Thanks to the great guys at Pedals in Edinburgh I’m now the happy owner of a NS Rag+ and it’s going to be my only bike for the foreseeable. I’m thinking about sticking some flared drops on it for off road use. I know bugger all about them though, so looking for advice.

Salsa cowchipper seems good, but appears to cost a ridiculous amount of money. I’ve also looked at the Alpkit and genetic models. Anything else I should look at? Any reason not to use flares? Gratuitous pictures of similar bikes with flared drops are also needed 😀

Personally prefer the Salsa Cowbell (slightly more subtle flare) – still expensive tho’

If yer gonna do it, go all the way. Woodchippers were a revelation for me .

I have some ritchey ones, I actually use the drops now. They have a bend on the drop which makes them feel comfortable for me. Brake gear thing position is a bit tricky though.

Genuine question as just got a CX, what are the advantages to flared?

Are the chippers not more suited to a drop bar MTB like the Griffin? Not sure the position would be right on the NS to be honest. Is there a cheap knock off woodchipper that I can try and won’t leave me bankrupt if it doesn’t work out.

Genuine question as just got a CX, what are the advantages to flared?

Stability and control off road seem to be the main things. If I’m been honest I think they look pretty sweet too 😳

I have some ritchey ones,

Are they the venturemax ones?

Genetic Digest bars are awesome

easton also do a “subtle” 16deg flared drops, think its the ax both alloy and carbon. sorry even more costly than the salsa 😳

Think about the “attack position” and what shape your arms are in. Flared drops put your arms in that position automatically. I tried Woodchippers for off-roading with my VN Amazon, which is a cross/tourer and liked them so much I left them on for touring too.

Ritchey Venturemax are brill!

(I have ‘chippers on my Fargo and did have Alpkit Bombers but the hooks are too short on them)

Thanks for info guys.

The GT “Droptune” bars that come stock on the GT Grade were a revelation to me after using regular drop bars off-road.
I find them more comfortable and give a bit better control.

If I was upgrading I’d go for Salsa Cowbell bars though.

I use the Alpkit ones on my Arkose and I love ’em. Not tried anything fancier but they just work for me.

I have the cowbells on my ns rag, and although very good I’d like to try it with some with more flare as well

have you ridden with flared drops before ?

i wanted to like woodchippers but ultimately they were just aukward to use with STI units. The attack position is great if your attacking but attacking maybe makes up 10% of my riding – i like to be comfy the rest of the time and try as i may i couldnt get that on woodchippers with the falling drops

ended up settling on jones loops with flat bar shifters , much happier .

Try before you buy would be my advice they dont suit all.

Think I’m going to try the ritchey offering or look out for some used cowchippers. Jonny, are you running the stem that came with the bike or have you gone for something different? I was thinking about something with +/-9

Easton EA70AX here, subtle, neutral = love ’em.

Its funny how people get on with Bar A, but not Bar B when it comes to flared drops. No other bar is quite like it.

I have tried;
Wtb something or other; too narrow
Cowbells, no flare to be that different to a normal drop
Giant on brand, same as cowbells but £15
On One midge; hated them as curve to tight and extentions too short
Alpkit; same as On One.
Ritchey venturemax; found the kinked bit made the curve too tight
Cowchippers; really like

Woodchippers; my overall fave
Not tried the Genetic/Satori but two mates have them and really rate them

Worth looking at Guitarteds blogs on Woodchipper set up and bar height. Need to be much, much higher than normal drops.

Funkmasterp -Ritchey Venturemax WCS. They had good deals on a few versions on probikekit.

Worth looking at Guitarteds blogs on Woodchipper set up and bar height. Need to be much, much higher than normal drops.

That’s one opinion. Others are available.

Where?

Guitarted is a good starting point. Like anything on the internet 😀

I was shocked at how wide flared drops can be, when I saw these the other week while internet window shopping… 58cm! 😯

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/HBNIRM3/nitto-rm-3-gravel-handlebar

As a cheap option you can often pick up On One Midge bars for £15 or so, I like them but would prefer a longer flat section at the end. But overall very comfortable. Will probably switch to Woodchippers when they need changing or if the come up cheaply.

I’ve the love mud / alpkit bars, and they are great for the money but I would change one fundamental thing…..
The dropped section just isn’t long enough! I’ve quite small hands and I find the very end of my hand is right on the end of the drop when using them – another inch or so would make all the difference (eherm! Thats what she said…)

My brother has the On-One Midge bars on his Cotic and they are great. Good thick bar tape (or double wrap) on the edges as they can be harsh on long rides.

As others have said, Alpkit for 20 quid.

I bought trail_rat’s woodchoppers and it looks like we both did ok out of it- I like them a lot!

Theyre on my roadrat. Singlespeed commuter most of the time and they give me decent leverage in the drops for rowing up hills. When I take it touring I find the angle of the hoods really comfy for cruising around on and the extra muscle in the drops helps with handling a loaded bike offroad.

That said, on a more roadie/cross bike I think I’d like to try some of the more in between sweep bars.

DSC_0143 by Colin Cadden – Flickr2BBcode
D5503, undefined@4.9 mm, f2.0, 1/1000s, ISO50

P1010496 by Colin Cadden – Flickr2BBcode
DMC-TZ40, undefined@4.3 mm, f3.3, 1/250s, ISO100

Similar to post above ….. Easton EA70 AX arrived yesterday ordered as not to full on flared. Fitting today / tomorrow will update on first ride (probs Monday)

quite like the ones on my genesis croix de fer, not sure if theyre inhouse bars or another brand but the 16 degree flare feels good

Anyone give me a good run down on the Ritchey Venturemax drops, just about to pull the trigger on a pair, should I pass or buy?
They are under £40 at the moment.

I’ve had a few… bad experience with woodchippers, flared in a really wrong way IMO

Now I’m happy with venturemax although they’re not made for brake position, I’d call them good for adventure when you spend most of time in the drops away from brakes, not good for CX.

Genetic Digest may be a good alternative, maybe a bit too flared

fudge9202, the Ritchey Venturemax are the only set of drops I’ve had apart from the OEM ones, only had a drop bar bike since January, mainly for extended commutes. I had the widest WCS version and can ride along fine on the drops, on or off road. Previous bars I couldn’t stand, didn’t see the point as they felt wrong, daft bend and narrow, especially as I’m used to 780 MTB risers. The Tiagra gear/brake levers have a bend so they stick out a bit, position is a compromise for them.

Just read a review of the venturemax by Guitar Ted seems they are good bars but a bit of fettling needed.
http://ridinggravel.com/components/ritchey-design-venturemax-handlebar-quick-review/

Cheers

Flared you say?

Ragly luxy bars. They’re quite comical but ace.

Thanks for the input and ideas everyone. I ended up finding a pair of lightly used cowchippers at a good price. I’ll report back once I have them fitted.

Probably at the other end of the cost spectrum will be the SuperGhiaia
https://www.bikerumor.com/2017/09/08/eb17-3t-superghiaia-superergo-superleggera-reshape-road-bike-cockpit/

Straight hoods and flared below.. is this going to work for braking on the drops?