On Cyclocross Traditions (handlebar talk)

from Rookie’s keyboard,

Hello, friends

Today, I am introducing a new segment to this site – cyclocross/gravel talk. (I think that’s my fist post on the topic.)

In this post, I will discuss a cyclocross tradition than many rookies may not be aware of, namely the adoption of drop bars (a handlebar type normally reserved for road machines).

Why?

First, the technicality.

The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) enforces a strict width limit of 50cm/500mm for these bicycles. This rule makes it impractical to use flat or riser handlebars as the rider will lose a lot of leverage. In contrast, drop bars are approximately 44cm/440mm wide, which complies with the regulations.

The original quote from the Clarification Guide of The UCI Technical Regulation (ARTICLE 1.3.012) is as follows:

A bicycle shall not measure more than 185 cm in length and 50 cm in width overall.

The widest part of a bicycle are the handlebars. Therefore, this regulation directly limits the width of the bars used in the sport to less than 50cm.

Flat Bars Under 500mm Lose Their Value

In the past, mountain bikes often featured 600mm (60cm) flat bars, but that trend has changed.

Today, wider handlebars are the standard, with modern MTB bars exceeding previous widths.

Even cross-country models typically come with 740mm (74cm) bars, while more aggressive disciplines require even wider bars.

The rationale behind wide bars and short stems is to improve precision and stability over rough surfaces by providing greater leverage.

Even in earlier times, it would be hard to find a professional mountain biker using flat bars shorter than 500mm, as such a width would be inadequate.

The bikes most likely to feature ultra-short (<50cm) flat or riser bars are urban fixie bikes.

A decade ago, many fixie riders were triming their bars to comical length to navigate through city traffic more aggressively.

However, using such short bars on a bike designed for cyclocross racing would be impractical. The riders will have to lean more when steering due to the reduced maneuverability – and that’s a big no on technical terrain.

Some comfort handlebars are also under 50cm, but they are unsuitable for racing, as riders would be too upright, making it comical to climb muddy hills.

One of the few handlebar models that maintain functionality while being under 50cm are drop bars. Thus, by process of elimination, drop bars are the only logical and legal option for cyclocross competitors in UCI-sanctioned events.

Drop Bars Width

Drop bars are very narrow and vary between 380mm and 440mm (38-44cm) measured from one center of a drop to the other.

Why?

Clearance

Road bars improve the rider’s “clearance” when competing in tight packs.

Meanwhile, wider bars greatly increase the chances of hitting another competitor and causing a collision.

Aero

Drop bars are more aerodynamic themselves and keep the rider’s armspan narrown whereas MTB bars do the exact opposite.

Other Benefits

Many hand positions

Drop bars provide more hands positions. You can place your hands on the hoods, on the flat portion of the bar, or the drops.

Of course, you could also put your hands on the mid-part of the risers or flat bars, but this position is highly unstable when racing.

More comfortable climbing

The hoods on drop bars make climbing somewhat easier by allowing riders to put more of their weight on the front wheel.

Faster Springint

Drop bars facilitate acceleration out of the saddle.

Tucked Position

Another benefit of the tucked aero position that drop bars provide is improved performance when facing a heavy headwind. “Going low” makes it easier to cut through the wind.

What About Bullhorns or Pursuit bars?

Bullhorns and pursuit bars, which are essentially bullhorns with a built-in drop position, fit the width requirements too since they’re pretty narrow.

However, their shape makes racing on them too dangerous.

During an accident, the “horns” may stab someone and live up to their name.

Also, it’s easier for bullhorn-shaped bars to come in contact with an external object and bring you down.

Hence bullhorns and pursuit bars are excluded from the available options and so are all the other forward-facing handlebars.

Cyclocross Isn’t MTB

Cyclocross competitions are more “muddy” than road biking, but the terrain isn’t as extreme as what we see in MTB races.

Subsequently, the extra precision that flat handlebars can offer isn’t needed.

Cyclocross riders don’t do drops and other extreme maneuvers such as manuals, flips, wheelies, and bunny hops – movements that are significantly easier to perform with flat handlebars.

MTBs Are Allowed In Non-UCI-Sanctioned Events

Hardtails and full suspension mountain bikes are banned from official UCI cyclocross events, but some local competitions usually welcome all sorts of cycling machines to popularize the sport.

Bar ends?

Flat bars with bar ends are functionally forward-facing bars and thus banned from cyclocross competitions.

Bar ends are dangerous because you can hurt yourself or another competitor.

One can argue that the hoods on drop bars can also stab a rider, and that’s certainly true, but they aren’t as pointy as bar ends and enforce greater “handlebar awareness” because the hands of the riders are almost always covering them.

Bar ends are a different story. Most of the time, they’re used for climbing, and you can neither deploy the brakes nor shift gears when holding them.

Consequently, riders spend less time on them than they would on the hoods of a drop bar. This style of riding reduces the rider’s alertness and boosts the risk of involuntarily hitting an object or a competitor.

Gravel Specific Bars?

To the untrained eye, all drop bars will look the same, but there are actually gravel specific drop bars called dirt drops. Their most distinctive feature are the flared hooks (drops).

Dirt drops are engineered to encourage riding in the drop position even when cycling on rough terrain since the flared drops effectively elongate the bars and provide more leverage.

For that reason, riders coming from a mountain biking background may find it easier to adapt to a set of dirt drops.

Not all dirt drop bars are UCI-legal. Some are wider than 50cm.

Until next time,

Rookie


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