Zipp

This is my second set of the Zipp Service Course SL-70 XPLR handlebars. The first was given to me by JOM of gravelcyclist.com for review. I loved them back in 2019, and I love them now.

The shape is so perfectly designed for off-road drop bar bike use. I feel like Zipp hired a team of kinesiologists to figure out exactly how people move from the hoods to the drops and back when designing the shape of the bend, the depth of the drop, the angle of flare, and clamping area for the levers. Moving between positions is so natural. The kinesiologists then stuck around to figure out the back sweep angle on the tops. Every position on the bars is perfect and I never feel any discomfort when on them for long periods of time. The terrain in my area is made up of steady river roads punctuated by steep ramps up and down. Being able to naturally move from tops/hoods when climbing one of the steep ramps to the drops when descending gives you a lot of confidence.

Another great feature of these bars is the channel for routing brake hoses and shift outers (should you have them). Internal routing is cool too, but I don't want it on a bike that is primarily used on unpaved roads. With these bars, I don't have to hear hoses rattle in the bars or frame, and I can easily replace headset bearings that see all sorts of dirt. The channel hides the hoses, prevents rattling, and eliminates the need for colorful language when servicing the headset.

These bars are great. Get them and enjoy your dirt road drop bar bike even more than you already do.

I purchased these bars for my No. 1 bike and immediately bought another for my second/gravel bike. I like the longer reach and slight backsweep of the tops as well as the flattened tops. I also purchased these narrower than what I have used in the past and like that aspect as well. The only change I would make would be a deeper drop ... I know "compact" bend bars are popular but wish there was a bar with tops/reach like this one but just a bit more drop.

This bar solved the 2 issues I have had with my Trek Checkpoint. I felt too stretched out, and had slight numbness in my hands. This bar has a shorter reach than the stock bar, which has solved both these problems. The brifters are also closer to the drops now, which gives me more confidence while riding in the drops as it is easier to reach the breaks. I also enjoy the slight backward sweep to the tops, which puts my hands/arms in a more comfortable position.

I couldn't tell you if they transmit more or less road buzz than the stock alloy bars, but this was not really a concern for me. I went with the same size 42cm bar, however the Zipp bar is slightly narrower than the stock 42cm bar.

I bought these Zipp bars to replace some alloy bars that came on my bike. The Zipps have a comfortable bend, and ample flat space on top for comfort and a bit of aero gain. Most importantly to me, they manage to cut down on road buzz while still being plenty stiff. I'm not a racer, but I don't like feeling any flex in my bars, and these do a great job of adding both performance and comfort. I caught a good sale, and at ~$260 I'd be hard pressed to find a better combination of performance and value.