Ride Farr goes Wide - R with their Drop Handlebar

With the ever-changing growth and evolution of gravel riding, it is only natural for rider setup and equipment preferences to change.

Much like the sport of mountain biking evolved from the narrow 580mm width handlebars of the 1990’s to the +720mm minimum width of today’s XCO and marathon bikes, gravel riders are now asking for wider drop handlebars.

Why? Because they offer more control and leverage for improved handling and steering precision – especially when the gravel turns to something a bit more technical. It really is that simple.

Enter the Wide-R handlebar! Whilst adding extra width to a standard flared handlebar seemed like a simple update or request, we were quite surprised to find that this was not so easy from a manufacturing perspective.

The solution – Japan.

We made contact with the maestro’s at Nitto Handlebar Works and have been working on samples of this new style drop-flare handlebar over the past 12 months.

Not only do Nitto manufacture a wide range of bespoke cockpit components but they also offer a level of passion and craftsmanship that is quite rare in today’s bicycle world.

We like that these take longer to produce and are free of fancy graphics and branding – the art is in the design and shape of the handlebar.