It really depends on the terms, maker and then also your choices. I say this because what some call flare others don't and on and on...

I'm not so sure you really want a gravel bar based on the numbers you threw out--if you find a 40 bar at the 'hoods' if it's in the 'normal' gravel flared range you would be talking more like 46 in the drops... NOW that said check out the Deda gravel 100 bars--right now it seems they only have the alloy bar actually available but it's exactly the type of measurements you are mentioning AND the shape of the bars is still much for road like. I say this last part because some of the makers use the term flare to not only mean that the drops are 'out' further than 'hoods' but that the angle of the actual ends of the drops is flared out at a certain degree. The Deda gravel 100 maintain the road shape while just bumping the drops out just a bit wider than if you were on the hoods. I put these on a new gravel build and I absolutely love them for the reasons that I think you are looking for a bar like this.

Thanks, that looks like a solid option, I've always liked Deda's as well. It looks like they slope down a bit from the tops to the hoods, which I'm not as keen on. I'm actually starting to convince myself the Enve SES Aero or Compact Standard would do the trick, they are level from top to hood and have a minor flare + compact drop.
How to choose The Right ENVE Carbon Road Handlebar - ENVE
In reality any of these should be better than my current, very old-school setup.

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Cyclist turned multisport enthusiast. Human performance technologist and digital health expert in my day job.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/karletzel/
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My two cents. Narrowest possible at hoods & widest possible at drops = optimal. I think most companies haven't taken the flaring far enough yet, by and large. I'd love 36 or 38cm width at hoods mount, and 48cm with a big flare out at the drops.

Reason: when I want to ride aero on smooth stuff, I want to be very narrow. When I want to descend technical access roads, I want to be on a MTB. :)

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Dr. Alex Harrison | Founder & CEO | Sport Physiology & Performance PhD
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I have the ENVE AR bar on road bike and Gravel Bar on gravel rig, and also had the compact bar in past. Have stayed with same width on all of them.

IMO it’s a choice between AR and Gravel Bar. If you’re not doing high speed, twisty dirt descents the AR is my personal fav. If you are, the G bar has more flare and thus a bit more control. The tops are also a really comfortable shape for hands.

Many years ago I had a bike with some Nitto Randonneur bars. Lots of flare, narrow at the brake hoods, like you are describing. I took this bike on a hilly ride, with lots of out of the saddle climbing. Those narrow brake hoods were terrible, no leverage. Thanks to that experience, I am a bit dubious of flared bars.

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salmon - not because I'm a fish

That's a good point. I had that same concern re: out of saddle climbing, but have grown so accustomed to 40mm road bars with substantially inward-positioned hoods that unless the climbing is very technical I suspect I'd be okay with unconventionally narrow hood mount positions.

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Dr. Alex Harrison | Founder & CEO | Sport Physiology & Performance PhD
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for me, the CADEX AR and the ENVE AR are almost identical in the way they're used, and i ride them with the hoods at 42cm because i ride my road bike hoods at 42cm. what i want wider are the drops, but not typical gravel bar wider. just a little wider. i think the ENVE has a 5° flare and the CADEX a 3° flare. either is fine. in both cases, i suspect these brands were making gravel bars and ended up with road bars, and i believe i actually heard that from CADEX but don't know about ENVE.

but it's not just the flare. the extra width at the drops. it's the very shallow drop. you can't get the shallow drop (say, 115mm) without flare or else you'll hit your wrists on the tops when you grab deep into the drops (when you want to grab the brake levers on a descent, or if you want to sprint). the shallow drop is a key feature, and the more ergonomic wrist angle. the extra width at the drops is almost a detail. it's 3rd on the list of what i like about flared road bars.

i just don't differentiate anymore between gravel and road bars. my aero road bike (a QR SRsix) has an FSA K-Wing AGX, which is a gravel bar. to me, the geometry is 115mm drop, 70mm reach, a minor amount of flare, hoods width the same as on my road bike, and without any gimmicks to get that shallow drop, i.e., if you raise the tops immediately after the stem clamp to get that shallow drop all you really did was raise the handlebars (no different then putting a 10mm headset spacer under the stem).

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

I like the Enve AR SES bar a lot. With this bar I can use my usual width (40cm)- I feels correct at the hoods, tops feel wide because they are very squared off and flat, the drops are only 5cm wider than hoods.
With previous flared bars (with more flare), they felt way too wide when going fast on the road.

Thanks Dan, Alex, everyone for the thoughtful comments. I think the Enve AR is the winner. Have always been a fan of their build quality anyways. Once I get set up I'll report back and share how it goes. And I'll be sticking with my current 42 cm width at the hoods.

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Cyclist turned multisport enthusiast. Human performance technologist and digital health expert in my day job.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/karletzel/
https://www.strava.com/athletes/karletzel

Did you end up getting the Enve AR?
I am looking to change mine and that looks to be my top choice. I am also intrigued by the 3T Superergo LTD, but it looks like the outsweep is not as large as the Enve or Cadex.

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Tiago
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For what it's worth, the adaptation to narrower bars takes very little time for most riders. On one of my drop bar bikes, I'm running 32cm bars, with the brake levers angled inward at about 20-25* for max aero. I've found no handling issues whatsoever on a wide range of courses. On my gravel bike, I'm running 38cm drops, with no flare, and again I'm comfortable on very technical terrain. For me, the narrow bars have an additional plus as they aggrevate my chronic shoulder injuries much less than wider bars.

What I am looking for are 32cm bars that have more drop and reach; I never liked compact designs (been riding way too many years!).

Love it. Which 32cm bars are you using?

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Dr. Alex Harrison | Founder & CEO | Sport Physiology & Performance PhD
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A company from the UK that specialized in youth bicycles; their name is Hup: https://hupcc.com/...kids-bike-components

Hup provided excellent service, even with me living in the US. Highly recommended.


I've my eye on a set of Dolan 28cm track drops and am awaiting confirmation as to their diameter. If I can fit brake levers on them, they'll be next.

I like your style.

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Dr. Alex Harrison | Founder & CEO | Sport Physiology & Performance PhD
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📱 Check out our app → Saturday: Pro Fuel & Hydration, a performance nutrition coach in your pocket.
Join us on YouTube → Saturday Morning | Ride & Run Faster and our growing Saturday User Hub

I did not, got vectored off to other things this spring so it went on the backburner. Still on the wish list.

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Cyclist turned multisport enthusiast. Human performance technologist and digital health expert in my day job.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/karletzel/
https://www.strava.com/athletes/karletzel