Would a gravel handlebar become annoyng in a race?
04-06-23, 01:48 PM
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Would a gravel handlebar become annoyng in a race?
As the tittle said, a specific gravel handlebar with flare , can be bothering during a criterium race when the group is very compact?
Any other cons to have a gravel specific one?
The gavel geometry would make it interesting...
Any other cons to have a gravel specific one?
The gavel geometry would make it interesting...
04-06-23, 02:01 PM
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Most gravel bars put your hands out wider (when you're in the drops) than traditional drop bars, so there is that aero penalty.
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04-06-23, 02:09 PM
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It seems it would depend on whether the flare makes the gravel bars narrow on the top, or wider in the drops.
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04-06-23, 02:16 PM
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If I were surrounded by a dozen others all packed tight and jockeying for position, wider would clearly be worse. That seems pretty obvious- wider bars have a higher chance of getting caught on another rider's bike or body.
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04-06-23, 02:17 PM
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If you size the gravel bars to be the same width in the drops as your road bars, you get an aero advantage when on the hoods. Black Inc is now selling a flared integrated bar/stem intended for road use (Froome-endorsed). This is something I would like to do on my road bike, but I'm not willing to scrap my current carbon integrated bar/stem.
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04-06-23, 02:26 PM
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I'd worry about the wider drop hooking another's handlebars while I'm on the hoods. Ugly and six riders down. Someone hitting you and then flipping. Very unlikely to be a minor "pretty" crash. We were taught to ride with our elbows out precisely to prevent that from happening but moving your hands in while leaving the widest part of the bar out there nullifies some of that protection.
Now, if you always ride the drops when in close quarters and the hoods only for aero benefit when you are chasing or at the front, go for it. Just stay off those hoods when you are around me.
Now, if you always ride the drops when in close quarters and the hoods only for aero benefit when you are chasing or at the front, go for it. Just stay off those hoods when you are around me.
04-06-23, 03:07 PM
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Perfect. I'll pass on gravel handlebar now.
ohh right the aero penalty too
ohh right the aero penalty too
04-06-23, 06:12 PM
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I’ve got flared bars on our gravel tandem, which sees road and off road use( switching out wheels as the terrain dictates) The flare in the drops is nice off road, particularly when we ride tougher terrain, including some moderate single track.
When we ride on the road, I would prefer more traditional bars. So imho it depends on your intended use.
When we ride on the road, I would prefer more traditional bars. So imho it depends on your intended use.
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04-06-23, 06:30 PM
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Nope. I use the cervelo carbon gravel bar on my crit bike. flare is handy in the sprints.
Edit: What kind of flare are we talking? The cervelo gravel bars is a slight flare. The new madone has a flare as well. I wouldn’t want to race a crit with woodchippers or something extreme.
04-06-23, 06:33 PM
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A great place to have two "cockpits". Two fully made up bars, brake levers/shifters, tape etc. Perhaps with Ritchie style disconnects on the brake and derailleur cables. I do this on my good fix gear but it's a little simpler. Quill stems. I leave the brakes set up with their calipers as part of the cockpit so swapping means just pulling the stem and unbolting the calipers. 5 minutes.
04-06-23, 06:45 PM
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04-06-23, 06:48 PM
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Doesn't seem to have bothered Pogacar on the narrow Belgian roads.
The Enve aero bar design incorporates a flared drop, with Pogačar’s particular size offering a 37 cm width at the hoods and 42 cm on the drops.
The Enve aero bar design incorporates a flared drop, with Pogačar’s particular size offering a 37 cm width at the hoods and 42 cm on the drops.
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04-06-23, 07:50 PM
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Doesn't seem to have bothered Pogacar on the narrow Belgian roads.
The Enve aero bar design incorporates a flared drop, with Pogačar’s particular size offering a 37 cm width at the hoods and 42 cm on the drops.
The Enve aero bar design incorporates a flared drop, with Pogačar’s particular size offering a 37 cm width at the hoods and 42 cm on the drops.
don’t really think those are the kind of gravel bars that the OP was talking about.
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04-06-23, 10:13 PM
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Doesn't seem to have bothered Pogacar on the narrow Belgian roads.
The Enve aero bar design incorporates a flared drop, with Pogačar’s particular size offering a 37 cm width at the hoods and 42 cm on the drops.
The Enve aero bar design incorporates a flared drop, with Pogačar’s particular size offering a 37 cm width at the hoods and 42 cm on the drops.
04-06-23, 11:20 PM
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Mostly commenting on the flared part. But a bar like the Zipp XPLR has a 6mm difference in width between hoods and drops, a whopping 1mm more than the Enves. So one is obviously gravel flare and the other road...
04-07-23, 09:16 AM
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Nope. I use the cervelo carbon gravel bar on my crit bike. flare is handy in the sprints.
Edit: What kind of flare are we talking? The cervelo gravel bars is a slight flare. The new madone has a flare as well. I wouldn’t want to race a crit with woodchippers or something extreme.
Edit: What kind of flare are we talking? The cervelo gravel bars is a slight flare. The new madone has a flare as well. I wouldn’t want to race a crit with woodchippers or something extreme.
04-07-23, 10:04 AM
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