I haven’t seen the need for flared bars. I use the same bars on my gravel bike as my road bike, which are the Easton EC70 aero bars. Absolutely love them. Shallow drops so I can reach the levers much more comfortably.
1 Like
Not so much low as it is a little more stretched out. The forward sweep does extend to reach a little bit. I’ve toyed with the idea of getting a shorter stem to compensate but it doesn’t seem to bother me much. I do find myself enjoying the ergonomics of these bars.
1 Like
The lauf smoothie bar is really nice. My only wish for a change on it is a shallower drop. At 125mm it’s not a big drop, but for gravel I like a pretty shallow drop as I’m just looking for an another hand position for comfort and ability to stay on the drops for longer.
Tried the Ritchey VentureMax and that was nice but hated the kink in the drops.
1 Like
Oh those measurements look nice. Especially the shallow drop
2 Likes
I love em! Son much so I put a set on my road bike.
2 Likes
Well I like these but holy crap! They are expensive. I paid almost exactly half that. I guess Vision has become really proud of these.
I have the G Series Gravel bars on my bike. I didn’t chose them, they came installed. I can’t really say whether or not I’d buy them if I didn’t already own them, but I will say that I like them. At first I thought the flare was kind of weird, but it’s surprisingly comfortable. I often find that even on Z2 trainer rides I will hang out in the drops.
2 Likes
My Diverge came stock with a set of very flared bars which I will say felt great while descending in the drops on loose gravel roads.
However, I really do not like how they change the angle of the hoods which is where my hands are the majority of my rides. I swapped them out for a more road style bar as well and like them much better overall.
6 Likes
My wife might kill me if I order more handlebars. The lauf smoothie are nice. But I think I almost prefer my Zipp service course xplr 70 bars. A little shallower drop than the lauf bars.
2 Likes
I love my 3T Superghiaia bars for this exact reason. The flare doesn’t start until after the hoods, so I have perfectly vertical shifters, and a nice comfy flare for the descents
2 Likes
I am making a swap over to SRAM on my groad bike, and decided if I am gonna have to run new brake lines anyway, might as well swap handlebars.
So, I picked up the 3T Aeroghiaia in 40cm, which has identical shape at the Superghiaia I have been running for the past 3 years. I think it is honestly the best aero gravel bar I’ve seen on the market. 40cm hood to hood with perfectly vertical shifters, and then a super aggressive flare out to 48cm at the drops. And only 229g. The Superghiaia is my favorite bar I’ve ever ridden, so I’m excited to pick up some aero gains and maintain the form that I’ve grown so used to.
On a related note; if anyone wants to buy some used 3T superghiaia bars, I know a guy 
Still got those bars on hand? I may be interested as I’m looking to size down my bars and am keen to try either the Aero or Superghiaia…
@bikesnbeans pretty sure you’re in the US so this won’t suit, but I’ve had a set of 40cm Aeroghiaia’s listed on facebook marketplace here in the UK for a few months now. I keep meaning to move them to an ebay auction to just get rid of them but haven’t got round to it yet. Don’t think you or I really want to deal with international shipping/customs on these, so hopefully @HMITCHR can help you out!
@alexfthenakis Dang! I’ve seen a few new ones floating around on eBay for a decent price but have held off, probably not long till I pull the trigger on a pair. eBay really burns you on international shipping fees so I hear you, but thanks anyways! If I’m really stuck finding a pair, I’ll reach out.
1 Like
trying to bump this topic again for summer 2024 gravel races coming up. a couple q’s
-
What size you all using - I know its dependent on body size so maybe in relation to your road bars?
-
Anybody have any thoughts on carbon vs alloy ? I have Enve Aero bars when I am in road mode on my Crux and really like them but I also like the tought of moving to alloy so I don’t have to worry about crashes / throwing it around in a car to travel for races. Plus I feel like I can over torque a bit more if needed on alloy.
Anyway, basically debating b/t keeping Enve aero bars on or moving to something like Zipp XPLR or Zipp Service Course bars. Any other bars I should check out?
1 Like
I am running same width as road bars. 42cm. I have run 44cm and they seemed fine.
I’ve run carbon and alloy and not noticed a ton of comfort difference. I run tire size 47 and have the lauf suspension fork so that helps.
I’ve used lauf smoothie bar off and on. Nice bars I just wish the drops were a bit shallower. Theyr 120mm drop which isn’t big but for gravel I’d like a bit shallower.
SPANK WING 12 VIBROCORE DROP BAR are nice. They have a nice flat area on top.
The zip bars you mention are nice as well.
Get the ENVE AR road bars. Aero profile but not too wide in the flat area. Makes for a comfy perch and just enough flex to make them super-comfy.
I’m 5’7" and 147lbs, relatively broad shouldered.
I’m running Rose (German bike brand) alu bars with flattened tops. They measure 36cm on the tops and 40.5cm in the drops. Shifters are set to 31cm C-C on the hoods. Very happy with them as they allow me to have a narrow breakaway position on the flats to be able to hang with the more powerful riders but still give plenty of control in the drops if needed.
Will check them out - they do look super nice and near perfect for a gravel race bike.
Looks like you might have also used the Zipp XPLR bars? Do you find the Enve are worth 4x the price? They seem to have similar design.
1 Like
also check out whiskyparts.co. I just ordered the No. 9 12F 2.0 in 38cm. They flare out 12°, have 68mm reach and 115mm drop. They also have the same bars with 24F, so 24° flare but only in 40cm, which is why I opted for the 12F. They aren’t as expensive as Enve but are carbon instead of alu like the Zipp XPLR
2 Likes