Get a Grip on Your Gravel: Salsa WoodChippers (#2)

A freak of sorts, the Woodchipper bar is our off-road drop bar. Aren’t drop bars for road bikes? Not necessarily. The Woodchipper delivers multiple hand positions and is designed for either road STI style brake/shift levers or bar end shifters. Constructed of super strong 7075-T6 aluminum, the Woodchipper is available in 31.8mm clamp diameter.
    •    Multi-position, off-road drop bars
    •    Bars bend along three planes to create extra wide lowers while still maintaining a shallow drop
    •    Ergonomic design works well with integrated road shift/brake levers
    •    Bar ends accept bar end shifters
    •    Front indentation for cable routing
    •    110mm drop, 80mm reach, 38° drop angle, 26° flare angle
    •    42cm and 46cm widths
    •    31.8mm is AL-7075, 46cm is 332 grams
    •    Black bead-blast finish

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They forgot the price: $50-$65 dollars throughout the universe.

Ok, there's the propaganda straight from Salsa for all to see.

But, are they hype-proof?

Yes.

I've been on about 10 rides with these bars and can't see myself going back to traditional cross bars, save for actually racing in cross events (slim?).

Unlike seeing them in person and trying someone's setup, reading about bar setups on a blog is about as useful as reading how to exercise - oh, you'll get book smart and maybe even entertain yourself (how?) but in the end you'll still be wondering what it feels like to ride in a size medium legging with these here Woodchippers (number 2? version 2? ... it has the number 2 after woodchipper, that must be better!)

Scott and Randy participated in Cranksgiving last year and that's where I first saw them live on stage. They looked weird - overly wide and moose-like. But I tried Scott's bike and damn if I wasn't hooked straight-up, Whitney-style.

Now I have them on the Chili Con Crosso and somehow they have led me into some major off-road, no-road adventures out in West County. How I ended up just 'in the woods' and 'just riding along' I have no idea but let me assure you that unless you are riding backwards with more skill than I, you won't have any issues with hooking them on narrow trees. Even when you're blazing your own trail playing 'deer-on-a-hike' for the day, the Woodchipper bar excels at all things control. You'll have more problems with grass getting jammed into your hub than the Woodchippers letting you down.

These bars offer way more control on the gravel and singletrack, don't force you down into the drops so severely and offer a wide hood position.

They aren't light but they are practical.

And they won't win you a cross race....

But they will send you on an adventure.