Gravel Bars: How Wide Should You Go?
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- Опубликовано: 12 сен 2024
- In this video, Neil shares some thoughts on the growing trend of wide gravel bars. Learn about all the features commonly found on these bars, why they work well for off-road cycling and bikepacking, and what factors you should consider when choosing gravel drop bars of your own. For a full list of option, check out our Gear Index: bikepacking.co...
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This year I changed from "ergonomic" standard 42cm drop bars on my Surly disc trucker to RITCHEY VENTURE MAX 44CM. (I had seriously considered all the wide handlebars from salsa and Velo Orange, etc, so this is a real winner) I used to ride on the hoods almost all the time, but with these widely flared bars handlebars, I find that I ride on the drops at least 80% of the time. This is really great on tour, so I can just really relax by supporting my body weight through all of my arms and shoulders and get off of only my hands. The angle that the Ritchey VentureMax bars flare out is truly ergonomic and natural feeling to me. I also find that they give me good control to manage my heavy load and bike when I'm touring long distance.
Have you changed your reach, i.e. stem?
I tried a 500mm wide flared bar on my gravel bike and I'm not a fan, I really like to have my shoulder aligned with the drops, I find it much more comfortable for the long 8h+ rides I like to do, having the shoulders opened for hours is a recipee for forearm tendonitis.
So i rolled back to a 26° flared 420mm wide with a somewhat compact drop. I really like the flare for decent packing setup in front and the stability on technical terrain.
Only problems I had with the flare compared to standard road bars are the loss in aerodynamics while decending (but who cares really ...) and some pain in my pinkie fingers starting from the third day of a 230km/day bikepacking trip on mixed terrain (12-13h/day on the saddle) caused by the "hand flare" while on the hoods. Since then, I've made an habit of flexing my pinkies on rolly terrain and I haven't had that problem.
I'm at right about 6' tall with broader-than-average shoulders. I had compact 42 cm aero bars on my CX bike - and they gave me upper back, neck, and shoulder pain after minimal ride time.
I decided to put on some PNW Coast 52 cm bars and I really enjoy riding this bike now. Obviously, I'll continue to tweak things, but this swap was a massive step in the right direction. Having bars that align with my physique? Totally worth it.
Another reason for the ritchey bar, just order one, after watching your video is that when I carry rear paniers they somewhat can obscur my field of vision from my Sprintech rearview mirrors since my stock bar are 46cm, the ritchey bar at 52cm should put the mirror out there and gime a better picture of what is goin on back there.
Thanks for another awesomeness in "vidéo présentation" CHEERS
Great video! I recently changed my handlebar to a Crust Towel Rack Bar which has 645mm at full width and 520mm at bracket parts. It seemed too big for my physique, but surprisingly it didn't take long to adapt. The wider width makes it easier to swing the bike from side to side, so making steep climbing easier. Not to mention the stability of the descent on the trail. In the near future, I plan to change the 90mm stem to 70mm.
Went from a 50cm cow chipper to the 52cm venturemax xl. Love the flat section on top for long rides.
Thanks for mentioning Far Aero & the Red Shift Kitchen Sink handlebars. The Red Shift is exactly what I've been looking for but simply wasn't finding... until now!
What size RedShift? I run 42cm on my road bike … I’m wondering 44 or 47cm for 300 mile 3 day bike packing race
Loving these more recent videos. Exactly the stuff I'm looking for from youse.
From a "bike fitter" perspective, I feel I should note that for drop bars, among the worst things you can do is go too wide. As it is, most people ride wider drop bars than they should and the "super wide for gravel'bikepacking" trend is even worse. The issue with drop bars is, you really need the hood width to align with the inside of your shoulders (I'm simplifying here) otherwise, your wrists tend to droop inward off the hoods and cause a whole host of wrist and nerve issues. This came become especially pronounced on the longer types of rides we often do.
Thanks Ruff!
I agree with this to a certain point that if this is a problem with dropbars, it will also be a problem with MTB bars which are inherently wider to begin with.
Where the disagreement starts is the notion that with the wider bars that prominent hand position will remain on the hoods where practically every dropbar bike fit measures from. If the natural hand position isn't on the hoods, you really can't assume that it will be too wide or a natural hand position outside the inside of the shoulders. Leisurely riding along for miles, one could just prefer the tops over everything and only go to the drops or hoods to shift/brake.
The foundation of discussion here is based around bikepacking and bike touring which focuses more on comfort than body mechanical performance, and more often the rider is in a much more upright position similar riding a hybrid or MTB. Of course if you're racing like Tour Divide, the approach is much different but in general the setup is far more relaxed.
@@josh33172 WTF are you talking about? We measure fit reach from the position you typically use which is the hoods 99% of the time.
Ok, my shoulders align with my road bike from bike fit at 42cm… the Red Shift Kitchen Sink bars, I’m thinking go 44cm on drops (smallest they do) should be fine for me, I feel going 47cm on drops is too wide based on your logic… which sounds spot on 👍
I was really hoping that this video would provide some general guidance on how select an appropriate size bar. For example, if you are fitted for 40cm on a road bike, then you typically would be a 42, but don't go wider than a 44.
That's what I found to be true. My road bikes are 42 and the perfect width on my gravel bike is a 44.
Great! I run the Daija/Velo Orange far bars and have been for almost 8 months now and I'm loving both the look, feel and room for my tent.
how wide do they get? they look amazing
@@lopezfielitz The widest, which I've got, are 48 cm. In the drops they're 62 cm wide.
coming from riding MTB for the last 2 decades, being used to wide flat bars i was a little unsure about width of drops i should go for. normal road drops for me are 40cm. so i tried Richey's @ 42cm, they were comfy with good control, plus they allowed me to tuck when i liked. I wanted to take things up a notch on my new bike, i thought i would go crazy wide! so a set of PNW @ 48cm, and they handle very well especially with a short stem. i would be happy to go even wider but then you are looking getting into opening the chest too much and catching the wind. of course you can go wider, but be prepared to field the scorn from your roadie friends!
They do look pretty wild when you get over 520mm, but I'm used to it now and narrow bars look weird to me. The massive Walmers do still look quite crazy though...
what tire size are you using?
I've recently bought a Ritchey Beacon 46cm for my Cannondale Slate. It has that huge 36˚ flare. I haven't mounted it yet on the bike but I've got a feeling that I will love it.
xD you should buy classy flat bar with good back sweep instead of that stupid shit (;
and then realize that all you need is not gravel bike with small fork but xc bike (;
Cheers
ps.: I once had slate, nice bike but have no sens for me (;
@@mavver Well, we'll see. If I hate it I can always chop off the drops and get myself a flat bar ;)
I’ve been using the Curve Walmer bars in the 600mm size. And it’s 750mm on the drops. I really like it! Definitely shortened the stem but so much leverage!
Just received the Coast Bar from PNW. 520mm wide, small flare and drop. Very nice feeling to it, but I won't ride for another 2-3 weeks... Bought it to build myself a cargo with drop bars in GRX :)
Went from a 42 Cowchipper which was way too small to the Curve Walmer 60, game changer although the 55 would have been ok too but that gives me more room so why not. Now I have room for my hands, attachments and my roll with room to spear to operate the brakes. Had it adjusted by a shop for perfect fit but did not need to change the stem, just lowered it and flipped it. Thinking about installing the Cowchipper on my road bike now.
Another advantage of wide bars is the ability to slap on aero bars and still being able to use the tops as a hand position. Shorter bars make that area super cramped and at times unreachable (unless you have aero bars with flip armrests, of course).
I use the flats on my 40mm wide, Integra aerobars without issue all the time
Good info NB I use carbon cowchipper 46 width on my cutty plenty of space for bar roll n comfy
I’m eye balling the 52 cow chipper, currently run curve, and spank flare in their widest sizes.. really am enjoying them, and shorter and taller stems
The Spank bars have some solid angles.
Hey David, did you end up going with the 52s? I haven’t gotten my hands on them, hard to tell if they’d be too wide for me.
@@jordanedwards892 , I’m pretty broad shouldered, and long armed, the 52 is nice of a shorter TT, can be stretch like when I played with them on my ice cream truck, I’m 6’almost 3”
I now run PNW Coast bar and stem on my Domane and it works great for me.
On my racebike I got a bikefit that advises to use 40cm top bars to keep my hands in the right position to prevent num hands on longer rides, when I did buy my gravelbikes over the last few years I went with my mesurements of my roadbike fit, MTB style hurts my back a lot :(
I got 2 gravel bikes
first for day trips fast and light I use 40cm tops and 48cm down and a drop of 12cm
second for multiday bikepakcing has 40cm and a agressief flare to 60cm and a drop of 8cm, with a heavy bike it gives nice controls in the drops and not to much areo position that you have to bent over, I realy like the small difference between the top/drop on longer rides. And offc a lot of room for a frontbag :)
On both gravel bikes I still went with a long stem 9cm to get the same reach from saddle to bar as on my road bike for comfort, again because bit more upride hurts my back on longer rides and somehow I cant get that much power out in more upride position.
I had Cowchipper 460 and didn't like them. I don't like having my hoods/levers at such an extreme angle. Now I'm using a Cowbell 440 and liking it. That said, I'm still curious to try something wider with shallower drops and only about max 20 degree flare. Too bad trying different bars is such an expensive hassle.
The PNW bars don't flare much. I have the 480's on my bike and the brake levels are positioned pretty normally. Really nice bars.
I have 2 bikes. One with a cowchipper (440mm) and one with a woodchipper (460mm) handlebar. Like them both a lot. I wouldn’t go wilder by the way.
Why not?
Just personal preference I guess. For me personally much wider than my shoulders means that I frequently hit something with the ends of my bars. Like those little poles in the middle of the cycling path or branches. But off course you can also just say I have bad steering skills 😜
Poseidon's 45cm 24º drop flare bar is perfect.
I was really hoping this gave some actual guidelines for how wide to go, as the title suggested it would, but it doesn't really. Good video, I appreciate the perspective, but I was hoping for some guidance in my decision making.
I recently bought a gravel bike which has way too wide handlebar for my shoulders. Although I can feel that my arms make this V shape, it doesn't really cause (almost?) any discomfort. I mean I can ride 100 kilometeres in one day and nothing hurts, everything is fine. That's why I'm hesitant about getting handlebar of correct width
Thanks for the video. Appreciate that you are using the metric system.
610cm is definitely too wide :)
3:19
appreciate the call out, but you're not the first, lol.
Just got some Specialized mini- risers, didn't know if i would even like them. But 780mi later, they are great . I made a flat bar gravel bike and its sweet
I'm considering doing the same thing. Downhill at a faster speed is troubling for me with the drop bars, feel way safer with my MTN bike flat bars.
But if like to keep the gearing so may have to find a cross between drop and flat bar if it's possible.
@@jillcherni8073 the Salsa cow chipper bars are good too , I really like them
@@jimbo4203 I'll check them out Jim, if I could find a flare that somewhat mimics how you hold MTN bike brakes it would be a great thing for me.
@@jillcherni8073 I like flat bars the best for sure
Just replaced the 44 cm Woodchipper 2 with Venturemax xl on my Salsa Fargo. Not sure yet if I’ll shorten the stem. I need more miles and maybe a bike fit. I do love the flatter tops and shorter drop.
I really like my Ritchey Venturemax (46cm)... but on longer trips I wish I had the wider XL version ;)
It’s an incredible bar.
I usually run the 46cm Venturemax and recently bought the 52cm XL version. The extra stability it provides is great, especially with a handlebar roll bag and fork bags. I used it with a Revelate Harness and Ortlieb 13L drybag with a fairly heavy load and it felt easier to maneuver too.
I have Salsa Woodchippers 46 currently and just ordered PNW Coastal 52. I’ll have to come back with an answer at a latter time for ya
Hey howd it go
@@Ksnsjxhdn well other than a super cold spot at the end of winter and then breaking my wrist requiring surgery and rehab.... I’ve only gotten 2 short rides in.
They were feeling great and I’m super ready to get out there! Unfortunately it probably won’t happen till midsummer or fall
I know they may not be as wide as some, but is anyone running the Ritchey Beacon? I’ve got my eye on the 46cm version.
What's up bro, greetings from Venezuela. What do you think of a handlebar with an inclination or flare of about 30 degrees, such as the Origin8 Gary Ergo Sweep handlebar.
Discussions of wider drop bars by younger riders usually leave out the ergonomic impact on the shoulders. Older riders may have issues over time.
@Steven Vanlancker More or less. I am thinking about width at the hoods and diminishing returns and possible issues with rotator cuffs. Anything too much wider than one's shoulders and one is better off with a flat bar, biomechanically as well as practically.
I run 42cm on my road bike and I’m running 46cm on my gravel bike. After loads of miles I’m in the process of shopping for some flared 44cm gravel bars. I don’t ride much single track and the width of the 46cm is causing some unnecessary numbness in my hands during prolonged periods on the hoods. Thinking about giving the ZIPP course SL XPLR bars a go. They look like a happy medium of ergo, flare, drop and width.
What you end up going for?
@@motomoto898 I went with 44cm on my adventure bike and 42cm on my cross bike. Love the XPLR bars!
I love my 50cm Ritchey Venture Max XL.
I've been riding road and mountain for a long time, and eventually settled on 44-46cm road bars and 780-800mm flat bars. I almost never use the drops on my road bikes. Even when I was young and flexible, the drops never felt as good as the hoods or tops, regardless of whether I was sprinting, climbing, cruising, whatever. Is there a drop bar for people who don't like drops?
yes, it is called BIKE FITTING :P
or bar with smallest drop you can find
Might be too late but try out ritchey's venturemax. It has a hump in its drop which fits right into the palm. It is also shown in this video at 4:00. The one in purple bar tape.
I'm shopping around... liking the specs on the fsa k- wing agx 46 or 48cm.
I think you meant the venturemax xl is a 520mm bar, not 520cm!! 🤣🤣🤣
Yep, thanks for the catch, I added some text at the bottom of the video to mention that correction.
I ride 40cm enve bars on my road/gravel bike and i'm too nervous to go to a wider bar, feel like they won't fit me well which limits my cargo carrying ability.
Is there a rule of thumb for changing stem length vs adding width to the bars? For example changing from a 44mm bar on a 100mm stem to a 52mm bar on a ???mm stem?
Also, what bar tape are you running? That pink stuff looks pretty sick.
This is a trickier question...I don't know if there is, perhaps someone else can enlighten...but here is what I understand about the synergy between bar width, stem length, fork rake & HT angle all contribute to how the handling feels.
Putting wide bars and short stem on a steep HT frame with small fork trail will lead to a super twitchy bike. Of course a slack HT and large trail number tends to make for a stable ride. a long stem will have a similar feel.
Think about the amount of force/ distance required to make the front end change direction.
So be aware of these factors when you are adjusting your fit through part replacement, that goes for forks as well, of course.
Measure the reach from say the front of the seat to the back of the hoods. When I went from 44 cm Woodchipper 2 to a 52 cm VentureMax XL, the reach grew about 10 cm. You could shorten that with a shorter stem, but I’m not sure I will because I was pretty upright before. I might also slide the seat forward. I probably need a bike fit.
I'm no pro but I have read "for every 20mm of bar width added, go 10mm shorter stem
@@XCPainter thank you
I like the wide flare, but wouldn’t want too wide at the hoods
What size RedShift Kitchen Sink… I run 42cm on my road bike (bikefittted spec) I’m wondering 44 or 47cm on hoods … for 300 mile 3 day bike packing race. I think narrow is likely better sweet spot considering the flare on drops is 55cm
Thank you for the tips.
Can I convert my regular road bike to a gravel bike?
So if a 46 width bar feels good why would I want to go to a 50 or a 52? Is wider better? What problems will I encounter going wider? I use this bike on single track.
Man idk I've never ridden drops but I'm thinking of trying just I'm getting conflicting info I think most I'm hearing is to for road bars
The flare out of your wrists on the drops isn’t something to consider as well?
That question has been bothering me for quite a wile now. My bikefitter recommended me 38 cm wide no-flair handlebars for my cyclocross bike (my shoulders are around 39cm). I went down from 42 to 38 no-flair bars and it was a very positive change, it feels great. Right now, I am building a gravel bike and I am thinking about switching a size up to 40cm dropbars with flair (considering Ritchney WCS Venturemax). I am wondering if flair and a different angle of the hoods would be still OK for me? Any recommendations? :-)
Cyclocross and gravel are very different things... One is speed and racing, the other is more adventure. So you want to go wider with gravel. Go for 42cm at least...
I’m in the same dilemma.. bike fitter suggested 40 wide for road bike which feels great but I was surprised when he suggested the same for my gravel bike.. despite everyone saying to go wider. Was thinking of the ritchey carbon venturemax. His explanation was that the width is measured differently on the ritchey and that it’s 40 at the bends and not the hoods as at the point if the hoods the bar is already slightly wider than 40. Not sure if I should listen to him or go for say 42’s.
@@motomoto898 I went for +2 cm wider (40cm) on my new gravel and couldn't be happier. I especially appreciate more space when on the drops. I would reconsider though if ritchney venturemax is a good choice, I wouldn't buy it again. This "ergo" deformation on the drops can actually be quite painful in a rough terrain, also it is difficult to find a comfy position on the drops with fingers on the levers.
I'm here, two years later, to note that the width is actually 610mm, not 610cm @3:20
Someone noted that two years ago, but much appreciated. One day RUclips
Will allow us to edit videos, lol. Cheers.
@@BIKEPACKINGcom Dangit! I'm even more late than expected
Really appreciate these videos btw, finally ordered a new wide bar after two years of procrastinating
I would like to see a bar shaped like a archers bow, and have that be supported at the corners and the middle so I have lots of options of where to put my hands. Perhaps a extra long and sweeping brake lever mounted on a area unlikely to be a good hand position.
@Michael Nice Sounds like you're looking for a Moustache bar? It's a pretty nice option if you're not happy with drop bars. Gives you plenty of hand positions and easily lets you go for a comfy but still kinda aero position in the curves or close to the stem. At the bar ends they give lots of leverage to help climbing or sprinting. Nice and relaxed handling too.
Can you recommend some bars for small women? These are great looking bars, but I have a 36 on my road bike and even going up to a 40 on my gravel bike has been really uncomfortable and the gap between my drops and the breaks is too big to be comfortable descending on single track or more technical terrain where it is supposed to make it easier!
Interesting, I would be curious to know the geo changes from your road bike to your gravel bike. If your reach is much longer on the gravel bike, there’s your answer. I would perhaps start with micro adjustments like stems before swapping out bars.
@@BIKEPACKINGcom It's actually not that different interestingly. I am 86cm from pedal to seat on both and reach is 37cm on the gravel and 38cm on the road bike which is set up quite aggressively. I have a 7cm stem on there already.
Crust towel rack is over 600mm
Just a friendly correction: when you measure the bar it's 610 milimeters, not 610 centimeters
Yeah, yeah, yeah, mistakes happen. You and a few others mentioned this in the comments.
What's the bar on the thumbnail?
Ive got a pair of salsa bars that flare but as they do i find its makes the normally flat hand position on the brake hood tops (105s) angled n uncomfortable on my palms. Anyone else get this n is there a fix?
Can anyone recommend wide drop bars that keep the hoods parallel but still have a flare? It’s my understanding that there are some bars that start the flare (or the sweep) bellow where the hoods are mounted, in order to keep the hoods parallel.
Im looking for the same thing and so far my research is pointing to the Whisky Parts Co Spano carbon bar. Here is a quote from their description: “A multistage flare-12° at the hoods and 20° through the drops-puts the hoods at an optimal angle for comfort while maximizing control through the drops”. Hope that helps. BTW, they are NOT cheap.
@@kevinbiggs3753 thanks Kevin! I’m going to check them out. If I find any other option I’ll circle back and let you know!
@@BikingZen same here, did you find another bar? Thank you
@@bibbtrack4170 I didn’t. I think I got accustomed to the salsa cow chippers and made some adjustments that I think helped. I was worried that the angle of my hands on the hoods was causing discomfort however I rotated the bar slightly forward. Which changed the bend in my wrist and hands enough to seem to alleviate my personal issue. If you finds some though I would be interested to hear!
for gear range, drop bars, tires: go as wide as you can fit
I agree with: 2 / 3 r d s of your statement.
Interesting and useful. Please precise mm and cm in your speech. I know it's hard to pass from imperial to metrics and vice-versa (personal experience). Best wishes
520mm is the same length as 52cm.
Or 52cm = 520mm.
Same same and not different 😀
any aliexpress bars?
what about 800mm on the hoods and 1 meter on the drops??
Lol
610CM?
I use a 48 Cowchipper here
i used my salsa cowchipper 46cm for a while
Tell us about it..!
Any idea if the flat or "smooshed" part of the bars offers any compliancy?
Lol, I was searching for flat, came up with smooshed. 🤪 I’m not sure as it does not mention it in on their website but I’m sure it doesn’t hurt. That bar, for an alloy bar is incredible comfortable and at $100 it’s a great value.
No comment on aerodynamics? Or is that not a thing in gravel
I would say for 98% of folks bikepacking, it's really not a concern.
610cm thats pretty wide....
Yeah 6,1m is wide. You could fit a bar roll with your whole household🤔.
No acctually keep up the interesting vids!
😃
some bitchin bars .. thanks . are you in the Los angeles area . i surly could use your advise .
hey, mm not cm 😉
But nice video
Yep, I know.
610 CMs? 🤣
What a load of marketing bs. Why not buy a mountainbike if you want wide bars, suspension, dropper and so on?
Because there are routes like the GDMBR where you really don’t need an over built mountain bike but wide bars are a big help when you do encounter the infrequent technical bits. It’s not BS it just sounds like they are not for you. Thanks for tuning in, BW.
Also , when on those flatter sections spinning my 48/11 gets me a lot further faster .
When he mentioned,"collective"..
I stopped watching 😕
Can’t win them all over. 👋🏼