Genetic Driser-16 Bar

The Genetic Driser-16 bar is a good choice for long rides off-road, where the flared drops give more control and the wide tops more comfort for your hands. The 20mm rise may help you get your position just right if you've maxed out your steerer tube spacers.

• Pros: Good combination of features, well priced
• Cons: The riser bit may be out of bounds for mounting lights or other stuff

Back in 2016 Dave reviewed the Ritchey WCS EvoMax bar, a touring/gravel bar with a 12-degree flare, for £85. The trend for flared bars in general riding is growing, as people look to get more comfortable in the drops while still being able to keep their elbows closer to or actually locked straight to bear weight better.

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George liked the £29.99 Genetic Flare Road Bar too, an 11-degree flare and no rise marking this as more one for traditional setups looking for a few more hand position options.

The Genetic Driser-16 goes further than both, with a 16-degree flare of the drops, plus a 20mm rise on the tops. This rise will come in handy for those looking for a more upright position for long rides on or off-road without getting a new stem, or, if you've maxed out your steerer tube, a new fork. As swapping bars is a pain what with levers and tape, if you wanted to run one bike, having a riser bar means you could simply flip a 6-degree stem to go between a more aero or upright position in a few minutes.

Of course a factor in this is mounting real estate for lights and computers. The riser bit is on an angle, meaning it may be out of bounds for your mounts depending on how they align. Fortunately, combination out-front stem mounts for lights, cameras and computers are now easily and cheaply available.

Rounding out the feature set, the tops are 'semi-aero palm friendly' as Genetic puts it, meaning even with my extra-large hands there was lots to grip with just a single layer of bar tape. There are cable-run indentations on the underside of the tops, helping to guide and minimise the feel through the bar tape, and handy markings on the front to aid with centring and angle – taking a quick photo beforehand will make reinstallation dead easy. There are also good markings on the bends for shifter alignment.

The 16-degree flare makes for confident handling at speed through the rough stuff, the flare providing a total of 530mm spread at the ends. The end of the drops is straight for a palm's width, meaning you get full contact with the palm for maximum grip. Immediately above that is the drop proper, making a pistol grip for all-out efforts where you need access to the shifters and brakes.

Genetic says the drop is 125mm; I make it an actual 140mm from the tops to the central point of your palm when hanging on to the bar ends. The reach is accurate at 75mm from the centre of the tops to the rear of the drop bend in the pistol grip area.

The clamp is a standard 31.8mm, and the Driser-16 comes in three sizes of 40, 42 and 44cm. I make the internal width just a shade over 400mm on the 440mm size, or an effective 390mm with shifters fitted. With the flare factored in, this should accommodate most bikepacking bar luggage setups.

> Buyer's Guide: 15 of the best bikepacking bags

Out on my first run, on a Boardman Team CX with SRAM Rival shifters, I genuinely forgot to pay that much attention to the bar itself. It just did its thing, letting me focus on how close to the limits of tyre-gravel-mud-road traction I was getting, on the tops, drops or flares. The proof's in the pudding of a close-as-dammit personal best on a five-mile rocky, gravelled, rolling descent, frequently maxed out in 44x10, going either full tuck in the drops or a wide grip through the really rough bits, holding a line as lumps of three-billion-year-old Scottish granite tried their best to deviate the front wheel from its optimistically chosen path.

Through a one-mile twisty wooded CX blast the handling felt spot on, the grip positions and access to shifters and brakes never beyond reach. Knocking 16 seconds off my previous is testament that this bar definitely won't hold you back.

> Read more road.cc reviews of handlebars here

Value is pretty darn good when you compare it with what else is available – especially given that if you need to raise your bar you don't need to fork out for a new stem. If you don't need the rise you can spend less, for less flare: Genetic's own Flare Road Bar mentioned earlier is £29.99. The 12-degree-flare and no-rise PRO Discover is £44.99 (as is the 30-degree-flare, no-rise Discover 30), but you could also spend nearly twice as much on the £85 Ritchey WCS Evomax already mentioned, or the 24-degree-flare WCS VentureMax at £88.

All in all, for £45 the Genetic Driser-16 is a cracking handlebar for more adventurous riding, and with the 20mm rise and wide tops it may well suit you for less-rigorous pursuits as well.

Verdict

A good combination of features add up to a bar that should expand your ride capabilities in more comfort