the sci guy 

I’ve got my first gravel bike but I’m not in love with the bars - they’re a bit larger than I like; longer reach, bigger drop, wide flare.

Can someone recommend a bar that is good for both gravel and road riding, has a pretty short reach, compact drops and little to no flare. A slight back sweep is ok but not a dealbreaker.

Maybe a better question to ask would be - is there anything that makes a gravel bar a gravel bar? Or can I use a road bar that I like because it doesn’t matter?

Looking to spend around $70?

thanks!

Koyote

You can use any kind of handlebar you want. There are plenty of decent options for a handlebar of the sort you are describing; here are a few from Shimano, all reasonably-priced.

dwmckee

Most gravel bars have a bit of flare and are a bit wider than a road bar. Also gravel bars are usually shallow drop. But you can do whatever you want. A good 'average' gravel bar is the Salsa Cowbell. you may want to try a shorter stem first as that is a lot easiest and cheaper to change. The wider bars are to give you more leverage when navigating bigger rocks, ledges and holes.
Good carbon bars are expensive, but do a lot to dampen vibrations common in gravel....

pbass

I replaced the stock bar on my Kona Rove with a Salsa Cowbell--quite pleased with it. The Kona bar had a really deep drop which I hated when descending in the drops on rough terrain. Check out the Cowbell--lots of width options, only $50 at Jenson: https://salsacycles.com/components/category/road_handlebars/cowbell

https://www.jensonusa.com/Salsa-Cowbell-Drop-Bar

DeadGrandpa

The cowbell is a good choice. If you can afford carbon, try the Whisky 24F. Coming from narrow road drops, my gf adapted to the short flared drops without a murmur, on her new gravel bike.

Cyclist0108

FSA Adventure Compact Road Bar: $45

https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...s.php?id=85075

I use this gravel bar on my (road) touring bike.
I use a similar but carbon and unflared FSA road bar on my gravel bike. I would get this in carbon for that bike if it were available.

bonsai171

I have a set of Cowbell handlebars on my Warbird. They are very comfortable handlebars. Only quible is that they are pretty heavy. 315g or so for the bar. That Whisky 24F looks pretty nice.

Dave

DeadGrandpa

It's all about the bike "jewelry". Do you love your bike? Then buy her some jewelry.

the sci guy 

I do like those whiskey bars - can't afford the carbon version though. so far they have the shortest reach i've found at around 67mm (though the salsa cowbell is about the same). Most of the other bars from ritchey and FSA are still around 74 reach.
I need short because man, those GRX hood ramps are a mile long.
Whatever I get I'm pairing it with a nice Ritchey WCS C220 70mm stem.

chas58

I think the Ritchey WCS bars have some nice choices. The ergo max has a subtle flair, flat tops, is swept back, and has even a little rise.
https://www.jensonusa.com/Ritchey-WC...op-Handlebar-3

I think you will like the compact drop, and the swept back design would work for you. Personally, I am maybe 2cm wider than my road bars.

I know I am backwards to some, but I think flared bars are a hot steaming mess.
If I'm in the drops, I'm going fast and I want to be aero.
Realistically, most people spend very little time in the drops anyway.
I want control and comfort when I'm on the top or on the hoods, not in the drops.
Flared is the opposite of this (and it does goofy things to the angle of the brake lever).
A little flare is OK, but I certainly don't want much.

msu2001la

100% agree with this.
If I'm tackling gnarly terrain, I'm on the hoods. I ride in the drops to get more aero, and I don't want my brake levers sticking out at an odd angle.

I get that there are some people who only ride in the drops and never on the hoods, and for them a flared bar probably works well. I'm not one of those people.

the sci guy 

Same.

The bar that came stock on the bike is a 78mm reach, 126mm drop, seems to be 40cm wide, and 12 degree flare on the drops. I don't care for it.

I think I'm gonna end up with that Whiskey No7 6F bar: 67mm reach, 125mm drop, a 42cm width, and only 6 degree of flare which is barely noticeable.

I really wanted to pair the Ritchey stem with a Ritchey bar, but I wasn't keen on a lot of the shapes, and the smallest reach was 73mm.

Rolla

I’ve had The Velo Orange Nuevo Rando on my singlespeed ‘cross/gravel bike for awhile and it’s become a favorite of mine. Very little flare in the drops, and the flats are ovalized and swept back a degree or two. Worth a look:

https://velo-orange.com/products/nou...neur-handlebar

pbass

Where I ride, I have to use the drops on quite a few descents, not to be aero, but because I risk my hands getting bounced off the hoods. I'm talking steep, rocky fireroads and singletrack (which is kind of everywhere here, unless you're on pavement!). I was surprised actually how quickly I got used to that position going down this sketchy stuff---now I quite like being that low. But I'm totally comfortable w the amount of slight flare on the Cowbell. Would be curious to try something more extreme one day but I guess if it ain't broke...

mstateglfr 

Like most everything else in cycling there is no right or wrong for handlebar flare.
Some like more and think the slower steering that comes from flsred bars helpful when riding loose surfaces.
Some like less and think the wider drops slow them down due to being incrementally less aero.

Wide bars, narrow bars, flared bars, swept bars, etc etc etc. No right or wrong way.

https://www.sram.com/en/zipp/models/hb-dbsc-sl70-b1
This is 70mm reach, 128mm drop, and 4 degrees of sweep.

chas58

that could be a good bar.

I've gotten addicted to swept back bars with flatish tops. Doesn't need to be much (12°?) but it shortens the reach and puts my hand in a little more comfortable position when riding on the top.

c_m_shooter

"Knarly terrain" gets ridden in the drops. I have had the bars slip downward when landing jumps on the hoods and it is awkward. I like the Rando bars from VO, Nitto Noodles, or several of the dirt drop varieties.

tangerineowl

Satori X-Race Aero.

Oval top and swept back.

Kapusta

I love Cowbells for road and gravel, I think it checks most of your boxes, but it depends on what you consider “little” flare. The Cowbell is flared but just a little bit

Badger6

Specialized makes an alloy bar that retails for $55 (US). It's reach is 70mm on a 42cm. It's dimensions are 103mm drop x 70mm reach x 12d flare...but, it has a 15mm rise from the clamp that reduces the overall drop to 88mm from the clamp. It is based off a short reach, non flared bar that they spec on "lower" end gravel/cx bike. The flare puts the bar end about 2cm (4cm overall) wider than the brifters.

I use it and like the subtle flare, it is visually subtle, but it can be felt. I think if you go to 6d flare, you may be disappointed...agree 24d is significant. And yeah, I know what you're saying about the GRX brifters. I'm contemplating a shorter stem because of their length.

mack_turtle

I find Salsa Cowbells to be pretty comfy. very compact, minimal flare. mostly feel like a regular road bar but the flare is nice when you need the extra control of riding in the hooks. there's not weirdness to the position on the hoods like some of the flared "dirt drop" type bars.

fishboat

I used Ritchey ErgoMax Comp bars on a recent drop bar conversion. If memory serves, I think the specs are nearly identical to the Salsa Cowbells and have flattops

pipeliner

I’ve got Whisky no9 12f carbon bars on my Gravel bike. I may be wrong but I believe they are the same flare and drop as Salsa Cowbells. I’ve had a number of drop bar bikes and currently have 3 with carbon drops on them, the Whisky’s are far and away my favorite.

the sci guy 

pulled the trigger last night on the Whiskey No.7 6F bar, paired with a Ritchey WCS C220 70mm -17d stem

thanks for all the great recommendations, everyone. It definitely put a lot of other bars on my radar.

Lava

Even though it seems like you've found your bars, I thought I'd mention these new Redshift bars since they seem to match what you want, aside from the moderate flare.

https://redshiftsports.com/products/...32608300531791

They have a lot more rise than I've seen on most bars, pretty short reach, and a nifty front loop for a semi aero position. I've been keeping an eye on them as someone who likes a more relaxed back/shoulder position, and am only hesitating because of the potential that the extra flare would make the hoods angled too much.