THE ZIPP SERVICE COURSE 70 XPLR BAR ARE FOR THE CLASSY GRAVEL GRINDERS

Words and Images: James Raison

The Zipp/SRAM 2020 release extravaganza of wheels and groupsets overshadowed a gravel-focused bar/stem combo they quietly snuck into the market. It’s the Service Course 70 XPLR, and it’s a nice gateway into the world of gravel bars for a reasonable price for people who don’t want to go too extreme on the shaping.

ABOUT

The headline grabber is the dashing silver colour but the numbers are as follows:

Price: $55 USD, $90 AUD
Material: AL-6061
Diameter 31.8mm
Size tested: 42cm
Available width: 42cm, 44cm, 46cm
Reach: 70mm
Drop: 115mm
Angle: 10°
Flare: 11°

THE BUILD

Gravel handlebars are all about build context, especially at the extreme ends of the width spectrum. So I fitted mine to the dirt rocket Grove R.A.D.

The Grove’s racey geo suits an aggressive and narrower gravel setup thanks to the long-ish and low-ish front end. It brings the bike back towards a road bike’s dynamic abilities. That’s where I see the Service Course 70 XPLR’s sweet spot in this 42cm width. It’s for buyers who don’t want to stray far from fast handling.

Narrow bars suit a zingy setup like the Grove R.A.D

ERGONOMICS

The Service Course 70 XPLR are the road-est feeling flared gravel bars I’ve ridden since the 3T Superghiaia. For the right build, that’s a compliment.

The flare puts the drops 6cm wider than the hoods which is a decent width, but thoroughly overshadowed in the gravel handlebar arms race. The Curve Walmers I reviewed are 15 cm wider at the flare, by comparison. That’s no criticism of the Zipps. It’s all about context.

It’s easy and comfortable to get into the drops and the angle is pleasant to hold once you’re there. The subtly flattened tops of the bar feel nicer than fully rounded road bars too. It is a bar with subtle optimisations. Nothing is ergonomically extreme, but is well-considered overall.

SERVICE COURSE STEM

A suitably silver service course stem arrived with the handlebars so I’ll give a couple of notes: it’s generally fine

6° +/- angle
Made of Al-6061
Steel bolts
Size availability: 60, 70, 75, 80, 90, 100, 105, 110, 120, 130mm

I enjoy the aesthetics of the stem but it’s unnecessarily stiff for gravel. It’s not round like traditional stems, rather, it’s like a flattened and slightly curved rectangular prism. I’ve had a Service Course stems on another roadie and it’s a freakin girder. That’s not necessary for gravel. I prefer a softer stem, like the Tune Geiles Teil for example, because all the subtle damping does add up to a nicer feeling for your hands.

The stem/bar combo is a pleasure to look at, but it’s not a stem I’d choose to pair with another gravel bar.

Stiffness ain’t everything when it comes to gravel stems.

THE RIDE

There’s a definite charm to narrower gravel bars. They road-ify your position and narrow you up for a zingy feel. It was refreshing to get back onto that format after riding the Curve Walmers for a few months. I love the Walmers, but much of my gravel riding doesn’t need 55cm bars.

I did some long and lovely winter gravel days on the Service Course 70 XPLR, wrapped in some plush Zipp Service Course tape, and came to rather like the bars. Their subtly flattened tops are comfortable and the bars only slightly tilt the shifters onto a 10° angle.

What I’ve learned from testing bars in so many widths is the importance of flare. I love flared bars after spending the last year riding on them. Standard road bars now feel weird to me and I’d happily throw flared bars on my Specialized Allez. The shallow drop on the Zipp Service Course 70 XPLR encouraged me to spend plenty of time in a more aggressive position. The Pro Discover Medium Flare, by comparison, has a much more rounded drop so the Zipps are ergonomically preferable to my hands.

There are drawbacks to bars this narrow on a gravel bike. They don’t give the same confidence as wider options, especially the Curve Walmers, on technical terrain. I noticed that while testing them in the trail network I ride in multiple times per week. Width gives greater control and greater confidence in those tricky areas. Handlebar bags are also inconvenient with narrow bars too. My longer gravel days always involve a bar bag and even a modestly size option, like the Apidura Racing Handlebar Pack, take up the same real estate you want to put your hands. It’s annoying to jam your hands between a bag and bar tape.

WRAPPING UP

The Zipp Service Course 70 XPLR are handsome, ergonomically sound, and accessibly priced. It’s a quality option for those wanting to dip a toe in the gravel bar market without departing too much from road bar conventions.

The 42cm version I tested is narrower than I’d recommend. I think the 44cm would give a little more real estate and handling confience. Still, I found plenty to enjoy about these bars. There’s so many viable gravel bar options under $100 AUD and these more than deserve consideration from people buying in that bracket.

Disclosure statement: These were sent by Zipp for review. It’s not paid and we don’t make money from Zipp.