Zipp engineers see it all the time – recreational and professional riders with their handlebars tilted up to get the shifter hoods into a desired place, compromising other positions in the process.
For 2014, the Zipp Service Course bars have been tweaked, with shallower ramp angles meaning riders can have high hoods without rolling the bar, leaving the drops and ramp in neutral positions. Another welcome drop is the price, which has gone down by about US$10/€8 on most bars.
“People are adapting components to fit how they want to fit. Rotating bars up for hoods, taking drops out of play, and creating troughs at the hoods,” Zipp technical PR manager David Ripley told BikeRadar at Eurobike 2013. “The new bar has a shallower ramp angle – from 15 to 10 degrees on the Service Course SL-70, for example – and a flatter drop shape.”
The Service Course SL-70 has 70mm reach
Some of the bars have a shorter reach and less drop. The Short and Shallow bar is now called the Service Course SL-80, going from an 84.5mm reach to 80mm, and a 128mm drop to 125mm.
The end result, Zipp says, is aggressive body positioning with neutral hand positions – in the drops as well as on the hoods and tops.
Subtle changes to ramp angle can dramatically improve fit, creating less of a trough behind the hood
Also new for next season is the Zipp SL Sprint carbon stem, which the company developed with Mark Cavendish. Built with Exogram carbon (SRAM’s hollow carbon technology used on Red cranks), the 165g stem achieves the highest stiffness-to-weight ratio of any model on the market, Zipp claims.
The SL Sprint has an aluminum face plate and steel T25 bolts. It comes in 90mm to 140mm lengths, with a retail price of US$250/€226 (UK price to be announced).
Service Course SL handlebars: US$110/€99 (UK price TBA)
All measurements taken c-to-c
Service Course SL-70
- Reach: 70mm
- Drop: 128mm
- Ramp angle: 10 degrees
- Widths: 36, 38, 40, 42, 44cm
- Weight: 250g (42cm)
- Material: 7075 T6 aluminum
Service Course SL-70 Ergo
- Reach: 70mm
- Drop: 128mm
- Ramp angle: 10 degrees
- Widths: 38 ,40, 42, 44cm
- Weight: 260g (42cm)
- Material: 7075 T6 aluminum
Service Course SL-80
- Reach: 80mm
- Drop: 125mm
- Ramp angle: 10 degrees
- Widths: 36, 38 ,40, 42, 44, 46cm
- Weight: 250g (44cm)
- Material: 7075 T6 aluminum
Service Course SL-88
- Reach: 88mm
- Drop: 128mm
- Ramp angle: 10 degrees
- Widths: 36, 38 ,40, 42, 44cm
- Weight: 250g (42cm)
- Material: 7075 T6 aluminum
Service Course handlebars: US$55/€50 (UK price TBA)
All measurements taken c-to-c
Service Course 70 Ergo
- Reach: 70mm
- Drop: 128mm
- Ramp angle: 10 degrees
- Widths: 38 ,40, 42, 44cm
- Weight: 305g (44cm)
- Material: 6061 T6 aluminum
Service Course SL-80
- Reach: 80mm
- Drop: 125mm
- Ramp angle: 7 degrees
- Widths: 38 ,40, 42, 44cm
- Weight: 250g (42cm)
- Material: 6061 T6 aluminum
For more information visit www.zipp.com.
