Flares are back

Why your gravel bars aren’t like your road bars

Flared handlebars are similar to road bars except the drops splay out sideways to give a much wider hand position than on the hoods. But why? ‘When you get into the drops for descents a flared bar gives you better control of the bike,’ says Benedikt Skulasson, co-founder of Lauf Cycling and designer of the Lauf Smoothie bar. ‘You’re stronger and more stable with your arms wider and wrists slightly turned than you are with your shoulders narrow and wrists straight. ‘Flared bars can also have a really tight forward bend without riders hitting their wrists in the drops, because having wider drops puts the wrists further out from the bend,’ he adds. longer lever is also better able to bend, so having weight spread wider means a bar can…

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Cyclist Off Road (Digital) - 1 Issue, Autumn 2019

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