How to choose gravel handlebars - feat. Curve Walmers, PRO Discover, Ritchey Ergomax and more!

[@Casual_BackPacking]

This is best gravel channel period

[@highestsprings]

Great video, going as wide as possible as want to be closer to mountain bike feel. Nice to see some input on the different types.

[@philoso377]

Good idea fall short in vision. Try this in a busy traffic in town/city if you have second thoughts or not. This may give rise to convertible handle bar to adapt between busy street and gravel trail.

[@wademt]

Just finished off my dream build Ritchey carbón Outback Breakaway with 52cm carbon Cow chipper, 80mm Redshift suspensión stem, and Redshift Cruise Control drop bar grips. I love the combo! The grips are sick. The bars accommodate the Salsa EXP handlebar roll and Redshift aero bars. That means enough real estate at 31.8 mm, and enough room between my AXS brakes/shifters.

[@faltentoni]

thinking about the ritchey venturemax. it's quite nice 🙂

[@dancing8595]

Great vid! Thanks for the info. I'm looking at the Redshift Kitchen Sink as an option. Have you tried that bar?

[@ivanobovolenta4528]

Great video. Ghiaia is the italian word for Gravel, it looks a very nice handlebar.

[@winging_it.]

Your front brake cable is routed behind the rear brake and gear cable, it should be the other way around. So when you turn the bars it allows the slack to pull up without pulling against the brake and gear cable. 6:29 in you can see the cable routing. Ritchey beacons are a great bar with a shallow drop.

[@Karla-Flr]

Very good Videos ! You are a Gravel Guru !!!!

[@shred3005]

I concur with your comments on the Pro Discover Medium Flare. With my entry into a gravel / cycle touring of a Ti Lynskey GR270 last year, the in medium flare made sense as an easy transition from your standard drop bars. Wrapped in Fat Wrap bar tape to add extra cushioning with the ergonomic top, you can’t beat the $65 price. I passed over the Richeys for these

[@JustRideAdelaide]

Oh I love Fat Wrap! My Pro Discovers are wrapped in some super thick FSA stuff that's really similar. Fat Wrap is really pricey in Australia because you have to ship it from USA. Anyways, one thing that I've noticed with the PRO Discover Vs Ritchey is you get more space to mount stuff on the PRO because they're flat. I'd say I still slightly prefer the feel of the Ritcheys but the PROs have them beat for convenience.

[@shred3005]

Ride Adelaide No, Fat Wrap isn’t cheap or convenient because of having to order from North America so it might be a one time purchase but it looks like it will last a while. The device mounting limitations of the Richeys just confirm my very practical decision to get the Pro Discover Mediums. The small Ortileb bar bag fits nicely between the 44cm bars

[@AccFinEco]

Another great vid!

[@sandyyaguas9020]

What's up brother, greetings from Venezuela. What do you think of a handlebar with an inclination or flare of about 30 degrees, such as the Origin8 Gary Ergo Sweep handlebar.

[@bernardpnicolau2211]

Great bike for easy crusing

[@LarryRichelli]

Sorry you don't know about the Jones H Bar. I put them on my Surly Midnight Special gravel bike and it is transformed. So comfortable with at least 5 hand positions. One position is just like being in the hoods on my drop bars. Off road they are the shit.

[@Robwooddesign]

Have you tried the Eyropro bars? I suspect they would be super comfy for long days on the gravel.

[@bogusjimmy]

Are they the Coefficient Wave handlebar knockoffs?

[@Lolo.franck]

Hello, possible to install clip-on aerobars on Ritchey Ergomax ?

[@angelortiz353]

Have you ever tested a whisky spano?

[@motomoto898]

I’ve got a question please. I’d like to upgrade my handle bars on my gravel bike. My question is when switching to a gravel bar is it a bad idea to go one size up? On my road bike I have a 40cm handle bar would I stick to that size or go up to 42? Thanks

[@kevinjfeeney77]

Currently running 42cm Salsa Cowbell 2s on my dirt drop bar'd mtb. Got some 44cm Salsa Cowchippers headed my way. Thinking that should be a good compromise. I don't like the ones that point inward....or with the hood sections tilted either.

[@susmusmanoj112]

Hey mate. Can u let me know what is the specs of Marin gestalt 2020 gravel bike. The one I got has a 70 mm stem which is too much. Saw one mate selling 31.8 clamp . Can that fit in ?

[@mikaelblomme]

Great video. Very informative. I've used and enjoyed the Daija Far bar (a.k.a. Genetic Digest) in 480 mm width. Interested in switching to either PNW Component's Coast in 500mm, or Spank Flare 25 Vibrocore in the same width. Have you tried either?

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

Can anyone explain what the purpose of extreme flare in a gravel bar is other than to make your bike look ugly?

[@adventuresona700dollarhard5]

Yeah boi! Always look forward to your content!

[@JustRideAdelaide]

Glad to hear it!

[@Swoonorama]

Thank you for the great overview for gravel handlebars! Would you recommend carbon handlebars (i.e. PRO Discover, Ritchey Venturemax or Salsa Cowchipper) for gravel grinding for their dampening properties? I normally use 40 cm bars for road riding; would you recommend 42 or even 44s for gravel bikes?

[@JustRideAdelaide]

Hey Shibui. I do recomment carbon if you want the benefits of added comfort. They're a lot more expensive and you'd need to be wary of damaging them in a crash but generally there's a lot of great things about carbon bars. I might have a brand sending me some new carbon bars soon which could be very cool. I do quite like 44-46cm width too. That wider position feels a little more comfortable and gives more confidence when steering in technical terrain to me. It's a personal preference thing because some people don't like them.

[@Swoonorama]

@@JustRideAdelaide Thank you so much for the insights. I will definitely try out wider bars with some larger flares. And thank you again for posting such great contents, I am binging your videos atm!

[@JustRideAdelaide]

Thanks a lot for that mate! Don't binge too deep though because some of my old videos suck :|

[@joaquinespiritu9980]

@@Swoonorama py

[@tonyg3091]

If you want it inexpensive, you buy Zipp Service Course XPLR SL, if not- 3T Supergiaia. This is how you choose gravel handlebars. You are welcome :)

[@syazwanabdull4835]

is good choice to prefer gravel handlebar for roadbike?

[@TheCrossroads09]

Thank you for the What Bars website.

[@JustRideAdelaide]

Such a good resource. That and www.geometrygeeks.bike have become favourites of mine

[@TheCrossroads09]

@@JustRideAdelaide the other website is awesome! Thank you! Wish I had these when I purchased my last bike a few weeks ago because I don't think I will get another bike. HAHAHA!

[@JustRideAdelaide]

EXCELLENT! If anything, all this new information means you HAVE to get a new bike because you're better informed. You have my express permission.

[@lyanbv]

Whoa so wide! Curve Walmers a.k.a. Airpits Pro. Underarm cooling on the go with enough bag space for a dozen deodorants. hehe

[@JustRideAdelaide]

OMG! Curve missed a huge opportunity to market these on reducing body odour. Amazing.

[@waxedgoat]

Jey mate. I dont suppose yiu has a ritchey ergomax review i just cant see or one coming? Im trying to decide on these vs the zipp xplr. Cheers

[@JustRideAdelaide]

Hey Mark, I never did a dedicataed review. I'd say I prefer the Ritcheys overall. That raised top is really nice. BUT, it does make mounting things and running handlebar bags a little less convenient. If you want to run bags and mount stuff then go with the flat Zipp option.

[@waxedgoat]

Thanks for the reply and sorry for my late reply. Couldnt comment on iphone. Appreciate your thoughts

[@ritcheydesign]

Nice review! Let us know if you want to try any other bars from us.

[@JustRideAdelaide]

Oh hey there Ritchey! I might just take you up on that. What's the best way to get in touch?

[@ritcheydesign]

@@JustRideAdelaide Shoot us an email: [e-mail]

[@Cyclist_Roman]

Which is better PRO PLT Discover 30 44cm or Salsa Cowchipper 44cm?

[@playandteach]

Thanks for this video. I'm thinking of changing from road bars, but have heard that hydraulic levers can be uncomfortable as it puts the lever tops edge on to the hand, rather than flat. Are there any where this is less of a problem? I hear you could pack out the hoods with bar tape, but my hands are already struggling with the size of those hoods.

[@JustRideAdelaide]

Hey mate, yep I did find that the SRAM Apex hoods got a little less comfortable when angled on the Curve Walmer bars. There's not really much you can do about that. I'd expect Shimano GRX to be a little more comfortable because it's smoother. Or you could get bars with a very mild tilt to them.

[@jaapscheele9677]

With those wide bars, would you than opt for additional break levers?

[@h82fail]

I have 55mm Walmers for a bike I am in the middle of building and the RX812 Sub Brake Levers were in the plan from the start. Now that I see the bar in person I am not sure if I would really use those levers or not so I haven't decided what to do. The levers are designed to be mounted to 31.8mm(near stem), wider on these bars then normal bars but I think if I install the sub levers I will mount them on shims to 25.4 to space them a bit wider.

[@EzaVinylAddict]

I prefer carbon bars I just think gravel bars would be too rough for my soft hands.

[@leonard9624]

Wear gloves and also get some calluses

[@EzaVinylAddict]

@@leonard9624 but why squeeze gravel when you can squeeze carbon?

[@costasmandylor1565]

I have a pair of 44cm aluminum bars. Would it be possible to flare them myself? Kind of a "do it yourself" kind of thing?

[@JustRideAdelaide]

Oh boy that's well out of my skillset to answer. My advice would be to not do that!

[@bogusjimmy]

Please report back if you do, assuming you survive

[@mcgarvy7]

I need completely bonkers in my life lol, thanks mate

[@Niandmolar]

01:24 which bar is that?

[@JustRideAdelaide]

3T Superghiaia or however you spell it 😅

[@joejagu]

And soma gator, June and Bradley luxy

[@OhadELM]

Hey loved your video! Myself I am right in the middle of Cross Roads between the salsa cowchipper VS Ritchey venture max , my needs is to go pretty wide handlebar something like 46 Cm and get a pretty upright position with a short Ridge and shallow job so I can use the drops without getting too low , my goal is to go on the bike tour across Europe for three months, what would you recommend me? If there is another bar that you can think of with a short Ridge and shallow drop that I didn’t mention it would be great if you can add it to the discussion! I looked up the Pro Discover Gravel Handlebar with 30 degrees flare - looks pretty good ! How do you like it? BTW , I bought the Bontrager aeoles saddle after your video , and i love it!

[@JustRideAdelaide]

That's awesome about the Aeolus! I need to get another one so both my gravel bikes have them. Ok, so bar recommendations. Genuinely I think the Curve Walmers in 46cm would be awesome. Outside of that, there's the PRO Discover Big Flare but that tops out at 44cm, the FSA A-Wing AGX in 46cm, or the Zipp Service Course 70 XPLR in 46cm but that doesn't have a lot of flare. Those are all generally affordable. You open up more options if you go after fancy carbon bars.

[@OhadELM]

Ride Adelaide Thank you ! Well I wouldn’t say I’m on a budget but the Walmart are way out of my reach with a price tag of 189$ I’ve looked at the Ritchie venture max and it seems also great , in size 46 it is considered to be a really wide bar more than typical 46 cm , and I love the shallow drop that he have , did you have a chance to try it?

[@JustRideAdelaide]

I haven't had a chance to try it, but I reckon all the numbers on it look pretty decent.

[@teaguesciberas8652]

What would you recommend for riding in the snow??

[@JustRideAdelaide]

Hmmm, depends on the bike. If it's a drop-bar setup then Curve Walmers will probably be nice. If it's some kind of snow eating monster then maybe a Jones Bar or something. I'm certainly not a snow riding expert though!

[@SuperJohnfoster]

are they serious $189 for Curve Walmers when its just a different bend

[@liu373]

i want to put the Ergomax to my roadbike. Is it an good idea or is it not the right area for this handlebar?

[@JustRideAdelaide]

Really it's all about what you want. They're comfortable as hell and I find myself wanting flares when I get on my road bike nowadays.

[@liu373]

@@JustRideAdelaide thx for ur answer! i will try and report;)

[@lucif32]

what about flat bars?

[@roadglide]

Enve SES AR 42cm does it for me.

[@mokotramp]

No reason on the planet 'gravel bars' need to be any wider than 20mm than your road bars. Its just asking for a sore neck and shoulders and premature fatigue!

[@Shawn-in-da-Canyon]

Maybe for you, not for me.

[@bobby3704]

Curve Walmers bars that has my name on it … beautiiiifullll ! excuse my stuttering

[@johnfitzgerald1192]

It seems you would get less in torque pull on the pedals with the flared handlebars vs. the standard. Due to shoulder width and hand positioning when pulling on the bar in the curve area to allow your legs to put more torque into the pedal for speed.

[@Peter-tc3ep]

I love my Easton EC70 AX 46cm, light, carbon and reasonably priced for carbon.

[@Strengthoftenmen]

Has anybody tried the ENVE gravel bars?

[@JustRideAdelaide]

I haven't, and given their cost I'm very unlikely to! That said, all the numbers look good as far as ergonomics go.

[@Foxr6]

Great video! Thanks for posting 🚴‍♂️

[@Itseme3]

They look so hilarious 😂

[@JustRideAdelaide]

No kidding! As soon as I started using them I had every person who saw me ask about them

[@keithdeley7236]

WTF are gravel handle bars racing handle bars when I was a kid in England

[@andreamantovani5354]

Riding a gravel bike with such wide Bari make absolutely no sense at all

[@zazz63]

Your hat is disturbing my concentration...