Drop or Flat bars?

I'm just starting the process of having a custom bike built up for adventure riding. Prior to this, I had two bikes.. a ti Serotta road bike and a steel Breezer mtb. Both excellent for their intended purposes, but I was very limited with the riding I could do with either. Basically, I had to decide before I left home if I was going to stay on asphalt or go off-road. So I sold them both and will be putting together a bike that I can point in nearly any direction and just ride.

It will be a steel frame, carbon fork, 29er disc wheel setup with some form of SRAM componentry. Possibly a 1x11 setup, but I'll decide that after I talk to the builder some more.

The one thing I'd like some input on is the handlebars. Going one way or the other will influence the components (at least the shifters, but possibly have a ripple effect through the whole gruppo).

I realize there are various options these days... standard drops, Jones H-Bar, Cow/Woodchippers, and various swept back flat styles.

What do use or prefer, and why?

I like the sweeps or modified....  

I really like my Woodchippers. Very comfortable, and I like the options for moving my hands to different positions on long rides. The flared drops are particularly nice for descents. 

Laeljon, that's a sweet Moots! Are your bars titanium like the frame? I had ti bars on my Breezer and they made a noticeable improvement over steel or alu.

I'm a drop bar man all the way. But you should go by what you prefer, not what I do.

Yes, Joe, I wanted some Watson ti bars, but my LBS put these Carver Myti bars on, and I do like them....

Thanks for the info, Laeljon. I'm going to look into those. Or how about you just bring your bike over? What size is it?  

Smithhammer, your comments are similar to others I've read about the Woodchippers. I'd really like to get on a bike with them to see how I feel. Or even to just have the bars in my hands would help. Maybe I can find them in a LBS.

BluesDawg, your advice is exactly what I'd tell someone if they asked me about bars. LOL. It's just like saddles... what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another. But part of the reason I'm asking is because the style of cockpit you set up will dictate your options for components, particularly shifters/brake levers. Sure, you can swap out bars fairly easily, but it gets expensive when you have to change from brifters to trigger shifters and brake levers or vice versa. That's partly why I plan to go with SRAM, tho. The road and mtb components are cross-compatible, which allows for minimal equipment changes.

And of course, the bar style affects handling and body posture. Each style has its pros and cons. All things to consider. But I appreciate any personal insights.

Sure that the Moots would be too small for U.....46cm....now, Have a Soma Cazadero 43 on the front and a Surly Knard 41 rock'n the rear....  

Actually, I rode a Soma Smoothie ES in 46cm last weekend and it was just right. But the Soma has a 51cm effective top tube.

I like drops for the aero benefits.  That middle 65 miles of Dirty Kanza puts a premium on aero.  Unfortunately, standard drops put a lot of pressure on the nerves passing through my wrists -- causing hand numbness. 

I've gone to cowchippers and get the best of all worlds.  Aero positioning.  Less wrist pressure.  And the most comfortable long-distance bar design I've ever used on any style of bike. 

Since you are talking about a custom frame, the choice of bars will greatly influence the frame sizing. A well fitting flat bar bike will likely be too long in the top tube for a good drop bar fit. If you also want the bike to have singletrack capability, a drop bar bike would also want a taller head tube to allow the handlebars to be positioned so that the drop position is up high enough for comfortable use more often than a normal road handlebar position. Look at the differences between Salsa Fargo and Salsa El Mariachi geometry.

Very good points, BD. That had also crossed my mind. The builder I'm looking at would certainly take those things into consideration and plan around it. But I'll need to let him know in advance of my handlebar preference. 

At this point I'm leaning toward a cowbell setup. But I always go back to thinking how much more I liked trigger shifters and flat bar brake levers over brifters. I suppose the bars should matter more than the controls. Shouldn't it?

Another note - some folks will say that for a drop bar, you really have to decide where you're going to have your hands most of the time, and set up the bar accordingly. I see the train of thought behind that, though I tend to disagree. I think it's entirely possible to have a drop bar that works well in a variety of positions, for a variety of different surfaces. For me, the definition of an "off-road drop bar" is one that that I'm going to use on singletracks, dirt/gravel roads and on pavement to link some of the former surfaces together. I don't ride in the drops all the time, though for certain types of riding (like singletrack) I highly recommend it. That doesn't mean I'm dedicated to that position for the majority of my riding, nor that I dedicate the setup of my bars to that position. If that were the case, then a significant part of the advantage of a drop bar - a variety of comfortable, usable hand positions - is lost, or at least significantly compromised.

In the end, I think the analogy to saddles is a pretty good one. People can make all kinds of recommendations, and talk about what bar they personally like, but a lot of it is just going to come down to 'feel' and preference, with a few general principles to keep in mind.

I agree with Smithhammer about drop bars.
I also wanted to add, since the OP is talking about a custom build, that I could never ride in the drops before I got a custom build. Although I ride in the hoods most of the time, the bike was built and setup so that I could access those drops comfortably. And I do now and I kinda love them. I also found that with my carbon bars, which i got to reduce vibration fatigue, I only really get that benefit in the drops. The bar flexes more down there and is easier on my hands.
But, there really is no right answer as others have said. Have fun searching for the right fit. During the journey you'll end up riding your bike a lot and playing with different setups. What could be more fun?

You might also need to consider the terrain that you are riding. I can get away with drops if the terrain is relatively smooth, but if I'm doing a rough descent that I have to brake a lot on drop bars don't cut it for me. Any time I've done a bumpy descent that's longer than a minute my hands get completely rattled. I have a significantly easier time with this on flat bars. However, the lack of multiple hand positions kind of sucks. I find myself climbing with my wrists on the bars rather than my hands so that they aren't tensed up at all.

As in everything, with handlebars you have to go with what works for you. On my own gravel bikes, I go with a slightly higher bar position than on my paved road bike. Not as high as a dedicated drop bar MTB like the Salsa Fargo, but maybe 1/2" to 3/4" higher than on the paved road bike. This is so I can stay in the drops more comfortably on rough gravel and fast gravel descents. I ride the hoods most of the time, but when the bumps get bigger and come more frequently, I like the security of having my hands in the bend of the drops. YMMV.

And VO just dropped this:

http://velo-orange.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-far-bar.html

Intriguing...   


 

Cowchippers on my Rove because it eats up the miles.  Jones bar on my Mtb,for leverage hand position relief for long rides. Bars are relatively cheap compared to a custom build.  
I suppose what I am trying to say is you can buy one  of each and pick the one you like best. Jones bars hold their value really well.

Excellent advice all around. I know bars are cheap/easy to replace. I guess my question really should have been about shifters. Maybe I'll start up a new thread about that. But so far this topic has been really interesting and helpful. That new VO bar looks odd, but quite compelling.

Hi dear! I have just joined this forum, and the reason is because I would like to start using a gravel bike but... I would like to have one with a standard flat handle bar (like the ones use by MTB's). The problem is that apparently are not used at all, and especially here in Italy where I live, seems impossible to find some one able to customize this type of bikes.
It is still too early here in the old Europe for this new bikes, we are just starting having them on the roads now.
DO you know some components producer that is already pushing on the market flat or quasi-flat handle bars for gravel bikes, there in US or somewhere around the world? Many thanks.