Gravel bikes are surging in popularity, and dirt-specific flared drop bars are following suit. Not only are gravel bars becoming wider, they’re getting added flare, outsweep, and other dirt-friendly features. Best of all, there are now quite a few options on the market. Find details about how to understand all the nuances of flared drop-bars here, as well as a list of nearly 40 gravel bars with specs, photos, and reviews....

compose Logan Watts

time Jan 7, 2020

comment 108

With more and more people using “road” bikes for a variety of off-pavement pursuits, bike parts are quickly evolving to fit those needs. One such component—and perhaps the one experiencing the most fluctuation and innovation at the moment—are drop-handlebars, aka flared drop bars, gravel bars, or dirt-drops. This style of handlebar is quite useful, and the range of options and variations can be mind boggling. In this Gear Index guide, we’ll outline the terms that define these bars, how to differentiate among them, and the relative advantages of each. We’ve also compiled a full list of gravel bars with complete specs and loads of photos—and some that have been reviewed.

Why Gravel Bars?

The most convincing reason to upgrade from a traditional road handlebar to a more specialized off-road drop bar is control and stability. In short, the consensus is that having wider bars with drops that flare outward—among other tweaks—provides more control when compared to bars designed for standard road cycling, which were originally engineered for speed and efficiency. Additional width creates a more natural position for most people (especially mountain bikers) and adds stability and leverage while climbing and descending in the hoods. And considering that most people keep their hands in the drops while negotiating steep, loose, off-camber, or more technical surfaces, shallower, flared, and outswept drop extensions offer more control in this position.

A Brief History of Dirt Drops and Gravel Bars Who came up with these types of bars? It all started back in the ‘80s when early mountain bike pioneers began retrofitting and modifying their road bikes to ride off-road. Bigger tires were added and drop-bars were ridden in the hooks (or drops) because the old road hoods weren’t that comfy or stable. They were also quite narrow, so early visionaries started bending the hooks on road handlebars outward to provide more leverage and stability. Thus, flare was born. Fast forward a few years and WTB collaborated with Specialized Bicycles to create the RM-2, a wing-shaped, dirt-drop handlebar that became one of the first production bars in this genre. Due to lack of mass adoption, they were discontinued in the early ‘90s and became sought after by diehards. Those who happened to find one had to pay an arm and a leg for it. Later, UK-based On One released the Midge Bar, which kept this oddball niche alive for a few more years. Fast forward to 2009 and the Salsa Woodchipper would usher in the second and most significant wave: gravel bars, which are technically more of a happy medium between the dramatically shaped dirt-drops of old and modern road handlebars. Over the last few years, the floodgates have opened and there are dozens of options on the market with new innovations and tweaks appearing almost monthly.

Measuring Flared Drop-bars

Flare is a term used to define the predominant feature that distinguishes dirt and gravel drop-bars from traditional road handlebars. Technically speaking, flare represents the angle at which the bottom of the drop is flared outward from the top of the bar at the bend that forms the drop. For example, a 29° flare (as used in the diagram) has a pretty dramatic outward angle to the drop. In contrast, traditional road handlebars mostly have 0° of flare and the drops fall in a vertical and perpendicular orientation to the horizontal bar at the top. All of the bars discussed here will have some amount of flare. Another term often confused with flare is outsweep. While flare is created by rotating the entire drop outward, outsweep is created by angling the drop extension vertically outward just below the brake perch.

Bar Width

Drop bar widths are almost always referenced as the width from hood to hood. This may vary slightly, but is often the top of the bend at the drop transition. Most manufacturers specify the full width as well—from end to end—but for comparison and standardization, we’ll focus on the width between the hoods. When available, we’ll also specify the end-to-end width as Full Width.

Drop Drop is the vertical distance from the horizontal stem clamp area to the bottom of the bar’s drop extension. A larger drop (>120mm) pulls the rider downward into a more aero position. A shallower drop (<120mm) might be considered more comfortable and easier to transition in and out of. Also note that many modern gravel bars have a less rounded "hook" shape to create a dominant drop grip. Reach Reach is how far the handlebar extends forward from the stem clamp area. When in the drop position, a longer reach (>80mm) pulls the rider forward into more of an aggressive and speedier aero stance. A shorter reach (<75mm) might be considered more comfortable and provides more control when riding on off-road and dirt surfaces. Backsweep and Rise Sweep and rise aren’t as prevalent in gravel drop bars, barring a few of the more creative options. For example, the Curve Walmer offers a 3° sweep, angling the bars back to make their wide stance more accessible. The Crust Towel Rack also adds both an upsweep and rise, making them one of the more eccentric options on the market.

Ultra-wide Drop Bars If it had to be named, the latest chapter in the evolution of off-road drop-bars would probably be called the widening. There’s no doubt that gravel bars (and drop-bars in general) have been getting wider for a while. Just as trail mountain bike bars are inching up to 820mm in width these days, drop-bars are also pushing new limits, upward of 750mm! There’s a lot to love about this trend. For one, wider means even more leverage and control. Wider drop-bars also allow more room for mounting accessories, and create more packing space between the drops for handlebar bags—a big reason why standard width bars are limiting for bikepacking. Widths over 440mm are crucial, and widths over 460mm are becoming the norm. How about Ultra-wide? There are a handful of new off-road drop-bars that measure over 500mm at the drops. One of the founding fathers of this new trend is Ronnie Romance, aka @ultraromance, who quietly announced his 666.666mm “leather bar” back in 2015. It was later reworked and released as the Crust Towel Rack, with a max width of 675mm at the drops. More recently, the Curve Walmer Bar hit the streets with the largest size measuring in at a whopping 750mm at the drops, giving it the “widest drop bar in the world endorsement” from Ultraromance himself. As Ronnie put it, “Narrow drop bars will only be a memory for riders like us in a few years.” After riding some of these bars, we think he might be right.

List of Gravel Bars and Flared drop-bars

Now that we’ve covered the ins and outs, here’s our complete list of gravel bars and flared drop bars. Note that all of these bars have a little bit of flare or something unique that makes them well suited for off-road use. Like our other Gear Index lists, find the ones we’ve tested toward the top of the list with a “T” icon. You can then expand each one to find more specs, photos, weights, links, and details.

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Gravel Bars Wrap Up / Editor’s Choice Having spent well over a year on this guide, I’ve had the chance to see, photograph, and try a lot of bars. There are definitely a few that rose to the top. My first love was the Cowchipper; it seems to hit a sweet spot with a shallow-ish 116mm drop, 68mm reach, and a well-thought out blend of curves and angles. Prior to that, I simply found the Woodchipper to be a little too much. My three predominant hand placements (in this order) are just behind the hoods resting on the curves, on the hoods, and in the drops. The Woodchipper didn’t really work for me in any of those positions. That being said, I think one problem was that it simply wasn’t wide enough. Once I discovered wider bars, my tastes changed and I quickly realized why it’s becoming a trend. Not only do wider bars offer much more control off road, they open up your chest and provide additional hand real estate. Not to mention, the space between the drops allow a much wider berth for bags and gear. So now I have a few new favorites. One is the 48mm Enve G-Series bar, which is near perfect in its ergonomics, widths, and angles. Another is the Crust Shaka Bar. It has less flare and a deeper drop, but the width and feel of it are excellent. I am also looking forward to trying the new Curve Walmer and just released PNW Coast, both of which are very wide and look to have some interesting angles and ergonomics.

Of course, there are a lot of others that we didn’t try. After all, if we were to mount, wrap, and review every permutation on the market, it might take a lifetime. With that, we tried to include as many bars as possible that fit into the gravel bars and flared category, without overwriting on exact duplicates or including bars that are hands-down road-oriented. With that said, please let us know if you’ve come across any related bars that are standout options and we’ll consider them for the reference list.

Interested in alternative MTB bars, be sure to check out our Index of Comfort/Alt/Sweep Mountain Bike Bars.