Was thinking about changing the handlebars on my CX to flared drops. Are they actually any better? Will I notice any difference?
Cheers
S

I have Woodchippers on my tourer/cross thingy and love ’em. Much better position and control when descending and hands are at a comfier angle when on the hoods too.

Salsa Cowbells here. I like them for range of grip, used for mixed road surfaces, fire road type of thing, some singletrack. More comfortable, more confidence.

Good for off roading but less good for commuting on traffic/leaning on stuff. Kind of cool lokking in a Carlos Fandango extra wide wheels sort of way

Grr spell checking failure

+1 for cowbells

Bell Laps on my Fargo and my Canyon Road bike. Love them.

Have used Midge bars on my CX for ages,I likes them .

…might be quite cool for those of you with flared wrists.

sticking STi designed to be ergonomic on a vertical plane at 54deg on flared bars is an absolutely stupid idea otherwise.

Yes. I have tried the awful things and they certainly are not more confidence inspiring or more comfortable to use anywhere where you need to brake or change gear.

as for cool? GTF!

Sorry,you are absolutely right,I will take them off and melt them straight away 🙄 😛

define ‘better’?
they’re different

i don’t get on with them at all, as above they put the brake-lever at an odd angle, for me, making them uncomfortable on the hoods and awkward to change gear with
i don’t find the flared drop offers any more comfort or a noticeable amount more control, and being in the drops trying to cheat a headwind is a futile experience

other people love ’em though

I love mine! (woodchippers) Actually I love mine so much I’m building a frame for them!

Thanks Mr Haggis 😀

Midge bars on my cx. Love ’em. Be aware of setting up your bars so you are comfy riding in the drops though. I was directed to an article about correct setup, i’ll see if I can find it and link it up for you.

Edit: here is a link about set up (and history, if jyou’re into that kind of thing).

“1. Bar height
If you are 6′ tall or less, aim to have the tops of your bars a bit over your saddle height…”

Sciencefact! 😆

Shallow-flare cowbell shape bars are great, but the really flared bars I just can’t get on with, tried them all. I wanted to make them work but just felt that they were all wrong, the worst of both options. Not so much the height as the way a drop becomes a single-position optimised bar, with all the drawbacks of getting them in the right position. For any on/off road mixed riding swept flat bars like the H-bar do a similar job in a much better way imo. Better braking control from the rear of the bar rather than the front, just as good for relaxed miles on the flat, more comfy overall. I do like road STIs for long mixed-terrain / low tech rides though so I keep going back to the dirt-drop shape, and giving up again.

Interesting you should come to that conclusion as it’s the range of comfortable positions that I enjoy about my Woodchippers.

1. Hands at the extreme end of the drops. No reach to the levers from here but hands are wide and low.
2. In the drops. Easy reach to brake and change gear. I find this by far the best option for descending anything rough/steep and is the most “aero”.
3. On the hoods. Great for cruising along in traffic as brakes and gears are still operable. Also puts the hands at a nice relaxed angle.
4. On the corners. Rarely used but gives an alternative position.
5. On the narrows/straight. Can be limited access if bar bags, lights whatever are fitted but again very comfy. I tend to avoid this and the one above if in traffic though as it’s a movement to get to the brakes.

It’s worth saying that I have my bars set a bit lower than Salsa have on the likes of the stock Fargo.Though at about the same sort of angle and with the levers in a slightly lower position.

I’ve tried Loops and sort of “get” them. I certainly like them for maneuvering the Fatbike in snow and on slippy ice. Something to do with leverage/sensitivity? Dunno. I must try them on the 29er soon but that almost always has suspension forks on and that’s not a mix I see often.

Woodchippers on my Fargo, and Cowbells on my Vaya..
The cowbells are spotty dog IMHO.

Echo JamesO, love the cowbell on the crosser, did try the big flares and it was a no.

I have Soma Junebug bars on my cx. Ragly Luxy bars on my Gryphon.

phone 035 by jamesanderson2010, on Flickr

Scotroutes, it’s all personal stuff but for me the woodchippers were initially fun but only ever felt good as either a high drops position that was a poor alt to the h bar, or turned-in hoods that felt ok but at the right height the drops were then wide and low, an odd combo. The drops are quite a turned down angle compared to the tops, that made setting them up awkward too. Maybe I just didn’t find the sweet spot for the bikes they were on.
Gryphons always look right with luxys, would like to try that combo out sometime.

For sure, we’re all different and no one has the one answer that suits everyone 😆

Another bell lap lover woodchipper hater here , how ever i probably wouldnt notice the difference betwen belllaps and normal roadie bars 🙂

Woodchippers were just too left field. Could never get them comfy in any one position , seemed trying to hard for all the positions that none worked well ime.

Cheers for the comments.
Liking the look of the Bell Laps and Cowbells but I think the extreme flare of the woodchipper is probably a bit too much for me.

Woodchippers on my Fargo – wouldn’t have got across some big rides without the alternative hand positions these offer up to avoid wrist tiredness and hand numbness.

Midges on my Gryphon SS Monstercross – brill.

I like ’em

Bell Laps on my Aithein – really comfy – I tend to ride on the drops a lot of the time and the slight flair seems to suit me.