Test / Gravel: The Acros Gravel handlebar convinces with its successful ergonomics and the attention to detail makes the hearts of two-wheeler fans beat faster.
Not so long ago, gravel bikes were viewed extremely critically, often dismissed as hype and a short-term trend. Today that is unthinkable: the drop-bar all-rounders have arrived in the middle of the bicycle world, almost all major two-wheeler manufacturers have one or even several models in their range and they are no longer exotic on the forest highways of the republic. So it's no wonder that the accessories and component market now also offers numerous special Gravel products. If one or the other doubts the sense of a separate Gravel variant, this makes sense, especially with handlebars.
The German manufacturer Acros - most probably better known from their headsets or hubs - recognized this trend early on and launched their own gravel handlebars last year. This is only available in one size and exclusively made of aluminium. The upper link measures 440mm in width, while between the tips of the lower link there is a whopping 558mm. The discrepancy is due to the pronounced flare of 25°. The lower link is designed to offer more control off-road - perfect for gravel bikes. The rather long reach of the handlebars is visually striking - at 112mm, it is clearly above what you are used to from most other handlebars in this category. Incidentally, our test handlebar weighs exactly 300g and is therefore only slightly above the manufacturer's specification of 294g.
Definitely a highlight of the handlebar are the lasered graphics on the top link and on the handlebar ends. Definitely a case for enthusiasts and those who appreciate such details - especially since most of these graphics disappear under the handlebar tape after installation. Incidentally, the scope of delivery also includes an Acros top cap, which also features beautiful Gravel graphics and which should be a visual upgrade to most OEM caps - a really nice addition.
There are no surprises during assembly, but the long reach of the handlebars is immediately noticeable when you try sitting or gripping them for the first time. In our case, the Acros handlebar replaced a Richtey Venture Max, which is over 40mm shorter. In our case, we were able to counteract this with a shorter stem - but you should still check this before you buy. Otherwise, we found the ergonomics of the Acros Gravel handlebar to be all-round successful and it immediately felt like "at home". When riding off-road and on trails, the handling benefits from the wide lower links, even if such strongly flared handlebars take a little getting used to at first.
The pleasant flex of the handlebars was also noticeable. Don't get me wrong: The Acros doesn't wobble back and forth during short intermediate sprints, but it knew how to noticeably dampen the fine vibrations and small, fast impacts.
