Originally Posted by
Badger6
I've searched a bunch, but here's the thing, I can't seem to "scratch the itch"/"massage the charlie horse" on this. I am a roadie at heart, and my legs tell that story...but here's the deal, I discovered how awesome gravel (and even non-technical single track) really is when I moved to Germany. I've got standard drop bars on my gravel bike (2015 Diverge frame...but it's far from original). 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.
Totally unscientific but last year I dipped my toe into the flared drop world by adding these to my endurance bike.
https://www.mec.ca/en/product/6003-9...ture-Handlebar
Not a huge flare but noticable.
I like them while in the drops because my forearm does not have to do a little bend thing to adjust my hand position and/or they lean a bit against the bar for bracing. It's just feels a little more natural and secure to get up into the hooks or use different surfaces of my palm for pressure relief etc... It was a cheap experiment. I now ride more in the drops than hoods which is saying something!
Before
After
