Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

PRO Discover Medium handlebar

8
£44.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Great addition to the gravel and adventure market with a balance of performance and value
Weight: 
265g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

What the road.cc scores mean

Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.

  • Exceptional
  • Excellent
  • Very Good
  • Good
  • Quite good
  • Average
  • Not so good
  • Poor
  • Bad
  • Appalling

This handlebar is part of the latest gravel range of components released by PRO Components. The PRO Discover Medium, or Ergo, has a flare of 12 degrees, a flat section for your hands, is Di2-ready, and its alloy construction offers plenty of stiffness while keeping the weight down.

  • Pros: Great shape, decent price
  • Cons: No additional abrasive material to stop the hoods from slipping

Most off-the-peg gravel and adventure bikes we see coming through the door here at road.cc have a handlebar that flares out at the drops in relation to the hood position. The wider stance gives you a bit more control and stability when descending in the drops on a loose surface, but retains a more usual narrow width for when you are riding along the road on the hoods or tops.

> Find your nearest dealer here

> Buy this online here

A lot of brands have settled on 12 degrees of flare per side, which pushes the bar width out by about 5cm at the bottom compared to the top, and I find it a good option. I can feel the extra width and it gives me the confidence to push things a little on the gravel without feeling like my arms are stretched too far apart.

That's just my opinion, and if you want to go for a much larger flare then you can opt for the 'Big' Discover bar which has a 30-degree flare. That comes in just two width options, a 42cm or 44cm, and the drops width increases by 13.5cm.

In its technical drawings, PRO lists this Medium flare bar as Ergo, because the tops are slightly flattened to give you a little more area to rest your hands on. It's not as wide as some of the racing wing shaped handlebars we see, but it offers a comfortable area for grip.

Pro Discover handlebar 12 degree flare - detail.jpg

There is a slight groove underneath for accepting brake hoses and cables, plus the drops are drilled to accept the latest Shimano Di2 bar end junction box.

With a drop of 110mm and a reach of 75mm, it is quite a compact offering, so the option of using the drops regularly is available to most.

There are markings on the sides of the bar to align your shifters, but where most brands add a sandpaper style effect to stop the hoods from shifting, PRO has kept it smooth. I did have a couple of times where the shifters slipped on really rough terrain; the clamp has to be done up very tight.

Pro Discover handlebar 12 degree flare - drop.jpg

PRO has used a 6066 grade of aluminium alloy for its construction and stiffness is absolutely fine without feeling harsh. Even hauling hard on the bar I couldn't really feel any discernible flex.

> 9 ways to make your bike more comfortable

It's light, too, at 265g (40cm measured centre to centre), making it nearly 50g lighter than the more expensive Ritchey Comp Ergomax: £44.99 versus £52, so it delivers on the value front too.

On the whole, I really like the PRO Discover. It offers plenty of stiffness and comfort thanks to plenty of usable hand positions.

Verdict

Great addition to the gravel and adventure market with a balance of performance and value

If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website

road.cc test report

Make and model: PRO Discover Medium handlebar

Size tested: 40cm/12 degrees

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

The Discover is part of PRO's latest gravel and adventure range, and thanks to a well thought out design it is very good to use off and on road.

PRO says, "At home on the road, bridleway, gravel path or singletrack, these are true go-anywhere, do-anything handlebars"

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

PRO lists these features:

12 degree flare for optimal riding position

AL-6066 construction for increased rigidity

Shimano DI2 integration

Ergonomic top section for multiple hand positions

The ideal handlebar for long gravel rides

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
8/10
Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
8/10
Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Great on the gravel when it comes to stiffness versus comfort.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

A very usable shape for pretty much all riders.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Lack of rough surface/grip for the shifter clamp.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

It offers pretty good value for such a quality component and is in the right ball park against the opposition.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

A handlebar with a well-thought-out shape that doesn't cost a fortune.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 40  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike  My best bike is: B'Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed

As part of the tech team here at F-At Digital, senior product reviewer Stu spends the majority of his time writing in-depth reviews for road.cc, off-road.cc and ebiketips using the knowledge gained from testing over 1,500 pieces of kit (plus 100's of bikes) since starting out as a freelancer back in 2009. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 170,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him, he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. With a background in design and engineering, he has an obsession with how things are developed and manufactured, has a borderline fetish for handbuilt metal frames and finds a rim braked road bike very aesthetically pleasing!

Latest Comments