It's certainly not aerodynamic, and it feel less controlled because your arms are stretched out so your elbows can't articulate. Whereas on traditional bars (even 460mm ones) your elbows are tucked in and to me it feels a lot more stable.
For me it's almost the opposite. A wide flare forces the elbows out, allowing the flex in the arms to act as a measure of "front suspension". I don't want my elbows tucked in when I'm descending and given how XC MTBs have developed over the years neither does anyone else 😉 I do see lots/too many riders descending on the hoods with straight arms though - and they wonder why it's "too rough" and they need a suspension stem or forks. 😂
Yep, same for me. The concept that when the terrain is veering on to MTB Territory with their wide bars for stability that you'd want narrower drops bars (for stability) feels completely counterintuitive.Â
I have significant misgivings about the 50cm Redshift kitchensink monstrosities I put on my gravel bike, but confidence with off road descents is not one of them.Â
