Flared VS Narrow Handlebars: Which Are Right For You? | Cycling Weekly

Flared handlebars. They’ve been widely adopted in the gravel riding world, with the wider stance providing greater control on technical terrain-as well as the secondary benefit of getting your hands out the way of your bar bag.
But are we missing trick by not putting them on our road bikes? Let’s find out.
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[@PanSkrzetuski]

I haven't tried flared bars yet, but as a racer, I like the idea of a narrow riding position on the hoods and a much wider place to grab when sprinting.

[@vermonthillsumc]

Great video. Thank you.

[@kipcc3918]

Using Easton AX. Comfort wise, It’s the best bike decision I made. 42cm on top flaring to 44cm the drop, compact. Aero wise, not the best, But gave me more confidence while using the drops.

[@JoeGunawanfotosiamo]

Got the ENVE SES Aero with 39cm hood and 44cm drop and loving it so far. I do think it does help with being more aero up top and more controllable in the descent.

[@jmac74]

A Bowman Palace 3! That is a great bike. Love mine😉

[@phoebetan7519]

I love my Zipp SL-70 XPLR on my gravel bike. The curves somehow makes it very easy to reach the brake levers in the drops. Important for someone with small hands... I'm actually thinking about trialling in on my road bike...

[@crispinwilliams6636]

Had this exact conversation with a friend on the bike today. I think it is the future!

[@tobycolin6271]

The future my arse we had them in the 50s and again in the 70s it’s a fashion that comes and goes. Just like bike packing, 11/4 or 13/8 road tyres (sorry 30 and 32mm) 650 wheels flex no pivot rear triangles the list goes on.

[@jimhinks3476]

Or it could be to 2020s bikes what bar ends were to mountain bikes: ubiquitous for a while then disappeared.

[@ltrtg13]

I have gravel bars on my road bike. I went from a 44cm to my current 42 cm Prime Kanza gravel handlebar. They have a 125mm drop, 75mm reach,16° flare and a 20mm rise. It also has a a more aero tops. They were twitchy when I first used then and got out of the saddle for about 10 seconds. I am now used to them and can "comfortably" climb out of the saddle. If that's even possible.

[@Sir-Prizse]

I have been riding the Specialized Short Reach bars for half a year and bought 3 of them straight away because I am absolutely thrilled... Not only do they massively reduce the reach, allowing me to ride a longer stem which is more visually appealing, but they have a minimal flair so that the 40 cm bar is 42 cm wide in the drops and that fits perfectly with my position. That way I have enough leverage when sprinting and I can make myself nicely narrow in the hoods.

[@mstojanovic9]

That's a nice Bowman Palace there

[@SHWELL11]

I have been considering the Flared option as i am new to the Road Cycle world (Really new, 2 weeks of riding daily). Been considering a Gravel bike as well..

[@tobycolin6271]

We used flared bars back in the 70s. Bike packing was how people went on their holidays in the 50s, 60s and 70s. There is nothing new just watch carry on camping for some tech tips. 13/8 multi surface tyres,flared bars and bar end or stem shifting.

[@lucfournier8222]

great vidéo !

[@robertphillips3078]

Purchased a new set of Specialized Carbon Aero2 Bars. Fabulous 👀👀 & gr8 2 rest on. Problem is on the drops out of the saddle my lower forearms just above my wrists become jammed. It's very uncomfortable. Head stem lenght is perfect. Set up is spot on. Wish they were flared like these bars. I could try a 10mm longer head set 2 👀👀 what happens 😀😀🚴🏼‍♂️🚴🏼‍♂️

[@iamlyam79]

What about something like the Easton EA50 AX / EC70 AX? They come in 40cm and have a 16 degree flare. I have them on my all-road/gravel bike and love them.

[@calummackinnon5530]

Getting a lot of ulnar nerve irritation on my flared gravel bars. Still tweaking but can't quiet figure it out.

[@jonathan_f2]

I prefer flared bars on my road bike, mainly because I'm a climber and can really leverage the bars on the uphill. On sketchy downhill descents on rough fire roads with loose sand/gravel/debris, flared bars give way better control in these conditions.

[@tomrachellesfirstdance7843]

I had a fixie which came with 38s and I couldn't get out the saddle as well when climbing you cannot get the same leverage when swinging your bike side to side.

[@chanchaneslita1090]

Is this with a flared bar or the narrow one

[@endianAphones]

400mm, 16 degree flare here. It's what came with the bike, but I like it. Maybe could do with slightly less flare. That zipp bar sounds good for me.

[@arisgemino]

I optimized my aero position by cutting back on beer

[@papitoimperialista]

I have pro discover 42 with 12° flare in my road bike and it has been a totally different feel for what I've been using before, it's compact, comfortable and very very light, don't really know if it's super aero but I feel confident sprinting on the drops and rinding it overall

[@mahonah]

I have flared bars on my gravel bike and normal drop bars on my road bike and I will absolutely state that the flared bars are much more comfortable to ride with. Even after saying that, I still don't think I would change to flared bars on my road bike as I don't have any issues with using normal drop bars on it and I prefer the look of it.

[@24jessjess]

What size is the frame?

[@hornet224]

The most important take is that 85% of the wind resistance is from the body. Bar width, flare and profile is inconsequential within reason. What is more important is space on the bar for my accessories.

[@wazzup105]

I don't race and found that I couldn't comfortably ride in the drops.. so I just installed a moderate flare "gravel" handlebar and first ride felt immediately much better (even without bartape :-) ) NB: When I want to be aero I use my TT-aerobars.

[@Likelybiking]

I personally love them all around. My road bike now has some 48cm flared bars.

[@Likelybiking]

But I also don’t care much about performance.

[@ilanpi]

You did not mention "flaring the brakes hoods," that is, angling the brake hoods inwards. I have 36cm Deda handlebars and the centers of my brake hoods are at 31cm.

[@patrickparisienne1917]

I angle the hoods in on both my flared bars, and striaight drop bars. Ergonomically much better👌

[@rolandoinductivo8013]

slightly flared and narrow here. 38cm on top 40cm at the drops 👍

[@Jman-eg9zp]

A modest flare on the drops to me just makes so much sense, as long as the hoods stay in a neutral or near nuetral position

[@tccycling]

I have Enve SES Aero bars on my road bike. They are 37cm at the hoods, 42cm in the drops. They are amazing. Once you try them, you'll never go back.

[@nelsdale1137]

Do you descend only in the drops? I have an alloy 42cm on a 56cm bike but wonder if 37 in hoods is too narrow. Just worried about twitchiness.

[@tccycling]

@@nelsdale1137 I was worried about that too, but when I got them they feel amazing. I think you should be in the drops for a fast descent no matter what. But, I do fast group rides all the time, and tucking in on the hoods is perfect, as well as just Z2 riding. And it's so nice to have a wider grip for sprinting/descending. It's hard to explain, but once you try them, I bet you'll want flared bars on all your bikes.

[@Fanaleds-software]

I love how roadies almost make it about aero. While these are made for comfort and better handling.

[@djdelarosa25]

I prefer non-flared bars but rather, my hoods angled inward slightly (like Alaphilippe).

[@johnoliverm6541]

I already have 1 on my newly build RB. I thought it was a mistake but it seems to be the next trend.

[@buster.keaton]

Knowing that being in the drops isn't the most aero position, I'd be fine if my road bars didn't have drops at all. I ride on the hoods, which are angled inwards, most of the time and on the tops when climbing.

[@Astroboytoy]

It's all about comfortability

[@derrickmurray3782]

Pro flared bars have a moderate flare and have been around ages as have Ritchey Ergomax bars. Nothing much new here

[@lekobiashvili945]

I'm not against bars having wider drop section in principle. It's just that putting the shifters tilted sideways is ridiculous. They are not designed to be used like that and I find this position very uncomfortable. It's uncomfortable to rest on them, it's uncomfortable to twist your hands to use the levers too. The hood is the most used position after all and should be top priority.

[@gregutz4284]

How so? Stick your arm straight out, what's more comfortable, hand straight on in "handshake" or slightly rotated inward?

[@pierssamson4069]

Main problem is the chimney on that bike

[@iancuk]

Can't wait for UCI to ban it on grand tour 🤣

[@danielsepulveda912]

42 and 40 are fine from my non pro perspective

[@ricogallegos7456]

This bike was really easy to assemble kzbin.infoUgkxMesz3KOGEmwmvyKQfLfrRSUXLFzfVHZA and required very few adjustments out of the box. The wheels did not require any truing/adjustments. The frame had some small scratches, but nothing major.I did replace the seat though - the seat it came with was very uncomfortable. The tires need to be re-inflated every 4-5 days, but this appears to be quite common for the narrow 700x25 tires.Overall, in my opinion, this bike looks and rides like a much more expensive bike.

[@del4189]

Does it really matter, just use whatever your'e happy with 👍

[@johnreeves25]

I just don’t like flared bars, I even have road bars on my gravel bike.

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

Finally a person with taste!

[@coachrobwille4176]

These bars are nothing new been around on touring road bikes since the 70s, a narrow flat bar with a clip on is always going to be best

[@jojojo8835]

But the flare is nowhere near the brake levers- when I need steering stability I also need to brake!

[@nickathos7428]

Check out satori x race aero

[@gregmorrison7320]

I'll stick with 38's on my road bikes and 40's on my gravel bike, personally I don't get the flared bars thing.

[@MrAHayes]

what's a 'road bike' ?

[@thebr0wnhornet]

It’s like a gravel bike with smooth skinny tires

[@carvi1129]

@@thebr0wnhornet nail it!!

[@MrJob91]

for people that enjoy riding a normal bike none of this matters

[@lexington476]

I'll pass, I'll stick with my 44cm shallow drop straight road bars.

[@harvrenalds3887]

That chimney standing proud is the biggest problem here🤢😖

[@terryjenner2156]

super-offensive smokestack on that bike next to the presenter. GCN is not going to give the owner a cowbell for that.

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

I understand angling-in the brake hoods for better ergonomics, don't understand over-angling them in for (supposed) better aerodynamics because you have to bend your wrists into a particularly uncomfortable position for braking. And why TF do so many not care how their bike looks? Those high-flare bars plus double-wrapped bar tape and over-angled brake hood look utterly stupid. People who ride with such a set-up probably also steal lunch money from little children.

[@overland_adventure_nz]

Why would any Roadie ride a road bike with any handlebars narrower then 48cm? It's just unsafe and making bike handling harder.

[@mt24Carson]

I ride w/38mm (moved down from 40mm) I really like the compact feel to the more narrow bars.

[@Fixin-To]

38-44 is std range.

[@overland_adventure_nz]

@@mrnobodyplays147 so with a 42cm handlebars it restrict breathing for climbing and making bike handling harder. On my adventure bike I found and ride 52cm but for all round riding the new 48cm dropbars are great at long last road bikes are comfortable

[@K.D.B23]

48cm 🤣🤣🤣🤣 you must look like a child riding a adults bike 🤣🤣🤣

[@overland_adventure_nz]

@@mrnobodyplays147 Hi a good number of dropbars are made now, in sizes from 46cm, 48cm, 50cm, 52cm, 55cm an 60cm. Back is the 1980's MTB's had narrow widths of 560mm and now normal widths are narrow 720mm to 850mm. It's about riding for fun now and not about fashion like road cycling has been for decades.