Flared & Riser Gravel Handlebar: The Surly Truck Stop Bar Review

[@mtbmike1328]

Thanks for this very useful review. Just went from a 56cm Domane to a 54 Checkpoint and need more rise. Fellow SAFFA who came to Park City mid 80's and been riding ever since!

[@pullersinc.848]

Had my Truckstops for a couple months now....best bar ever.

[@darioreid244]

A tip : watch series at Flixzone. I've been using it for watching a lot of movies during the lockdown.

[@franklinjosue4919]

@Dario Reid Yea, I have been using Flixzone} for since december myself :D

[@elijahcory4848]

@Dario Reid Definitely, been using flixzone} for months myself :)

[@BrianRPaterson]

Ace review. I tracked down the text review also. Just what I wanted to know. Much appreciated. Cheers

[@godfellas483]

Loved the video. Great content. The commercials were dreadful...You-Tube lets anything on their platform...Time to search out another

[@PlaystationTechDad]

Thanks will try this on my canyon grail, it has a super low stack 556 for the same size as you

[@matthewreeves5843]

Same boat. My Grizl has a lower stack than my old endurace

[@lovenottheworld5723]

They look good head on and also looking down on them. That's the main thing.

[@Grunge_Cycling]

That's why I love Giant for giving us a M/L option

[@MountainRoadRide]

Very true. I rode a Giant TCR Advanced for a number of years - in the M/L size.

[@JensMHA]

Oogling the truck stop bars now, to replace a pair of Nitto Rando bars. This was just the ticket, thanks for making this! :)

[@MountainRoadRide]

So glad that the video was helpful! It’s been a great handlebar for me and having the correct fit on my bike has made a massive difference in the way I can ride it.

[@richardhookway]

Hi, thanks for the review. How are you finding these three years on? I am considering these, the Ritchey Ergomax and the Specialized hover bars.

[@CDOES]

Excellent video! This was exactly what I was looking for. Keep it up!

[@Mosely2007]

May look into these. Currently using Red Shift Kitchen sink bars on gravel. Really like them. Especially the short drops. Good for climbing. After six hand surgeries I want comfort

[@MountainRoadRide]

What worked really well for me was adding some gel inserts beneath the bar tape. This added the most comfort to the setup. Check out my blog post that goes along with this video to see which type of gel inserts I used. I can definitely recommend them.

[@dancing8595]

Great review. have you tried the redshift kitchen sink? any experience with Redshifts', Cane Creek's, or both suspension products? Thanks!

[@ScefingScyld]

Hi! Have You tried to check the weight of this thing? The official numbers are not published.

[@MountainRoadRide]

You’ll see that I weigh it in the video - shown at the end of tech specs section.

[@ScefingScyld]

@@MountainRoadRide It was "Stack height" section, but found it, thanks)

[@cabaneencac5168]

I'm used to width 44 at the level of the hoods and I find the 45 offered too large at the drops level . I was wondering if by bolting the hoods lower on the curve part of drop on your 42 I could get the 44 width I want ? Would like to measure it myself at LBS but at each store I go it's a special order . Thks

[@tomwoodbury192]

Great review, thanks. I’ve subscribed! Can I ask what camera you are using? Super clear image. Thanks

[@MountainRoadRide]

Thanks for subscribing! The outdoor shots for this review was done with a GoPro Hero7. I've purchased the Hero 9 in recent months and its image quality is even better. Amazing how powerful GoPros are nowadays.

[@tomwoodbury192]

@@MountainRoadRide thanks for the reply, appreciate it

[@luiso.1520]

just on looks alone this is a go

[@bosanderspublictheology]

This was super helpful. Thank you.

[@lampshade8969]

Have you tried it with a handlebar bag? I like the look of these, but I'm not sure how they would work with bikepacking bags. Thanks for the video!

[@MountainRoadRide]

I haven’t yet. I’m hoping to get a bar bag in the next few weeks and will be sure to test it out then. The one I’m planning to get will attach via some straps, but I’ve seen a bunch of bags that attach via two bar mounts on each side of the stem face. I’m guessing those bags “should” work without any issues. The clamping surface that you get with the Truck Stop bar provides enough space for mounting stuff like that.

[@falcoperegrinus82]

Have you also considered the kitchen sink bar? Any thoughts on it?

[@kevbogey]

have your wrists adjusted to the slightly inward tilted hoods? very interested in getting the Surly Truck Stop due to the rise or should I go for the Ritchey Comp ErgoMax Handlebar.

[@MountainRoadRide]

I didn’t have that wrist tightness for very long and I actually now prefer the tilted hood position over anything else. So much so that I’m thinking of replacing my road bike’s normal bar with a gravel handlebar. I’ve never tried the Ritchey Comp ErgoMax, so I can’t really make any meaningful comparisons there.

[@j2thezla]

just ordered these after watching this

[@MountainRoadRide]

You’ll enjoy them. I’m gaining more respect for this bar the more I ride with it.

[@BrianRPaterson]

I spotted a set of these on the rack in my local bikeshop and snapped them up. As an ageing mountain bikes, the max width 48cm versio seemed just the ticket.

[@KaramikoAlexander]

How's ur surly stop truck now? Do you think the top position is not good for people with small hand? (Although I have) how about the thumb position, is it comfortable?

[@MountainRoadRide]

These bars have been super comfortable. They've done exactly what I needed them to do, by providing the extra stack height. The thumb postion works great, in my opinion. It gives me a solid grip when climbing with my hands on top of the bar.

[@newjawn9004]

I also have the Surly Truckstop Bar and also the Garmin Extended Mount. However, on my bike the extended mount is still very loose even with the thin rubber ring inserted inside the clamp. Did you have that problem and, if so, how did you solve it? Thanks.

[@MountainRoadRide]

I had no issues to fit the Garmin mount very securely. I wonder if it might have something to do with the thickness of your stem’s front. I have the mount almost pushed up against the stem, with only 2-3mm gap in between. Check this first, otherwise you might have to look at a hack like using some electrical tape on the bar to thicken up the clamp area for the Garmin mount.

[@newjawn9004]

@@MountainRoadRide Thank you. I have an Ortlieb Handlebar bag mounted dead center, thus the Garmin Extended Mount cannot go flush against the stem and has to be offset a bit. With a handlebar bag, the Extended Mount is not as friendly, so to speak. As you know, the Truckstop bar is thicker near the center and then thins a bit. I suspect that I will need to use electrical tape of some other thin rubber shim. I have the Surly Disc Trucker that I will use exclusively for road touring. That said, I've enjoyed watching your videos. Thanks again and best to you.

[@2StepTim]

What size stem are you running in this video? I have the same 42cm surly bars I'm about to install, looking forward to riding these bars, thanks for making this video!

[@MountainRoadRide]

The stem that you see in the video is a 90mm stem with a +-12degree angle. I think you’re going to like these bars. I’ve been running mine on the bike now for a few months and have been very pleased with this purchase. I did add the gel inserts that I mentioned in the video and that helped to give some padding to the top if you find it too harsh.

[@2StepTim]

@@MountainRoadRide thank you so much for the Intel! I'll prob get some gel inserts as well, sounds like maximum comfort! I'm super stoked to get these bars fitted and put some miles on them ! Happy pedaling!!!

[@mionome501]

Great video! New sub! Di you know something with even more rise? Thank you very much

[@MountainRoadRide]

Welcome to the Mountain Road Channel and thank you for the sub! Yes, SOMA Fabrications makes the Condor 2 bar with 50mm of rise (bit.ly/3aO8ncI).

[@mionome501]

@@MountainRoadRide wow amazing, that's what really I was looking for!

[@pedalscript]

Hey, great review once again! Would you be able to measure the width of the clamping section of the bar (the part where the tube is going straight (before going up for the rise)? :) I was thinking about the Specialized Hover flared bars but the clamping section on them is too narrow. This one has even more rise which is better IMO but not sure how wide the clamping area is?

[@MountainRoadRide]

That part of the bar measures in at around 10cm. My stem clamp takes up 3.5cm, so I still have lots of space to mount my Garmin and a light on the bar. Just before the bar rises up there is about 0.5 to 1cm that can also be added to the 10cm, but this is slightly narrower than the standard 31.8 clamp diameter.

[@pedalscript]

@@MountainRoadRide This helps a lot, thanks! The handlebar bracket for my B&M dynamo light takes about 7.3cm of width (1.5cm on both sides of the stem headplate which is 4.3cm wide), so I have the ability to mount it on the bar with room to spare! Similarly to your situation, I'm struggling with a low-stack geometry and trying to compensate for that, this bar really fits the bill. Another option is the newly-released Profile Design DRV/GMR bar which has 9mm of rise and wide clamping area and interesting drop/flare design, without putting the hoods in a skewed position / pointing inwards. Other riser drop bars like Ritchey ErgoMax or Soma Condor 2 etc. do not have such a wide clamping area as the Truck Stop or Profile Design DRV/GMR.

[@MountainRoadRide]

I saw that new bar that Profile Design released. As someone who comes from a triathlon background I’ve had a few Profile design parts on my bike in the past and the quality has always been good. Be sure to also look at the riser bars that Specialized make. I nearly bought one from them. They have the Hover bar (15mm rise) and if you really want to go extreme there is also the Aerofly bar (25mm-non gravel).

[@pedalscript]

@@MountainRoadRide That's interesting as I'm also into triathlon and have been using their T3+ aero bars and the Fast Forward seatpost and they've been fine (except for the plastic armrest cracking in normal use under my 67kg or 150lbs weight, replaced the armrest with aluminium ones which are more sturdy). The only thing that makes me hesitant about the new bars is the alternating curve on the drops, not sure how that feels like in practice as I'm using the drops quite a lot with my hands positioned on the frontal part of the curvature (to maintain optimal reach for the brake levers). That alternating curve might not be as comfortable for palms as a more regularly shaped curve. I also spoke about the Specialized Hover flared gravel bars that you mentioned in my first comment, however these do not have wide enough clamp area for my dynamo light bracket and/or aero bars (the width of the clamp area is merely about 65mm). Only the regular Hover bar (without flare) has a wide clamp area (about 100mm wide) but this bar doesn't have any flare so not comfortable to ride on the drops for extensive periods (and less control over rough surface). The design of the new PD bar is very similar to the 3T Superghiaia bar which is carbon and thus more expensive (also not compatible with aero bars, and more prone to damage should a nasty crash take place).

[@vvr7176]

Excellent video..👍

[@MountainRoadRide]

Thanks for the feedback! So glad that you found the video helpful.

[@AA43560]

What stem length are you using?

[@MountainRoadRide]

This is a 90mm stem with a 12degree angle.

[@19chucky62]

How is on your shoulders, just had rotator cuff surgery!?

[@MountainRoadRide]

I can’t say that I’ve noticed much of a difference on my shoulders. The more upright position created with the bars definitely reduces the strain on my lower back and neck, but in terms of vibration reduction going into the shoulders it’s still the same as any other alum bar. Sounds like a suspension stem might work for your scenario.

[@illateast074]

better pair it with zero degree stem