An emerging trend in gravel bikes right now is using flat handlebars in place of the usual drop bars. The claimed benefits are what you’d expect: with more leverage for your hands, the idea here is that you’ve got more control when things get particularly rowdy, and that the bikes are more fun to ride as a result.
Adding bar width sounds like an easy win in those situations, and mountain bikers will certainly attest that even a few millimeters can make a big difference in terms of how much you can toss a bike around on a trail. However, swapping a drop bar for a flat one brings with it downsides as well as upsides, namely in terms of reach. Given that most modern drop bars have reach dimensions around 65-80 mm - and all flat bars actually have some degree of rearward sweep - that means just trading one for the other without altering anything else makes for an awfully short effective reach.
Do you know what other bikes feature flat handlebars, short frame reach, and cramped cockpits? Old mountain bikes.
Our Field Test group bike tests are by no means paid events, but they’re still only possible with some outside support.
CyclingTips would like to thank the following sponsors for this round of the Field Test:
Rudy Project
rudyproject.com/
Pearl Izumi
pearlizumi.com/
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
sierranevada.com/
Lead Out Gear
leadoutgear.com/
Park Tool
parktool.com/
14 окт 2024
