zero RS,
is a very recent model
not yet listed on the manufacturer's website.
The 360mm width (36cm) is
unprecedented for Deda,
so there's no checkbox option for it.
Otherwise, the ZERO 2 DCR model
comes in 360mm,
but that's still an unreleased model at this point
(though distributors already have stock).
Flare 6°
Width 360mm
Reach 75mm
Drop 120mm
Since Deda's handlebars measure outer-to-outer,
and they're calling it 360mm there,
no matter how much flare there is,
except for minor tolerances,
it should definitely be outer-to-outer 360mm.
Actual measurement: 391mm
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
...So with Deda,
while it's true that many models
have outer-to-outer as their measurement point,
for the Super Zero RS Alloy,
the measurement point for the designated size is
the bracket section's outer-to-outer (not C-C),
and the stated outer width is 25mm more than that.
Moreover, if it's 360mm, the bar end section
outer-to-outer should be 385mm theoretically,
but the actual measurement is wider than can be explained as error.
It's stated as bracket section outer-to-outer 360mm,
but at a location where it would be impossible to go even
if you place the bracket as high as possible,
it already exceeds 360mm,
and where the bracket band actually mounts,
it was 370mm or more.
Besides the back of the stem clamp section,
there are holes on the underside of the upbar
and the bottom of the bar end section, so
they're compatible with Profile's brake lever
that mounts to the end of a bullhorn bar.
This brake lever,
when mounting to the end of a bullhorn bar,
you orient it so the logo reads correctly,
in which case the typical brake lever-pulling motion
becomes lifting the lever tip upward.
From experience, when using this on drop bar ends,
it works better if you mount it upside-down
from the image above
and pull downward to brake.
This is not a slight difference—it's completely different, so
if you use this brake lever, please take note.
Also, if you want internal brake cable routing,
you'll need to drill a hole on the upper side of the bar end.
Finally.
The UCI's new regulations effective 2026
stating "handlebar outer-to-outer width
must be 400mm or more" is
fairly well known, but
something less well known is
"the inner width of the bracket tip must be 320mm or more."
Recently, I often see people
who've crashed on both sides and bent their brackets inward,
who continue riding without straightening them,
but the bracket angle UCI allows you to keep is
10° or less relative to the bike's fore-aft direction.
Even if the handlebar's outer-to-outer width is 420mm
and the bracket's inward bend is within the regulation's 10°,
because recent brackets are long toward the front,
the inner width at the tip often falls below 280mm.
From next year onward, it's not impossible that
at professional race venues,
judges will perform checks by inserting
something like a 28-centimeter standard bar
between the brackets—
so if you're competing in such races,
be careful.
This 280mm regulation was initially stated as 320mm,
but handlebars with large flare,
for example, bracket section C-C 360mm with
bar end C-C 400mm
(theoretically 424mm outer-to-outer)
make it nearly impossible to comply
even with brackets mounted straight,
so it was relaxed to 280mm.
Incidentally, there are also regulations for handlebar flare,
and in the example above, 400–360 = 40mm,
but 65mm or more is a violation.
If you tighten the bracket mounting band too much,
the bracket or handlebar can crack during crashes,
so some riders intentionally don't tighten it fully
to allow the bracket to bend inward on impact to absorb shock,
while of course keeping it tight enough not to move during normal use—
kind of like MIPS for helmets—
but separate from that practice,
some riders bend their brackets inward just before race start
and straighten them again right after crossing the finish line.
Stop doing that before you get in trouble!
a Nine bike.
It's not that I disliked it.
I just wanted to put it on a different bike.
The reason I bought this handlebar was
because there was a 330mm size
in the lineup.
Excluding junior drop bars with shallow reach,
this is the only option for such narrow width.
Even at the premium price of ¥69,800 including tax, I bought it for that reason.
If there were other choices in aluminum drop bars of the same width
for under ¥20,000,
I would have bought those instead.
(Or I would have bought those "as well").
The C-C (center to center) measurement at the handlebar ends
is about 331mm in actual measurement.
So the C-C 330mm designation
is not incorrect.
The other sizes of this handlebar
increase in 30mm width increments,
continuing as 360mm, 390mm, 420mm.
This is a handlebar size chart from a distributor's website.
According to this, width A is the C-C of the bracket section,
width B is the C-C of the bar ends,
and when we say size 330mm, width A is 330mm
and width B is 24mm wider than that,
representing the flare (outward spread).
But this is clearly incorrect.
The actual 330mm model has width B of approximately 330mm.
Additionally, the C-C of the bracket section
is around 290mm when width B is 330mm.
So the difference should be 40mm,
but the diagram above shows 24mm.
That 24mm figure rings a bell—
it's the outer diameter of the handlebar.
The difference between C-C and outer-to-outer of handlebar width is
because the handlebar has an outer diameter of 24mm,
with a radius of 12mm added on each side,
totaling 24mm difference.
This is likely where the printing error occurred.
That said, this isn't the distributor's mistake.
They're simply using the image that was once posted
on Profile's manufacturer website,
so it can't be helped.
On the page with this incorrect size chart,
there's a link to a PDF of the Canta Race manual,
and in that size chart:
The designated size 330mm refers to width B,
and width A is 40mm narrower on both sides combined
from that, representing the flare.
This diagram is correct.
However, the manufacturer's site size chart has since been updated, and:
What was previously called width B—the C-C of the bar ends—
is now called width W and matches the handlebar's designated size,
what was previously called width A—the C-C of the bracket section—
is now called width C and is 40mm less than width W,
the handlebar's outer-to-outer is newly called
width B (←which is confusing),
24mm more than width W,
and an annotation was added stating that
only the two wider sizes comply with
the UCI regulations effective from 2026.
So the folks at the distributor (Nakamura K.), when you see this, make sure to update it.
Also, that blonde hair doesn't suit you.
By the way, the outer-to-outer measurement location of width B in the diagram above
clearly appears to be measuring from the outer edge to the outer edge of the handlebar.
You might ask, "What's wrong with that?"
I don't know how it's done now,
but handlebars used to be made by filling aluminum tube
with sand, then bending it,
and handlebar outer-to-outer referred to
the outer-to-outer width of the jig used for this.
The actual handlebar's outer-to-outer
is exactly 24mm different from C-C,
yet we still hear "the difference between outer-to-outer and C-C is about 20mm,"
which I suspect is a remnant of this.
↑This is an old 3T Forma handlebar,
compared to lighter aluminum handlebars,
the pipe wall is thicker.
With this kind of thickness, if you define "outer-to-outer" as
"the outer edges of the handlebar holes,"
the difference between outer-to-outer and C-C becomes about 20mm.
Because of the UCI's new regulations
regarding handlebar width
(requiring outer-to-outer of 400mm or more),
I'm concerned that manufacturers may hesitate
to make narrow-width handlebars going forward,
so I've bought several current narrow-width models.
The handlebar in the image above
is a ZIPP Servus Cruris SL70 model.
The 70 refers to the reach length,
↑with 70 it looks like this,
↑and with 80 it looks like this dimensionally.
It's listed as C-C 360mm,
but this is a size not listed on the home country website.
The actual outer-to-outer width measurement
(by my definition, not "the jig width!"
but using the common definition of
the handlebar itself's outer width)
comes to about 396mm.
When I actually looked for where this handlebar
measures C-C 360mm,
it was at the bracket section.
However, ZIPP does not clarify
where they measure C-C from.
The bracket section C-C of 360mm
opens slightly into the drop section,
and the bar end section C-C is 372mm,
and the outer-to-outer width is 396mm.
Want to see a truly narrow handlebar?
The Canta Race instructor
fits completely inside the ZIPP "C-C" 360mm handlebar, and
when you touch the bars on one side,
on the other side there's this much space.
Speaking in terms of bracket section C-C,
a 70mm difference between 290mm and 360mm!
Next, Deda's Super Zero RS Alloy bar
with outer-to-outer 360mm.
Deda handlebars use outer-to-outer designation
rather than C-C.
From this notation, Deda also
means outer-to-outer as the outer edges of the handlebar itself.
The Super Zero RS, a drop bar with an airfoil cross-section upbar
that has a hole for cable routing to the stem—
it's the aluminum version of the carbon drop bar.
The airfoil shape of the upbar is
more pronounced on the carbon bar,
and it's not a complete reproduction here.
The Super Zero RS Alloy, not the Super Zero RS,
is a very recent model
not yet listed on the manufacturer's website.
The 360mm width (36cm) is
unprecedented for Deda,
so there's no checkbox option for it.
Otherwise, the ZERO 2 DCR model
comes in 360mm,
but that's still an unreleased model at this point
(though distributors already have stock).
Flare 6°
Width 360mm
Reach 75mm
Drop 120mm
Since Deda's handlebars measure outer-to-outer,
and they're calling it 360mm there,
no matter how much flare there is,
except for minor tolerances,
it should definitely be outer-to-outer 360mm.
Actual measurement: 391mm
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
...So with Deda,
while it's true that many models
have outer-to-outer as their measurement point,
for the Super Zero RS Alloy,
the measurement point for the designated size is
the bracket section's outer-to-outer (not C-C),
and the stated outer width is 25mm more than that.
Moreover, if it's 360mm, the bar end section
outer-to-outer should be 385mm theoretically,
but the actual measurement is wider than can be explained as error.
It's stated as bracket section outer-to-outer 360mm,
but at a location where it would be impossible to go even
if you place the bracket as high as possible,
it already exceeds 360mm,
and where the bracket band actually mounts,
it was 370mm or more.
Besides the back of the stem clamp section,
there are holes on the underside of the upbar
and the bottom of the bar end section, so
they're compatible with Profile's brake lever
that mounts to the end of a bullhorn bar.
This brake lever,
when mounting to the end of a bullhorn bar,
you orient it so the logo reads correctly,
in which case the typical brake lever-pulling motion
becomes lifting the lever tip upward.
From experience, when using this on drop bar ends,
it works better if you mount it upside-down
from the image above
and pull downward to brake.
This is not a slight difference—it's completely different, so
if you use this brake lever, please take note.
Also, if you want internal brake cable routing,
you'll need to drill a hole on the upper side of the bar end.
Finally.
The UCI's new regulations effective 2026
stating "handlebar outer-to-outer width
must be 400mm or more" is
fairly well known, but
something less well known is
"the inner width of the bracket tip must be 320mm or more."
Recently, I often see people
who've crashed on both sides and bent their brackets inward,
who continue riding without straightening them,
but the bracket angle UCI allows you to keep is
10° or less relative to the bike's fore-aft direction.
Even if the handlebar's outer-to-outer width is 420mm
and the bracket's inward bend is within the regulation's 10°,
because recent brackets are long toward the front,
the inner width at the tip often falls below 280mm.
From next year onward, it's not impossible that
at professional race venues,
judges will perform checks by inserting
something like a 28-centimeter standard bar
between the brackets—
so if you're competing in such races,
be careful.
This 280mm regulation was initially stated as 320mm,
but handlebars with large flare,
for example, bracket section C-C 360mm with
bar end C-C 400mm
(theoretically 424mm outer-to-outer)
make it nearly impossible to comply
even with brackets mounted straight,
so it was relaxed to 280mm.
Incidentally, there are also regulations for handlebar flare,
and in the example above, 400–360 = 40mm,
but 65mm or more is a violation.
If you tighten the bracket mounting band too much,
the bracket or handlebar can crack during crashes,
so some riders intentionally don't tighten it fully
to allow the bracket to bend inward on impact to absorb shock,
while of course keeping it tight enough not to move during normal use—
kind of like MIPS for helmets—
but separate from that practice,
some riders bend their brackets inward just before race start
and straighten them again right after crossing the finish line.
Stop doing that before you get in trouble!