Easton EA50 AX Handlebar

The Easton EA50 AX handlebar is a great value gravel bar with just the right curve, and enough flare in the drops for control off-road – but not so much it looks weird for the road. If you don't want something full-on gravelly wide it's ideal, but on long rough rides it's hard to miss its unyielding rigidity.

The finish is clean and tidy but there aren't any fancy details: no recesses for cables nor holes for electrics, and a simple round profile which might feel skinny if you've been spoiled with ergo and aero flat-top bars. That's to be expected at the price though, really, and you do get markings on the bends to ease lever set up.

The central bulge tapers in from the underneath, leaving the top of the bar flat, and they extend out as far as possible before turning into the forward curve – meaning there's little bit of extra room for bikepacking bags than on some. There's 38cm of luggage room between the levers.

Easton's MCD ('Maximum Contact Drop') shaping gives a nicely radiused curve that, well, looks very similar to a lot of other shallow drop bars. It's easy to find a comfy position on.

The 80mm reach and 120mm drop keeps things compact and close, while the 16 degree flare offers improved control off-road. On these 42cm bars that flare means the bar measures 45cm across the bend where your lever clamps might be and 49cm (centre to centre) at the end caps.

Against some other gravel bars that flare is barely noticeable, but Easton says extensive testing and research has shown that 16° is the sweet spot for control without compromising lever use or comfort on the hoods. I'm inclined to agree.

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One of the reasons I dislike fashionably wide flares is that they cant the levers excessively, making the tops of the hoods uncomfortable and ensuring gear shifts are a tiring, wrist-straining affair.

I also don't like the broad stance a gravel-wide bar creates – while it might give you oodles of off road control and confidence, I like to cover distance on my bike and the elbows out spreadeagle can be a solid effort into a headwind. Maybe I'm just not Gravel(TM) enough.

Value

Coming in at about the same price is the £49.90 Ritchey Comp Venturemax XL handlebar, which ticks all the gravel boxes and is the antithesis of the Easton – it's crazy wide, bellbottom flared and full of lumps and bumps. Our reviewer Mike liked it for its extreme-terrain high and low-speed control, super-comfortable angles and acres of luggage space.

The Salsa Cowchipper Drop Bar is close too at £48, and its width also brings extra compliance and bag space. The Ritchey Butano is my go-to bar for gravelling, and it has not too dissimilar numbers, though less flare and a bit of backsweep. Which is quite nice, actually. In its Comp form it's £40.99.

Overall

The EA50 is a firm handlebar. For the money I'm not expecting a particularly nuanced bit of kit, but this doesn't do much to smooth vibrations or take the edge off bumps, and it can get tiring on the hands and arms after a couple of hours off road.

Beyond that it's very much like a compact road bar, but with a subtle yet useful amount of flare blended in for better off-road control, and the price is good too.

Verdict

Good value adventure bar with a comfortable shape and flare, but too stiff for very long, rough rides