New gravel bike bar styles

tangled_metal
tangled_metal Posts: 4,021
edited November 2016 in Commuting general
Had a look at a great new bike shop that's opened up near me. Good selection of bikes well spread out from £400 up to dizzying prices. In there was a specialized sequoia gravel bike. Interesting bike but the bars were most interesting.

These bars had the flaring out of the drops abd shallow drop which isn't really unusual or new. The top flat bit wasn't flat but rose up from the stem. It was kind of like between a mtb bar and a road bar. See first link below. What benefits does the riser give? At the moment I'm using the PX aluminum bar that came with the bike (a London Road). Would a bar like this give me any benefit for riding the local potholed roads, towpaths, gravel tracks, etc?

https://www.specializedconceptstore.co.uk/product/6538/2017-hover-expert-alloy-handlebars-15mm-rise/

Found on this bike.

https://www.evanscycles.com/specialized-sequoia-2017-road-bike-EV279835

Comments

  • veronese68
    veronese68 Posts: 27,813
    Less room to mount lights or a computer, more grief than just changing a stem. Looks like a lose/lose to me. I'd chalk it down as pointless. Interested to try some of the off road drops that flare out, but not so interested that I'd buy a set.
    Kinesis Pro6
    Marin Nail Trail
    Cotic Solaris
  • tangled_metal
    tangled_metal Posts: 4,021
    £40 but I'm guessing it'll raise the bar so all sorts of adjustments needed to effect a neutral change wrt bike fit.

    Blurb goes on about shock absorption or reduction. Sales and marketing I think.

    Like you I'd like to try flared bars out and especially the shallow drop versions.
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    Looks like a way of raising the bars without having ugly spacers (or having to buy new forks for a longer steerer), easy way to convert an older racier CX into a more relaxed gravel tourer I think. Fitting them as OE would seem silly but offering them as a way to improve the fit of an existing bike looks sensible.
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • tangled_metal
    tangled_metal Posts: 4,021
    They're on the new specialized sequoia. That's where I saw them first.
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    Which I agree would be daft....caveat that is maybe it uses the same frame as another model so this changes the geo on the cheap without a stack of ugly spacers.
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • iPete
    iPete Posts: 6,076
    Will be buying the Hover bars for a track frameset I'm building up because;

    - better looking than an upward stem
    - short drop combined with rise will make using the drops for sustained periods better

    The rise won't do much for comfort on gravel/shock absorption. Only necessary if you want to raise the front.
    The flared version are called "Adventure Gear Hover" bars.

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