Originally Posted by
Badger6
But the more gravel I ride, whether for commuting, for pleasure, or for poaching KOMs in Strava, I'm always wondering, do the flares really make a difference? My gravel bike is really more of a do it all bike, shod with file treads, blocks, or slicks, depending on my mood....so while doing it all, flares or no flares? Opinions and snark welcome, I am asking because I have ideas, but am pretty much clueless on this matter.
I use salsa cowchipper which is the middle of their 3 bends.
Love it.
A little flair is nice on road bikes too.
Almost as important as if a bar has flair is how the bend is set. Some bars have almost no ramps, some have hard bent hooks, some have drops that come back a lot, etc.
2 bars with 15 degree of flare can feel totally different. You may try one and thinkn15 degrees is too much, but actually like the other one