Handlebar Reach & Drop Calculator

Combine stem + drop bar to see total reach to the hoods and drops — or check if an integrated cockpit will fit. Comparing stems only? Use the stem calculator.

⚙️ Setup

🚴 Head Tube Angle 73°

Road ~73° · Gravel 71–73°

A Cockpit

Stem

Length (mm)

Angle (°)

🔄 Flip stem

Drop bar

Bar reach (mm)

Bar drop (mm)

B Compare

Stem

Length (mm)

Angle (°)

🔄 Flip stem

Drop bar

Bar reach (mm)

Bar drop (mm)

Bars, stems & bar tape

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Drop Bar + Stem Calculator — Reach & Drop

Frequently Asked Questions

What is handlebar reach and drop?

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Reach is the horizontal distance from the center of the bar clamp to the center of the forward-most bend, roughly where the hoods sit. Drop is the vertical distance from the center of the clamp down to the bottom of the drop section. Together they describe how far forward and how far down the bar's usable hand positions sit relative to the clamp.

How does bar reach and drop combine with stem geometry?

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The stem sets the clamp position relative to the headset — its own reach and rise. The bar's reach and drop start counting from that clamp position outward. Add stem reach plus bar reach for the horizontal distance from the headset to roughly the hood position, and combine stem rise with bar drop to see how low the drops sit relative to the headset.

What are typical reach and drop values for different bar shapes?

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Compact bars run about 70-80mm reach and 115-125mm drop. Shallow or mid bars run about 75-85mm reach and 125-135mm drop. Traditional deep bars run about 85-100mm reach and 135-150mm drop. Compact and shallow shapes are the most common on modern road and gravel bikes — see the full table below.

Is the hood position exact with this tool?

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This tool approximates the hood position at the bar's reach forward from the clamp, at the same height as the clamp. Real bars vary slightly by brand and by where the lever body sits on the bend. It is accurate enough for comparing two setups' relative change, not for a millimeter-exact fit.

How do I know what size integrated cockpit to buy?

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Match it to the hand position you already ride. Read the reach and rise off your current stem and bar, then enter the integrated cockpit's published stem length, stem angle, bar reach, and bar drop as the comparison setup here. A common bike-fit rule: if the cockpit shifts your hand position by more than about 1cm in reach or height, don't buy it. Getting it wrong is costly — a one-piece cockpit is expensive to replace and usually cannot be adjusted afterward.

Can you change the stem length on an integrated cockpit?

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Barely. A one-piece cockpit fixes stem length, angle, bar reach, and drop together — you can usually only add or remove a small amount of spacer height (systems like Canyon's allow about 15mm), not change the length. That is why the size has to be right before you buy. Enter the cockpit's numbers as a comparison setup here to check its exact reach and drop against your current bike before committing.

Typical Drop Bar Reach & Drop by Shape

Bar shape changes reach and drop independently of the stem — swapping bar shape is a cheap way to fine-tune hood and drop position without touching the stem at all.

Bar shape	Typical reach	Typical drop	Why
Compact	70–80mm	115–125mm	Shorter reach and shallower drop keep the hoods and drops close together — easy to reach the drops from the hoods.
Shallow / ergo	75–85mm	125–135mm	The most common modern road/gravel shape — a middle ground between compact comfort and traditional aero reach.
Traditional / deep	85–100mm	135–150mm	Longer reach and deeper drop put the drops in a lower, more aggressive position — favored for racing and sprinting.

If your hoods feel right but the drops feel too far away or too low, the fix is usually a shallower bar — not a shorter stem, which would move the hoods too.

Will an Integrated Cockpit Fit You?

An integrated cockpit fuses the bar and stem into a single unit — there is no stem to swap if the reach comes out wrong, so you have to get it right before you buy. Manufacturers publish each cockpit as a stem length (e.g. 100mm), a stem angle, and a bar reach and drop. Enter those numbers as one setup and your current bike as the other: the delta table shows exactly how far the integrated cockpit moves your hoods and drops versus what you ride today.

Find the cockpit's spec sheet: stem length, stem angle, bar reach, bar drop.
Enter your current bike as Setup A and the integrated cockpit as Setup B.
Keep ΔReach to the hoods within about ±10mm of your current fit, unless you are deliberately changing position.
Remember reach and drop move together on a one-piece cockpit — you cannot tune them separately after buying, so confirm both here first.