FSA A-Wing AGX Pro Gravel Handlebar

The FSA A-Wing AGX handlebar is designed for gravel and adventure riding. On paper it ticks many boxes, but its shape won't be ideal for all riders.

The bar has a 120mm drop, which is very popular among similar gravel/adventure handlebars. It lets you get your body weight lower down and gives more control for rougher sections and particularly downhills.

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Where it differs from most others is the flat section, which has a forward sweep. Some, such as the Ritchey Butano, have a slight backsweep, while the majority of bars will have minimal or no sweep at all. The forward sweep here increases reach but gives a hand position that doesn't feel very ergonomic for the typical riding position.

The reach measurement also changes for each of the three bar sizes – FSA lists it as 80mm, but measured from the centre of the stem it increases from 87.4mm for the 42cm bar, to 88.6mm and 89.8mm for the 44 and 46cm bars respectively. That makes them quite long, and longer than most other similar handlebars; if you are changing from a bar with shorter reach, this will have a small effect on handling.

While riding and moving from the hoods to the forward-sweeping flats, the amount of rotation in the hands is quite substantial, and after prolonged use I found it quite uncomfortable. It could simply be that I'm not used to this position, but having tried lots of different styles and shapes of handlebars, this didn't seem very ergonomic. I felt like I was poking my elbows out to counteract it, a little like Chris Froome.

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The ovalised top section is comfortable, a nice width and length that gives lots of support, although in use and because of the forward sweep I found myself simply resting my hands on top rather than actually gripping.

The bar has lots of access holes for internal cable routing options and should mean that every option is covered. There is even a small hole to allow cable routing into the stem section, though this will be rarely needed on a gravel bike.

There is also routing at the end of the bar for a Shimano Di2 EW-RS910 bar end junction adapter, although if you use this there will then be a Di2 cable running externally under the bar tape.

The inlets and outlets are only around 10cm apart, and the positioning isn't ideal for all shifter/brake hose options. Also, given they will only be inside the bar for a short section that, on a gravel bike (which the bar is designed for), will likely be taped for comfort, it hardly seems worth it.

The A-Wing has a reasonable but not massive flare to the drops. Our 440mm bar (measured centre to centre) flares out to 488mm at the ends of the drops. This type of flare is popular with gravel and adventure bikes, with the idea being the wider section gives more control on rougher descents. It works, and the amount the A-Wing has makes for a good hand position on the downhills.

If you're looking to use any style of out-front mount, or lights, there isn't much room before the bar changes shape and becomes ovalised. I managed to just about fit a Wahoo out-front mount, although another issue, caused by the outward sweep, which starts almost exactly after the stem mount, is that the computer makes it look like the stem isn't straight. While it isn't really an issue, it might bug anyone with a bit of OCD – which includes me. As I jump on the bike, it seems to be the first thing I notice.

There are lots of similar weight and style gravel bars around this price: the Ritchey WCS Butano I mentioned earlier is a little less at around £84.32 (€94.95), and the Easton EA70AX is £79.99, though the Ritchey WCX Venturemax XL is slightly more expensive at £95; it's a much wider design that also features a wide 24-degree flare to the drops.

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There are some cheaper flared bars available, too, including the Comp Butano for around £40 (€44.95), and the Genetic Drove at just £29.99.

Conclusion

Unless you specifically want a bar with forward sweep, or a little extra reach, the FSA A-Wing is a bar that is difficult to get excited about. Sure, it has all the internal cable options you would need, but the shape and position make them seem superfluous.

Verdict

Well constructed, but with a shape and features that don't seem to suit its intended purpose