The Best Bike Handlebars for Every Type of Rider
Upgrade your bike and improve your ride quality and comfort with these value-packed picks.
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Whether you’re riding a road, mountain, fat-tire, or gravel bike, new handlebars can significantly improve your ride quality. The right handlebars can also give you a better position on your bike, reducing your fatigue and shoulder, hand, or neck pain caused by improperly positioned hands on your bike. The size, shape, and material of the bars are all a factor in this. To make every ride more comfortable, we've rounded up the best bike handlebars for all types of riders and riding styles.
The Best Bike Handlebars
What to Consider
Bike handlebars are purpose-built. For instance, most mountain bikers don’t want to ride with a traditional cowbell type handlebar and they most certainly won’t want to use aerobars. Similarly, most road bikers won’t want to use the type of flat bars or BMX bars that those riders user, so finding the right type of handlebar for your riding style is the first and most important consideration. Beyond that there are a number of other things you should consider when looking for a good set of handlebars. Some of these terms only apply to certain types of handlebars, like rise and sweep for mountain bike handlebars or drop and reach for road and gravel handlebars.
Material
The majority of handlebars our there today are either made of carbon fiber or aluminum. Each has its advantages. Carbon fiber is lighter and absorbs more shock. Aluminum is more durable and generally less expensive. Some bars are made of steel or titanium.
Width
This is an important consideration for any handlebar. Gravel and mountain bike handlebars tend to be wider, allowing for greater stability and control. Road bike handlebars are sometimes wide as well, but there are also narrower models available for improved aerodynamics. Those with broader shoulders may also prefer a wider handlebar than those with narrower shoulders.
Clamp Size
It’s important you know your handlebar clamp size when buying new handlebars. But thankfully, the overwhelming majority of bikes these days come with handlebar stem clamps that are either 35 or 31.8mm. The 35mm clamps are ideal for applications that need more surface area and a stiffer clamp. The smaller size clamp allows for more flexibility while riding, absorbing some shock and vibration while riding.
Drop
For road and gravel cowbell-shaped handlebars, the drop is the amount of distance from the top of the handlebar to the bottom of the bells.
Sweep or Flare
For gravel bikes and some road bike handlebars, the sweep or the flare is how much the handlebars flare out from the top width to the width at the end of the drop. This allows for a more comfortable lower hand position on gravel bikes. Sweep or backsweep is also used to define how far back the ends of a mountain bike handle bar are from the center clamp area.
Reach
On gravel and road bike bars, reach measures how far forward the drops are from the horizontal axis of the handlebar at the clamp.
Rise
On mountain bike handlebars, the rise is the amount the handlebars rise up from the clamp area.
Extensions
This is primarily used when discussing the bottom of drops and how far they extend or the forward part of aerobars or bullhorn-style bars.
How We Selected
There are hundreds, if not thousands of options for handlebars out there and we’ve had our gloves on plenty, but not all of them. That said, we made these choices based on our personal experience with handlebars of all shapes and sizes as well as well-reviewed models from reputable brands and retailers that offer great value and are currently in stock.
For more great additions to your ride, check out our picks for the best bike seatposts, mudguards, and bike tubes!
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Comfortable
Cons
- Heavier than most other road bar options
Key Specs
- Material: Aluminum
- Style: Cowbell
- Clamp Size: 31.8mm
- Width(s)/Weight(s): 38cm, 40cm, 42cm/315g, 44cm
- Features: Drop: 125mm; Reach: 80mm; Sweep: 4 degrees
The Service Course 80 Ergonomic Handlebar from Zipp offers some seriously comfy riding, courtesy of its ergonomic design. And thanks to its flat top, backsweep, and shallow drop, riders can access multiple hand positions easily.
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Ergonomic
- Tried and tested
- Range of sizes
Cons
Key Specs
- Material: Aluminum
- Style: Cowbell
- Clamp Size: 31.8mm
- Width(s)/Weight(s): 36cm/263g, 38cm, 40cm, 42cm/288g, 44cm
- Features: Drop: 123mm; Reach: 75mm, internal cable routing
Specialized’s Expert Alloy Shallow Bend handlebars are a long favorite of road riders. The shallow bend is ergonomic and offers multiple hand positions while remaining inexpensive. They’re also offered in a more expensive S-Works carbon version.
Fi’zi:k Cyrano 00 Chameleon Handlebar
Pros
- Light
- Stiff
- Multiple size options
Cons
- Expensive
Key Specs:
- Material: Carbon
- Style: Cowbell
- Clamp Size: 31.8mm
- Width(s)/Weight(s): 40cm, 42cm/175g, 44cm, 46, cm
- Features: Drop: 135mm; Reach 85mm
If you’re looking for a lightweight drop bar for racing, the Fi’zi:k Cyrano 00 Chameleon Handlebar is worth checking out. At just 175 grams for a 42cm bar, it’s one of the lightest out there, yet remains stiff even during climbs. It offers a generous drop and a relatively short reach for riders who aren’t looking for the most contorted positions while riding.
Pros
- Internal cable routing
- Aero design
Cons
- Expensive
Key Specs
- Material: Carbon
- Style: Aero cowbell
- Clamp Size: 31.8mm
- Width(s)/Weight(s): 40cm, 42cm/255g, 44cm
- Features: Drop 125mm; Reach: 125mm, aero design, internal cable routing
If you’re looking for a sleek aero bar to cut through the wind when you're pounding away in the drops, check out Easton’s slick EC70 Aero Handlebar. With internal cable routing and a flat leading edge, the Aero reduces drag while still giving you easy access to shallow drops with extra reach.
Pros
- Lightweight
- Multiple rise options
- Less expensive than other carbon bars
Cons
- Only offered in 35mm clamp
- Still expensive compared to aluminum
Key Specs
- Material: Carbon
- Style: Mountain bike bars
- Clamp Size: 35mm
- Width(s)/Weight(s): 800mm/220g (20mm rise)
- Features: Rise: 20mm or 30mm, backsweep: 8 degrees, upsweep: 5 degrees
Mountain bikers rave about the shock-absorbing capability of this carbon fiber bar From OneUp Components. It’s also hard to find a quality carbon handlebar from another manufacturer for less, which makes it an even better value.
Pros
- Durable
- Multiple rise options
- Wide
Cons
- More expensive than other BMX bars
Key Specs
- Material: Steel
- Style: BMX
- Clamp Size: 22.2mm
- Width(s)/Weight(s): 29 inches/1 pound
- Features: Rise: 9 or 10 inches
Built for the durability required of a BMX bike that handles more thrashing, trashing, and bashing than most mountain bike bars, the ODYSSEY 49er is stiff and responsive. It’s also wide enough to make it easy to grab onto after tricks and jumps.
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Multiple width options
- Decent flare
Cons
- No 35mm option
Key Specs
- Material: Aluminum
- Style: Flared cowbell
- Clamp Size: 31.8mm
- Width(s)/Weight(s): 48cm/346g, 52cm/357
- Features: Drop: 105mm; Reach: 65mm, Flare: 20 degrees
This wide, shallow gravel bar is great for long rides and bikepacking trips. With a decent flare in the short drops it’s easy to access any hand position and move back to the flat bar section or the hoods for climbing.
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Great flare
- Comfortable
- Many width options
- Carbon version available
Cons
- Heavier than other options
Key Specs
- Material: Aluminum (carbon version available)
- Style: Flared cowbell
- Clamp Size: 31.8mm
- Width(s)/Weight(s): 40cm, 42cm, 44cm/322g, 46cm
- Features: Drop: 116mm; Reach: 68mm, Flare: 24 degrees
Maximum flare! That alone sums up the Cowchipper’s main feature. With 24 degrees of flare in its shallow drops, it’s easy to access compfortable hand positions while riding on rocky, root-strewn roads and paths, even when loaded down with extra gear. This inexpensive set of bars is also available in carbon and deluxe versions.
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Multiple clamp and width options
Cons
- Not enough size options
Key Specs
- Material: Aluminum
- Style: Bullhorn
- Clamp Size: 31.8mm or 26mm
- Width(s)/Weight(s): 40cm/320g, 42cm
- Features: Extension: 22cm
Bullhorn bars are most often used on time-trial and one-speed city bikes. The Origin8 Bullhorn is a flat bar with great extensions for pushing hard on hills or speeding up. Brake levers or shifters can be placed at the end of the bars or on the flat section.
Chris Meehan is an internationally published writer, author, and editor with more than two decades of professional experience. He has authored multiple adventure guidebooks with Falcon Guides and his work focusses primarily on the nexus between sustainability and outdoor adventure. He is an experienced gear reviewer, tester, and travel writer who has explored multiple continents.
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