Which handlebars are for me?
At Curve, we specialise in making bicycle components fit for purpose, whether that is wide tyre adventure bikes or carbon/titanium hybrid gravel race bikes. This has led us down the road (or trail) of having a few different handlebar options for you, no matter your style of riding. Welcome to the future. So in this instalment of our Tech blogs, we will be breaking down; which handlebar is for me?
We’ll start with our drop bar options, the Walmer Bar range, an upcoming surprise, and move onto our Remlaw flat bar later on. The Walmer Bar, named for its wide stance blocking the famouly Melbourne bridge with the same name. So here we go, let's get into it…
Walmer Bar
The original Walmer Bar is designed to service the rigours and demands of rugged gravel and off-road bikepacking. No handlebar on the market had the width or shape we wanted, so many years ago we decided to create our own.
With the widest versions originally intended to complement the GMX+ bikepacking platform, the narrower versions of our Walmer Bars also work with any gravel bike or off-road beast, especially with the emergence of wider tyre platforms, such as our Big Kev V2.
We chose wide drop bars because the ability to change hand position regularly prevents pressure and tension build-up, and helps minimise numbness and blisters. A wider handlebar also offers more stability and control, particularly when descending sketchy terrain on a loaded bike. It also gives added leverage when tackling technical climbs. And you have all that extra real estate you can carry as much gear as you need for any adventure.
If you’re looking for an adventure upgrade to help you go further, look no more the Walmer Bar is here!
Available Sizes (hood - hood in cm): 40, 43, 46, 50, 55, 60
Reach (mm): 65 / 60 (on sizes 55 & 60)
Drop (mm): 110
Flare (deg): 29
Sweep (deg): 7
Clamp Size (mm): 31.8
Carbon Walmer Bar
Our ever-popular, pioneering wide drop bar is also available in carbon! This carbon version of the Walmer Bar further improves on the original design and reduces weight whilst balancing stiffness and flex, providing some extra vibration damping in rugged terrain. The Walmer Bar Carbon is an alternative to our original alloy Walmer Bar, where performance is more of a focus, rather than straight-up robustness.
The entire top section of the handlebar, and part of the drops, have been internally reinforced with Kevlar to reduce the risk of crush damage from stem, lever and Adventure Tusk clamping.
While we’ve maintained the well-proven overall geometry of the bar, including the drop flare and 7˚ back sweep, we’ve made some updates to the ergonomics to improve hand positioning and the transition between the hoods and drops. The top section of the bar now features a subtle oval shape for added comfort and brake hoses and gear cables tuck neatly into the custom-designed routing recess on the underside of the bars. The width of the clamping area has been carefully considered to allow ample room for bags and lighting while still leaving room for your hands on the tops.
These are the perfect match-up for an AIR Kev or racey GXR4 build.
If you’re looking to take your cockpit to the next level and love the feel of a wide drop bar, the Carbon Walmer Bar is for you.
Available Sizes (hood - hood in cm): 43, 46, 50
Reach (mm): 65 / 62.5 (on size 50)
Drop (mm): 108
Flare (deg): 30
Sweep (deg): 7
Clamp Size (mm): 31.8
Carbon Walmer Race Bar - COMING SOON!
We’re well known for our affinity for wide bars when it comes to gravel. But with the ever-evolving and increasingly specific needs towards the faster end of modern-day gravel, the racers have spoken, and they want narrow. Enter the Carbon Walmer Race Bar. Taking our years of handlebar design expertise and applying it to a modern, gravel racing-specific handlebar, ready to take on the biggest races.
Available exclusively in a 40cm width, with a reduced flare, internal and external cable routing options and SRAM Blip-Ready drops. If going speedy off-road is your thing, these bars will be for you.
Designed in conjunction with the CarboKev and newly coming 00Kev carbon/titanium platforms, the Carbon Walmer Race Bar is a step away from the traditional Curve DNA, but is innovative and still heavily gravel-focussed!
Pre-Orders will be open soon. To be the first to find out, drop us an email at sales@curvecycling.com
Available Sizes (hood - hood in cm): 40
Reach (mm): 65
Drop (mm): 108
Flare (deg): 14
Clamp Size (mm): 31.8
Remlaw Bar
The Remlaw Bar has a unique design featuring 12° of back-sweep, which mimics the hand positioning of drop bar hoods, allowing riders to transition from drop bars without needing to change their stem length. Designed specifically for our GXR and GMX+ platforms.
Ideal for touring and bikepacking, the 800mm-wide 6061 alloy bar is engineered to provide ample space for essential gear like feedbags, front rolls, and aerobars. It also features curves that ensure proper clearance for the rider while out of the saddle, making it a highly versatile and functional choice for adventure-style riding on bikes originally designed for drop bars.
Total Width (mm): 800
Reach (mm): 41
Sweep (deg): 12
Clamp Size (mm): 31.8
Grip Size (mm): 22.2
