I would add my vote for the Zipp SL-70 XPLR bars, I love them and have them on both my road bikes and my gravel bike, but when you look at the specs you realize that it can get a bit complicated. Those bars have drop flare, drop outsweep and backsweep on the top! Works for me anyway.
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Same! And I like the slightly flattened tops as well. Makes for a nice change-of-pace / rest hand position. They did a good job playing with the shape but keeping it subtle.
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It’s very dependant on the shape of the drops and how much flare. Currently riding on a far that has 40cm tops and 46cm at the drops (3t supergiara). The middle section remains quite vertical so it doesn’t impact the shifter position. That’s a nice that works for me. 10cm flare and shifters angled to the sky? Not so much.
Request for information: for those who have or will respond in this thread, tell us whether you are more MTB or more road oriented.
My theory is that flared bars appeal more to riders who are comfortable with flat bars.
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Trail riding, bikepacking/gravel in that order. I need round bars so I can bolt on aero-bars.
+1 for the mild flare comments. My bars are the Ritchey Superlogic Streem in 38 / 42 cm width. They flare about 5° on the hoods and 10° in the drops.
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Anecdotally, for road/gravel/messing around on singletrack, i’ve found overall width more important that flare - i’m as happy on a 44 straight bar as a 42 flare off-road. I’ll be swapping my deda gravel bars for some wider zipp sl80 (my favourite bar) next time I change bar tape. I find having squared-up shoulders quite important for comfort and control, and preventing neck pain.
If we’re talking flare, then somewhere around 6-10 degrees seems to work well for mixed use, as long as the flare begins below the shifter mount point. Once things get wider, they get a bit weird, unless you’re in a more upright position and mooching around on a monstercross bike - i found wider flares work better when your arms are coming down from above than when theyre coming in from behind, if that makes sense?
@Lyrebird_Cycles_Mark_Kelly Roadie at heart, but I’ll ride anything with wheels, I’ve spent a lot of time on flat and moustache bars in the past
Keyboard, changing table and cargo bike in that order. But in my heart, road and “gravel”.
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With widely flared bars, I can’t understand how anyone finds it comfortable to ride on the hoods when the entire shift/brake levers are canted out as they are on bars that flare above the lever mounting point. The rider is essentially riding on the outboard corners of the hoods, rather than on the flat-ish top surface. That discomfort, combined with what I feel is having to make an unnatural bend of the wrists to reach levers that are already canted, doesn’t make sense to me.
I should state that gravel in my neck of the woods is typically relatively shallow and easily navigable. My bike is set up more like a road bike because of this.
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Guess you love ‘em or hate ‘em. When I tried a (moderately) flared bar, I preferred the feeling in the drops - haven’t changed back since.
Surprised to read how so many people have trouble reaching their brakes in the drops. Are my hands that big? Apart from control, drops seems the safest because my hands are locked in and can’t bounce off, like they could on the hoods. Braking in the drops no issue at all.
Edit: all-road, cobbles, euro-gravel and the occasional Alpine descent are my terrain.
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I’m in the drops for descending on my CX bike, as per every single picture of Katie Compton ever. Better control on bumpy descents, and no chance that a random bump jolts the bar out of your hands.
I am nowhere near as thoughtful or skilled as Adam Myerson, but this is the use case for me.
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I hated the thought of flared handlebars when gravel bikes and parts were still being worked out. But after I got a set of PRO with a 20 degree flare, I’ve absolutely love them. I feel more stable when descending, and the position of the hoods are better. PRO Discover Alloy 20 Handlebar | Pro Bikegear
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Andrew,
Adam Myerson and I, between the two of us, have 6 CX national championships on our palmares. So I can say with the gravity of that statement that I don’t always agree with him. For instance, the whole “left unclip before right unclip on non-drive-side dismounts. Rubbish, I say. So those of us who like to ride in the drops in CX can do so with our heads held high. [grin]
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+1 on this bar shape. Works for me as well.
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Flare can be in two planes, one been degree from vertical and the second being degree from forward line of bike. I love the former, and hate the latter.
Then there is the radius of the hooks, and where the shape places the brake lever in relation to the hook.
I love flared bars for gravel (Venturemax specifically), as when in the drops they provide a more secure hold and lower centre of gravity, with slightly better leverage against the front wheel being knocked off line, while in the hoods I keep a narrower, more comfortable for covering the miles position. Reaching the brake levers in the hooks is no problem, and I have small hands.
Flared bars are absolutely not marketing BS. I now have them on my road bike too (albeit with not so much flare).
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