Four years after you made this video I ordered this handlebar to put on my Secan 😎, initially I installed a 48 PNW handlebar thinking of bikepacking but it felt so awkward that I’m going down to 42, thanks for the info, by the way I follow your channel for the ultra endurance videos. Cheers
Best review I've found on these! I think I'm sold.. thanks for being so thorough! I also feel like a got a better grasp on all the difference types of drop bar dimensions thanks to this video.
Thanks for the thorough review. You’ve answered all the questions I had about whether or not this was the handlebar for me. I am ordering a 42cm today!
Thanks Frank. They work really well for a mixed use bike. Loving them on the Secan and they were super comfortable during BikingMan Portugal. At times I felt I could have left my aerobars at home. When are you coming to Dubai for some winter cycling 😄
Good thorough review, so good that I'm sold on it😁 this is gonna be my first upgrade on my new gravel bike! What bar tape would you recommend for comfortability? thanks.
Just under 40cm and I run the 40cm bar. Excellent for road and easy gravel. Off-road on more extreme courses that I'm using the Bahookie for I'm looking at trying something wider around 44-46cm but will shorten up the stem to compensate.
so you run a 40cm sl70 and stayed with the 40cm XPLR bar? Im really considering these for a gravel build. Nice to see you are using GRX di2, thats what I'll be building with as well.
Yes I do. Chose 40cm after consultation with my bike fitter and kept those for the XPLR set up. It's got to be the right fit for road as well as off-road riding. They are superb bars for all round use.
@@TurnCycling Please help! What is the total width from center barend to center barend on your 40cm? Cant seem to find this info _anywhere_ (not even Zipps own sites!)
@@krimoll Hi there do you mean at the end of the drop what is the width from centre to centre? The 40cm measurement is at the top of the bar near the hoods.
Thanks for the review. The bar is flared and has a sweep. What width do I select of I want 44 cm at the drops? In other words, where is the bar width measured? At the hoods, in the drops or at the bar ends?
Bar width is measured centre to centre at the hoods. That is typically where you would size it from a fitting perspective. I measure across the shoulder blades and match this to the bar width measured as above. That’s a good road position. You may want to go wider for off-road. I would then reduce the stem length to ensure a comfortable position.
@@TurnCycling Thanks for the info. I mainly ride in the drops or on clip-on aero bars. I would probably pick a 40 cm wide bar if I want 44 cm in the drops.
On this bit I was using some Panaracer GravelKing slicks 35mm. Check out the recent gravel ride at Hatta in the UAE, there I was using GravelKing SK 38mm. Awesome tyre for full on gravel riding. I think the 43mm would give even more grip and cushioning but I would then have issues with toe overlap as I'm as short arse!
Hi there. Glad you like the video. Stem length depends on the bike geometry. On my Moots, which has a 72 degree head angle, I run a 90mm stem. On the Fairlight which is a little longer but a much slacker head angle I run an 80mm stem to speed the steering back up. Both are -6 degrees.
Turn Cycling food for thought. Thank you for your quick response. I’m currently building a Reilly “Gradient”, with a bias towards an ultra endurance set up, so your videos on this whole subject matter are very helpful. Thank you again.
@@thewhitewaystudio4733 That's a good bike. Are you getting full custom geometry or off the shelf? If you are off the shelf then I'd strongly recommend a very good bike fit to help sort out everything with stem length, seat post layback, bar wide etc. I had a professional fitting 2 years ago which helped me understand exactly what combination of stack, reach, stem length, seat post layback and crank length worked really well for me. That was set up on my Moots so when I moved to the Fairlight I was able to adjust from there with stem length to get the exact same fit and I knew that it would work well with the slacker head angle.
Turn Cycling Thanks for that! Tuesday morning I’ve arranged a meeting with an Osteopath whom also does professional bike fittings. So I’ll wait to see what he recommends. Again, thank you.
Hi there, I don't have access to the SL-70 Ergo but I have used one in the past. It's a great bar, I do like the ergo tops. It comes in narrower widths as well so ideal if you need a 36 or 38 cm bar. However I do prefer the XPLR for two reasons. The flare makes it more comfortable for all riding not just gravel. Also the SL-70 Ergo doesn't work if you want to put aerobats on (I do for ultra racing) and you can't fit much on the bars due to the very narrow clamping zone.
Do your 40 cm SL version feel true to size at the hood clamps? Considering the standard bar in 42 but typically use a 40. Another suggestion in the road/gravel hybrid style bar?
Hi there, yes this does feel true to size at the hood clamps. If you normally run a 40 then I would use a 40 for this bar as well. As an alternative, the only one I've tried, is the Enve Carbon Gravel bar in a 42. That is one incredible bar but very different price point. That comes up slightly shorter, lower drop to the bottom of the bars and you can get a more aggressive inward angle and it feels natural. So that works in a 42 compared to a normal 40, especially for gravel and off road riding. I've since gone back to the Zipp XPLR and I do love this for long distance road riding.
Beware: Zipp has poor customer support in my opinion. The carbon bar I bought had defects, in my opinion, and failed without warning, in my opinion, and without misuse, in my opinion. Their "customer support" email responder(s) from my experience do not respond with their name, only "Zipp". So, from my experience, I will never buy Zipp again.
Good to know. A company's support approach means a lot. To be honest I've never had a problem with Zipp products, have had a pair of 303's for 6 years now and probably around 50,000km and other than replacing bearings they've been faultless. Does mean I've not tested the support though.
Four years after you made this video I ordered this handlebar to put on my Secan 😎, initially I installed a 48 PNW handlebar thinking of bikepacking but it felt so awkward that I’m going down to 42, thanks for the info, by the way I follow your channel for the ultra endurance videos. Cheers
Best review I've found on these! I think I'm sold.. thanks for being so thorough! I also feel like a got a better grasp on all the difference types of drop bar dimensions thanks to this video.
Hi Sebastian, I'm glad you found it useful!
Thanks for the thorough review. You’ve answered all the questions I had about whether or not this was the handlebar for me. I am ordering a 42cm today!
Glad it was helpful!
You review was a lot better than many others I saw today. Always keep it real mate.
Thanks Harish!
SOLD! I'm excited to pick these up but for USD$55 savings I think the non-SL version really aren't that much of a weight penalty.
Yeah I'm just a sucker for anything carbon :-)
Yes the are, I don't know what I was thinking 🤣
Good review, will try these bars on my gravel bike
Thanks Frank. They work really well for a mixed use bike. Loving them on the Secan and they were super comfortable during BikingMan Portugal. At times I felt I could have left my aerobars at home. When are you coming to Dubai for some winter cycling 😄
Turn Cycling Dubai winter cycling, sounds nice :)
@@FrankNolf Any time between mid-November and mid-March should be good
Nice just ordered this today
Thanks, I going to purchase one of these on payday.
Good thorough review, so good that I'm sold on it😁 this is gonna be my first upgrade on my new gravel bike! What bar tape would you recommend for comfortability? thanks.
Awesome! I'd definitely recommend either SuperCaz or Zipp Service Course CX bar tape.
@@TurnCycling got it thanks!
SOLD!! Do they measure the width on this bar from the drops C-C or the hoods C-C?
C-C on the hoods, the drops are probably 2-3 cm wider. But I'll go down to the garage for you and measure!
Nice review, what is your shoulder length? Im about 39.5” im unsure if i use 40cm or 42 cm, thank you!!! Great content
Just under 40cm and I run the 40cm bar. Excellent for road and easy gravel. Off-road on more extreme courses that I'm using the Bahookie for I'm looking at trying something wider around 44-46cm but will shorten up the stem to compensate.
so you run a 40cm sl70 and stayed with the 40cm XPLR bar? Im really considering these for a gravel build. Nice to see you are using GRX di2, thats what I'll be building with as well.
Yes I do. Chose 40cm after consultation with my bike fitter and kept those for the XPLR set up. It's got to be the right fit for road as well as off-road riding. They are superb bars for all round use.
@@TurnCycling Please help! What is the total width from center barend to center barend on your 40cm? Cant seem to find this info _anywhere_ (not even Zipps own sites!)
@@krimoll Hi there do you mean at the end of the drop what is the width from centre to centre? The 40cm measurement is at the top of the bar near the hoods.
Thanks for the review. The bar is flared and has a sweep. What width do I select of I want 44 cm at the drops? In other words, where is the bar width measured? At the hoods, in the drops or at the bar ends?
Bar width is measured centre to centre at the hoods. That is typically where you would size it from a fitting perspective. I measure across the shoulder blades and match this to the bar width measured as above. That’s a good road position. You may want to go wider for off-road. I would then reduce the stem length to ensure a comfortable position.
@@TurnCycling Thanks for the info. I mainly ride in the drops or on clip-on aero bars. I would probably pick a 40 cm wide bar if I want 44 cm in the drops.
Nice video...what tires were you using during the gravel section? Thanks
On this bit I was using some Panaracer GravelKing slicks 35mm. Check out the recent gravel ride at Hatta in the UAE, there I was using GravelKing SK 38mm. Awesome tyre for full on gravel riding. I think the 43mm would give even more grip and cushioning but I would then have issues with toe overlap as I'm as short arse!
Informative video, thank you.
Out of interest. What stem length and angle are you using?
Hi there. Glad you like the video. Stem length depends on the bike geometry. On my Moots, which has a 72 degree head angle, I run a 90mm stem. On the Fairlight which is a little longer but a much slacker head angle I run an 80mm stem to speed the steering back up. Both are -6 degrees.
Turn Cycling food for thought. Thank you for your quick response.
I’m currently building a Reilly “Gradient”, with a bias towards an ultra endurance set up, so your videos on this whole subject matter are very helpful.
Thank you again.
@@thewhitewaystudio4733 That's a good bike. Are you getting full custom geometry or off the shelf? If you are off the shelf then I'd strongly recommend a very good bike fit to help sort out everything with stem length, seat post layback, bar wide etc. I had a professional fitting 2 years ago which helped me understand exactly what combination of stack, reach, stem length, seat post layback and crank length worked really well for me. That was set up on my Moots so when I moved to the Fairlight I was able to adjust from there with stem length to get the exact same fit and I knew that it would work well with the slacker head angle.
Turn Cycling Thanks for that!
Tuesday morning I’ve arranged a meeting with an Osteopath whom also does professional bike fittings.
So I’ll wait to see what he recommends.
Again, thank you.
can you make a review about the Zipp Service Course SL-70 ERGO?
Hi there, I don't have access to the SL-70 Ergo but I have used one in the past. It's a great bar, I do like the ergo tops. It comes in narrower widths as well so ideal if you need a 36 or 38 cm bar.
However I do prefer the XPLR for two reasons. The flare makes it more comfortable for all riding not just gravel. Also the SL-70 Ergo doesn't work if you want to put aerobats on (I do for ultra racing) and you can't fit much on the bars due to the very narrow clamping zone.
Do your 40 cm SL version feel true to size at the hood clamps? Considering the standard bar in 42 but typically use a 40. Another suggestion in the road/gravel hybrid style bar?
Hi there, yes this does feel true to size at the hood clamps. If you normally run a 40 then I would use a 40 for this bar as well.
As an alternative, the only one I've tried, is the Enve Carbon Gravel bar in a 42. That is one incredible bar but very different price point. That comes up slightly shorter, lower drop to the bottom of the bars and you can get a more aggressive inward angle and it feels natural. So that works in a 42 compared to a normal 40, especially for gravel and off road riding.
I've since gone back to the Zipp XPLR and I do love this for long distance road riding.
Kapogi😘
You are like me, you only shave when you have to. lol
Beware: Zipp has poor customer support in my opinion. The carbon bar I bought had defects, in my opinion, and failed without warning, in my opinion, and without misuse, in my opinion. Their "customer support" email responder(s) from my experience do not respond with their name, only "Zipp". So, from my experience, I will never buy Zipp again.
Good to know. A company's support approach means a lot.
To be honest I've never had a problem with Zipp products, have had a pair of 303's for 6 years now and probably around 50,000km and other than replacing bearings they've been faultless. Does mean I've not tested the support though.