Wide, flared gravel bars

Just ordered a Cotic Escapade for all around road riding and exploring the less travelled roads and paths that a mountain bike is overkill for. Maybe even fail at a CX race this fall. 

Going to put on a flared drop bar and tempted by the wide offerings like the PNW Coast bar at 480 and 520mm or a Salsa Woodchipper. I’m 6’2” with wide shoulders so this should be more comfortable than the old school narrow bars I have on my road bike now. I care more about comfort and confidence at speed than I do about aero.

Anyone try these? Did you make subsequent changes to a shorter stem? Any feedback on ride quality?

I am 5'11" and very broad shoulders and have been riding a 46cm wide salsa bell lap since 2013 on my cross bike, thought I would switch them out when I bought the bike but they are so comfortable I have kept them and would move them to a new bike if I bought a new frame. The flair out of the drops goes to 53cm so riding in the drops is super comfy, they also have indents that fit your palms nicely as well. The shape is great.

Cool to hear that riding the drops is comfortable. 

PNW told me for every 20mm gain I bar width you should drop stem by 10mm. I may just get a bar and then try the stems I have in the bin (50-70) and get a cheap 90 to test. Find what works then get a nice stem.

I think the stem length is more complicated that that. I ride a 58 Surly Cross Check frame with a 120mm stem so long but I have a high ape index

Fair enough. PNW actually said wide drop bars was the Wild West as well.

My topstone came with 16 degree flared bars. Have to say I def like the flared setup.

I swapped out standard drops for the Spank 25 flare on my CX bike.  Much prefer the wider stance of the flare on gravel descents, especially at speed.  If your rides are less tarmac and more mixed, it’s a good move imho.

Geo (trail) and tyres play a massive part. I just find on all my gravel/cx bikes I run 40cm, but I do have a track background with drops. I run 760-780 on mtbs.

Having said that I find with hydro discs I don't need the drops for brake leverage and am happy on the tops 90% of the time. 

If you can't decide between drops and flat bars, there's always this:

https://www.curvecycling.com.au/products/walmer-bars?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9tSgqbyj6QIV0xwrCh1vswAfEAAYASAAEgLKV_D_BwE

Posted by: Couch_Surfer

I swapped out standard drops for the Spank 25 flare on my CX bike.  Much prefer the wider stance of the flare on gravel descents, especially at speed.  If your rides are less tarmac and more mixed, it’s a good move imho.

I think I’ll be 50/50 tarmac and gravel. Most of the tarmac being in your typical Canadian rough and potholed stuff.

Posted by: Heinous

Geo (trail) and tyres play a massive part. I just find on all my gravel/cx bikes I run 40cm, but I do have a track background with drops. I run 760-780 on mtbs.

Having said that I find with hydro discs I don't need the drops for brake leverage and am happy on the tops 90% of the time. 

If you can't decide between drops and flat bars, there's always this:

https://www.curvecycling.com.au/products/walmer-bars?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9tSgqbyj6QIV0xwrCh1vswAfEAAYASAAEgLKV_D_BwE

Holy those are big!

Im running woodchippers on a kona rove, super comfy. Reuse your old tape to set them up, it took a few trys to get the levers postioned where i wanted, then get fresh tape on there. i am curious to try the pnw bar at some point as well.

I would hate to be slicing and dicing on a cross course with people running anything more flared than a Bell Lap.

Yep. I tend to develop angry elbows around silly bars racing.

rode a Salsa Fargo with the woodchipper bars, I pretty much ride it like i would any road bike so I'm usually on the hoods, not on the bar ends much, they are 25" wide with a shortish stem

edit: on second thots  the flair doesnt do much for me cuz I never almost never spend any time down on the drops and the hoods are the same 18" apart as on a road bar

so  bar that is wider at the hoods might impress me more