Flared/angled drop bars

[Twilkes]

Looking for some cheapish drop bars, maybe 40cm at the hoods and 44cm at the end of the drops, with the shifters at whatever angle from vertical this would imply. Any recommendations? I struggle to 'visualise' handlebars from online pictures and LBSs won't have much round here.

Is there a difference between such bars where the drops still point directly backwards i.e. 6 o'clock but are set wider than the hoods, versus those pointing back at an angle i.e. 7 o'clock and 5 o'clock? I only know the term 'flared', not sure whether that covers both these scenarios. edit: the latter might be termed 'outsweep', not sure if that's standard usage though.

 

[chriswoody]

Hopefully this diagram gives you a bit of an idea about the terms used to measure the different parts of a bar.

I recently bought a set of Salsa Cowchipper bars which are good value for money, and like you I found It was an absolute pig of a job to find all of the relevant dimensions. My Cowchippers are 500mm at the hoods, with a 24 degree flare and 600mm overall width.

Bear in mind with 400mm at the hoods, it won't need much flare to bring it out to 440mm at the drops.

The Cowchippers would most likely be too flared for your needs, though the Woodchippers which come in a 400mm width, and a more subtle flare of 12 degrees might be worth considering?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

These have a shallow flare and drop and come back quite a bit. Means you can go from tops to drops without changing body angle. Holding drops when on a bit of off road works just great.

https://www.geneticbikes.com/shop/products/handlebars/road/flare-bars/

 

[Twilkes]

Hopefully this diagram gives you a bit of an idea about the terms used to measure the different parts of a bar.
View attachment 634712

I recently bought a set of Salsa Cowchipper bars which are good value for money, and like you I found It was an absolute pig of a job to find all of the relevant dimensions. My Cowchippers are 500mm at the hoods, with a 24 degree flare and 600mm overall width.

Bear in mind with 400mm at the hoods, it won't need much flare to bring it out to 440mm at the drops.

The Cowchippers would most likely be too flared for your needs, though the Woodchippers which come in a 400mm width, and a more subtle flare of 12 degrees might be worth considering?

Thanks, even just that suggestion helps, at the moment it's like I'm in The Land Of A Thousand Cheeses and all I've ever known is cheddar.

It's mainly to try to get the hoods slightly narrower while keeping some width in the drops, I don't really need massive gravel leverage. Will see what I can find, worth a punt if they're not too expensive.

 

[Twilkes]

These have a shallow flare and drop and come back quite a bit. Means you can go from tops to drops without changing body angle. Holding drops when on a bit of off road works just great.

https://www.geneticbikes.com/shop/products/handlebars/road/flare-bars/

They look ideal thanks, never would have found those!

 

[Twilkes]

This site is also helping: https://bikepacking.com/index/gravel-bars/

 

[chriswoody]

Those bars that @Ming the Merciless has linked to looks perfect and what's impressed me is the dimensions chart which takes all of the guesswork out of it, why can't all manufacturers provide this info?

 

[Twilkes]

Those bars that @Ming the Merciless has linked to looks perfect and what's impressed me is the dimensions chart which takes all of the guesswork out of it, why can't all manufacturers provide this info?

Are you happy with the bars though, did you get what you thought you were getting?

 

[figbat]

The main benefit I found switching from vertical drops to a slight flare (12° on mine) was how much easier it made reaching the brake levers when holding the drops. I rarely use the drops off-road for ‘leverage’ but the brake thing I benefit from a lot.

 

[chriswoody]

Are you happy with the bars though, did you get what you thought you were getting?

The Cowchippers?

Yes they're a popular upgrade for gravel bikes so there are lots of reviews and info around, so I was fairly sure what I was getting. However, not all of the dimensions were easy to find before hand. In use they have been fantastic, really improved the low speed handling of the bike as well as the increased all day comfort from the flare and shape of the drops.

I do have quite specific needs though, brought about by the type of places I ride and the bike I choose to ride. The width and flare really isn't for everyone.

That said, the stock bars on my gravel bike had a 12° flare and that was great for normal road riding, I'm almost tempted to pop them onto my Bamboo bike actually.

 

[netman]

Planet-x have a couple of options that might suit, priced rather well...
https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/HBSESTE/selcof-sterrato-flared-gravel-handlebar
https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/HBOOBB/on-one-brian-handlebar

 

[Twilkes]

These have a shallow flare and drop and come back quite a bit. Means you can go from tops to drops without changing body angle. Holding drops when on a bit of off road works just great.

https://www.geneticbikes.com/shop/products/handlebars/road/flare-bars/

I ended up buying these exact bars - I went from 44cm bars to 40cm measured at the hoods and slightly wider than 44 at the end of the drops, most drops riding will still be within the 44cm zone though. A test ride showed that it didn't really feel too groundbreaking but I think that's a good thing, any narrower or a wider flare would have been too much for me. The hoods are angled in slightly but not that noticeably, except the lever throws on the drops seem closer and more accessible, which is nice. (the original bars may have been 44cm edge to edge rather than centre to centre, so the difference wasn't as much as expected but still feels like the right width regardless.

Almost incidentally, the different shape of the drops means my biggish hand fits in the front of them much more comfortably so I'll likely be using them much more.

Top bars are the Genetics, bottom are the original Boardman bars, socks are by Marks & Spencer.