If you are looking for the best gravel handlebars, it might be good to start by asking ‘what is gravel cycling?’ Depending on how you define it, gravel cycling is as old as bikes themselves, or a discipline that’s grown to prominence in the past decade. Either way, it’s not a totally new phenomenon and yet, there’s no clear consensus about what it is. For some people, gravel cycling is under-biking single track while for others it’s road cycling that starts on the pavement and keeps going when the pavement ends. There’s also a growing understanding that the best gravel bikes are great all-around bikes, and they represent bikes that take people to and from work all year.
Even with such a wide definition of gravel cycling, there is a consensus of a core concept. Gravel cycling is here to stay and gravel riders have different needs than road cyclists. In the past, anyone who wanted to upgrade their handlebars would have found themselves checking out our lists of the best road bike handlebars. These days, brands have begun introducing gravel-specific handlebars to cater to the variety of needs of their customers.
The needs of the modern gravel cyclist are wide but we’ve got options for you. Whether you are looking for aluminium or carbon, ultra-light, or ultra-comfortable, keep reading. We’ve put together a list of our favourite options covering gravel-specific handlebars for racing, commuting, or adventuring.
The best gravel handlebars on the market today
Almost every modern road bike is aero optimised. When it comes to gravel bikes there has been less focus on aerodynamics but that’s starting to change. As long gravel races gain in popularity, and as the differences between an all-road bike and a road bike shrink, aero optimisation becomes more important. Not only that but the winged shape of an aero handlebar inherently makes a lot of sense off-road. While it’s not the specific focus in this bar from 3T, there’s always more vertical compliance in a bar of this shape.
Bottom line, the advantages are there…
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