Zipp SL-70 Aero Carbon Drop Road Handle Bars

Zipp's new SL-70 Aero is, in every way, a high-performance bar. This unidirectional carbon handlebar is packed with innovations for best-in-class fit, ergonomics and aerodynamic performance. With its wing-shaped bar top, the SL-70 Aero features Zipp’s latest bar refinements while building on the trend-setting aero legacy of the VukaSprint.

The bar’s distinctive wing-shaped top is designed using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), the same software used to design Zipp Firecrest wheels. Our research showed that a traditional round-tube section creates drag of about 0.74 Newtons, which we found requires about 7.5 watts of effort at 30mph (48.3kph) to overcome. The airfoil developed in CFD that is used in the SL-70 Aero handlebar creates just 0.11N of drag, which means a savings of 6.4 watts over a round-tube section.

Beyond aero performance, the SL-70 Aero features a 70mm reach to allow proper fit without compromising stem length and steering control.

The revised 10-degree ramp angle to the brake hoods eliminates the need for up-rotated bars. The bar also gives ample wrist clearance for riding and sprinting in the drops.

Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Pro Cycling, one of the sport’s most technologically minded teams, jumped at the opportunity to race with the SL-70 Aero before it was even officially launched. “I used it in the Prologue of Tour of Dubai and I can say that it is a fast handlebar. The Zipp SL-70 Aero is the closest thing to get to the position of TT bike even on the road. … It looks good and it gives me the opportunity to go in an aero position with my arms inside the handlebar,” said Tony Martin of Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Rider, World Time Trial Champion. Added Rolf Aldag, Omega Pharma – Quick-Step’s Sport and Development Manager: “This bar is the perfect mix of aerodynamics and stiffness with an ergonomic shape. It’s confortable and at the same time proved to be the fastest bar in the Zipp collection.”