So you want the stability and control of a flared dropbar, but want to keep your hoods in the position you’ve come to love? Well, you’re in luck – that’s exactly what the new Zipp Service Course 70 XPLR bars provide.
When Zipp started looking into developing their own flared bars, they determined that there were actually two critical measurements to this – flare and outsweep. Both are created by rotating the drop outwards, but flare is created by rotating the entire drop above the brake perch, while outsweep just rotates the portion of the drop below the brake perch. That means the higher the flare number, the more angled your shifter hoods become. If you’d prefer your hood position stays where it is with a neutral wrist position, you’re looking for a bar with a high degree of outsweep not flare.
All images c. Zipp or Zipp/Gruber Images
That’s why Zipp designed the new Service Course 70 XPLR with only 5° of flare, but 11° of outsweep. The bars still have a 70mm reach (hence the 70 in the name), but they have a shallower 115mm drop. The result is a bar that feels much like your road bike when you’re on the hoods, but offers more control when you’re on the drops and things start to get rowdy. There’s also a 3° backsweep at the top with an ergonomic profile for comfort.
Available in the Service Course and Service Course SL, both bars feature a 100mm wide clamping area on top for bags and mounts, and they’re Di2 barend junction box compatible. The XPLR starts at $55 for the Service Course, and bumps up to $110 for the Service Course SL.
