Re: 38 cm handlebars

Tom Kunich wrote:

As I have said, I installed 38 cm handlebars on the Moser and the
sore shoulders disappearred almost entirely. I have pretty broad
shoulders but it isn't the width of your shoulders that you should
fit but the position of your shoulder joinds which is well inside of
that. I have come down through the years from 44's to 42's to 40's
and now 38's and the narrowest seems to work best for me.
 Your mileage may vary. But don't ne afraid to experiment. MTB flat
forks are different because you are using them to maintain a leverage
on a bike that may be trying to jerk out from under your control.
 

To me, fit is everything, and there's no universal "best".  What's best for you is mostly dependent on your physiology.  To that end, brand names are less important than how everything fits for you.
I've never measured my handlebars from side to side, but years ago, I found that because I'm long in the torso and relatively short legs, I need either a frame with a long top tube, or a long stem.  At the time, I was riding a bike that was decent, but at 55 cm, too big for me.  When I moved to 53 cm on the frameset and a long stem (12 cm), the whole setup was a lot more comfortable.
Smith