Badger6

So far so good...two rides down, both commutes, but to be completely honest, my commutes are never boring affairs that occur at a PE of 1.1 on the shortest route.

I replaced a standard 420mm bar with the 420mm Hover Flare, so I expected some similarity with additional options. Due to a shorter reach on the bar, I also swapped a longer stem back in, effectively extending the bar reach by about 8-10mm (estimated). While I will need to get used to the extension, it is not too dramatic and I haven't noticed an appreciable change in steering behavior. The brighter setup, with the tops of the hoods parallel to the bar top and the longitudinal axis in line with the flare feel a bit more comfortable, albeit my initial riding has been relatively short, less than 2 hours so far. I tested the flared drop on a few fast, winding descents I know pretty well, and the numbers say I was faster by a little bit, but I cannot be certain if that's due to surface conditions or some new confidence.

Regardless, initial impression is that this was a wise upgrade/investment, and it strikes me that the gravel/CX experience is only going to be better going forward.