When I was building my touring bike I thought long and hard about the bars I wanted to fit. Most “gravel” and “touring” bike riders these days seem to prefer drop bars. I had only ever ridden a bike with this style when I was a teenager and borrowed my father’s Flying Scot for a weeks touring holiday. I can’t really remember how I got on with them but wasn’t in a hurry to replace the flat bars on my every-day bike when I returned. Every bike I’ve had since has been a mountain bike and therefore had flat bars. As I was transferring parts like brakes and shifters from existing bikes it would have been much more expensive replacing these to fit drop bars.

That was when I noticed an advert for Surley Corner Bars. These claimed to be a compromise between flat and drop bars and could be used with flat bar controls. So I bought a set but after my first touring holiday with them was not completely happy. I spent most of the time with my hands on the drop section which wasn’t the most comfortable. The top section of the bar was too narrow and with my hands there I felt I didn’t have as much control as I would have liked especially at speed or downhill. My hands seemed to want to go to the small horns but as the brakes and shifters were fitted on them, that wasn’t a suitable or comfortable hand position.

I came across this article by Alee Denham about a set of bars he had designed. Looking into them I decided to take the plunge and buy them along with the grips he recommended. I’ve been using Ergon grips for a few years and find them comfortable. I have cork ones on my mountain bike.

I fitted the bars to my bike and haven’t regretted it since. They are really comfortable, have three different riding positions and take all the controls and my handlebar bag. My brake and gear cables don’t get in the way when I have the handlebar bag fitted. They are routed behind the bag so I have been able to shorten them and this makes the set-up much neater. For touring these offer more than plain flat bars and with them wrapped in padded tape are great for long days on the bike. Along with the suspension stem the comfort is exceptional even on rougher trails. With the bars being wider than the ones I had on my mountain bike, at first they felt strange and I thought I would have preferred narrower bars. But after using them a few times, I find I have better control especially when there is weight in the handlebar bag.

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