Allroad cycling is not a fad, it's here for the long haul, and it is great to see a wide range of allroad/gravel specific components hitting the market. Enter Zipp’s innovative all-road handlebar, the Service Course SL 70 XPLR. The bar’s moniker, XPLR, exemplifies the desire to explore the world with an expanded definition of cycling on a drop bar bicycle- from paved roads onto gravel, mud, dirt, and even single track. The Service Course SL 70 XPLR help you go faster by placing your body, starting with your hands, in an optimal “comfort zone” position for hours of rough riding over mixed terrain. The 70mm reach is typically short and ideal for today's cockpit set-ups, and the 115mm drop is shallow for fast transitions that allow the rider to maintain control and stability over rough surfaces.

Today’s riders demand a few things out of their cockpit, whether they are doing a two hour training ride from home or a 200 mile gravel adventure. For most the combination of comfort, control, and the ability to carry what they need is mandatory in a handlebar. Besides the drop and reach, Zipp met these needs by creating the SL-70 XPLR the shallow drops with a wider stance by specifically focusing on two crucial concepts, outsweep and flare. Outsweep is created by rotating the drop below the brake perch outward. Flare is created by rotating the entire drop above the brake perch outward. The result is a shallow and quickly accessible, wider overall leverage drop position that is 6cm wider than the width of the bar at the lever mount zones (where the size measurement is taken, center to center). You get greater control, stability and leverage as well as more space up front for a bar bag.

Is this as wide as many true gravel bars? No, but that is why Zipp considers this an allroad bar, as it is more versatile overall and may be best suited to road disc brake bikes that can roll on 32-34mm tires than pure gravel. Yet, make no mistake, the Service Course SL-70 XPLR can handle everything you direct it over, keeping real versatility without compromising efficiency.