Deda Elementi’s Gera DCR Gravel Handlebar is both spectacular to look at and ride, especially on gravel surfaces. The intricate twisting profile provides multiple ergonomic hand positions and delivers excellent comfort from the shock-absorbing carbon layup. All cable routing options are possible although super tight bends might create issues for mechanical setups. A fantastically comfortable bar at quite an eye-watering price but easily one of the best gravel handlebars for comfort currently on the market. Read on for the verdict.
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Deda Elementi Gera DCR Gravel Handlebar – Technical details
The Gera DCR Carbon handlebar is made from a UD Carbon construction in what Deda has called an Endurance Optimized Position or EOS designed to provide the most comfort possible on super long Gravel rides, races and challenges.
Looking at the bare Gera DCR Carbon handlebar, you can see that it is significantly different in its design from even some of the more modern flared and raised profile gravel bars. Perhaps the most obvious is the 12-degree back sweep which is significantly more than the Lauf Smoothie Bar I removed for the test with its three-degrees or the Ritchey Butano V2 bar I have on another bike with its five-degree back sweep.
Not only is the bar swept back but it also flows upwards 7mm from the 80mm wide centre section. The section of the raised bar closest to the stem has a slightly bulged diameter which gently tapers as you head towards the drops.
Deda has chosen this contorted shape to better mirror the hand’s and wrist’s natural position when at rest. If you put your arms out in front of you as if to hold a flat bar your thumbs will be tilted up and your little fingers down away from the horizontal. Not only that but your grip will not be perpendicular to the forearm something that we have seen a lot of mountain bike handlebars manage with differing sweep angles and even grips with ergonomic shaping. On drop bars though there are still relatively few brands going to quite such extremes of tube manipulation to deliver the perfect position. Deda’s EOS is one such design offering maximum ergonomic advantage.
And then there’s the acute angle where the bar turns to make the drop section with its flare. It’s extremely tight, tighter than the Lauf Smoothie, which is a very sharp cornered 90-degrees. Because of the pronounced back sweep, the angle is something like 75-80-degrees which will cause problems with cabling, especially when you consider that the reach on the Gera DCR Carbon handlebar is just 40mm. That’s short, very short and shorter than the 65mm reach on the Coast ‘trail’ drop bar from PNW.
The drop is also pretty shallow at 100mm and coupled with a 16-degree flare it should be an easy bar to move around on both in and out and up and down depending on the trail conditions and your comfort levels
The DCR part of the Gera Handlebar name simply means Deda Internal Cable Routing and the bar is fully compatible with internally routed cabling for all controls through large ports from the hood into the bar and out through a DCR-compatible stem. It can also accommodate semi-internal routing for a more conventional routing setup. Even external routing is possible but you will have to be creative with cable routing around that bend.
The 460mm bar pictured here tips the scales at 229g and is measured to the outside edge of the corner of the drop, not the C-C line which is more common. So check the specifications and measure your bars to see what you might want. At £332 you will want to get this right.
Deda Elementi Gera DCR Gravel Handlebar – Installation
The bar is designed best to work with some form of internal cabling so you will need some unique tools (internal routing tools are available) to get the easiest setup. Without these specialist tools, it can done, as I did, as long as you have lots of time and patience. Not normally one of my strong points but I had been pre-warned by a colleague and was up for a challenge.
To make matters harder for myself I chose to mount Microshift Sword controls to the bar not having a spare set of SRAM Rival AXS lying around so I was running full mechanical controls through the bar and exiting by the stem.
Don’t panic, using the internal cable as a guide I was able to fit the outers without too much swearing. It still took an age compared to an AXS or a Di2 setup with thin wires, but I am enjoying testing the Sword group even if the pairing might seem a little odd. Di2 integration beckons next.
Conveniently the control guide marks etched on the bar were actually in the right place for my preferred hand position and bonus they were evenly located on both sides, not something that is always the case, so the setup was simple after the cable routing delay.
I thought wrapping the bar was going to be another nightmare but using the Deda’s Presa Tape with its 30mm width and slight stretch from the EVA foam core proved a straightforward installation. Wrapping around the corner was awkward but so not really any worse than the Smoothie from Lauf and the overall finish looks great.
Deda Elementi Gera DCR Gravel Handlebar – Performance
In one word: wow! A lot is going on with this bar, and it’s almost as twisted as a piece of cooked spaghetti. The shape has been designed well, delivering a collection of comfortable hand positions at angles that, at what first appeared to look awkward, turned out to be super comfortable. Regardless of where you end up holding the bar your hands and arms, neck and back will thank you for it.
There’s just one issue with the design, I would recommend anyone looking at this bar to study the dimensions carefully and then size up. Not just due to the outside corner width measurement but also because the drop section of the bar angles robbing you of a little hand width on the tops especially as there is also that 7mm rise to cope with as well.
Where to start with this shape? In the centre, the bar is 80mm wide which according to Deda gives enough space for a clip-on bar extension if you’re thinking of smashing out FKT. There is a second location as well after the 7mm rise, the top section of the bar is still 31.8 before it slowly tapers to the drop section. This means a wider clip-on position is possible freeing up space for accessory mounts like front light and or GPS or front bag.
That section of carbon from the stem to the top section is a wonderfully comfortable place to hold the bar. With its larger diameter tapering slowing toward the corner coupled with the large 12-degree back sweep it feels like some of, if not the most comfortable bars I’ve used for gravel riding. The slowly tapering diameter is a perfect fit for my hands and I’ve never spent so much time on the tops of a gravel bar. It’s also really amazing how well the bar masks the chatter from the trail passing up to your hands. You still feel completely connected but fewer spikes are getting through to your hands and the general surface impections are muted.
Sliding along to that super tight corner the tiny reach on the bar means that I no longer used the corner as a place to hold the bars instead moving straight forward to the hoods for a safer and more useful position off-road. Brakes and gears all to hand.
That turned-in position works beautifully with Microshift Sword’s gravel levers (all modern gravel levers will also benefit from the same design) and the short 100mm drop into the flared drop section makes it second nature to flip between the hood into the drop and back again whilst riding rough trails.
I’ve spent a lot of time battling the winds in those drops. Not only are they easy to get into in terms of an aero wind-cheating body position but they are also very good at providing hand relief and allowing you just to focus on the ride.
If you are into bikepacking you’re probably going to need to source an accessory hanger of some description like the drj0n Bagworks Handlebar Strap Deck & DeWidget ‘G FuNk or Restrap’s Bumper Bar to hang your bags from as the bar top width is somewhat restricted and not exactly flat or even round. There is just enough for an out-front mount and a light
I thought the Lauf Smoothie was good at vibration damping in the drops but the Gera DCR Gravel handlebar is sublime. It’s plenty stiff enough on the hoods when you are out of the saddle putting a big effort in, but at the same time, it just eats the trail imperfections leaving you less fatigued and able to ride for longer. I’m using the stock Deda Presa tape which has little of the softness of feel that the Enve Tape or the Lizard Skins DSP range has so I’m pretty certain it’s not the tape delivering this level of comfort.
Deda Elementi Gera DCR Gravel Handlebar – Verdict
Rivals in the market with this level of extreme manipulation of the carbon tube are a little few and far between, one obvious mention should be the £280 Wave Coefficient bar. It has a similar shape bar designed for maximum aerodynamics and comfort on a variety of terrain including gravel and is super light at 210g for the 440mm version road.cc was pretty impressed with it saying “Unusual shape does give a range of comfortable hand positions; decent weight; exceptional vibration isolation in the drops”
A more traditional-looking option would be the £275 (at the current exchange rate) Lauf Smoothie, a firm favourite of mine for its shock-adsorbing properties mile after mile. It’s a fairly ‘normal’ looking bar compared to the Gera but has a similar if not quite as pronounced tight corner to the hood. It is made from a mixture of carbon and glass fibre which Lauf has become experts in using for their leaf springs in their gravel forks. It weighed 259g in 440mm size.
If you want a built-in extension-style loop and still want carbon then take a look at the Merit Rodla Looped Carbon Handlebar. It features the forward hand position loop for long sections of aero gravel riding plus it’s got a 25 degree flare and a marginally deeper drop at 110mm. Its reach is more conventional at 75mm though and weighs in 360g for the 440mm version
If you want superlative comfort on your uber gravel bike then look no further than the Deda Elementi Gera DCR Gravel Handlebar. Just make sure you opt for a wider set than you would normally choose as the 7mm rise, 12 degrees back sweep and turned-in reach robs you of some hand width on those ‘tops’. But those hand positions are awesome and the comfort is sublime so it’s worth making some adjustments, so get saving now.
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Product purpose:
Product construction
Product construction extra:
Product performance
Product performance extra:
Product durability extra:
Probably should be doing that a lot more with all bars really
Product weight
Product weight extra:
229g is not exactly heavy.
Product comfort
Product comfort extra:
Both in variety of hand positions and comfort
product value
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Product value extra:
But comfort, performance and weight are up there to reset the scales a little
Overall performance:
Product likes:
Reach
Flare
Comfort
Lack of fatgue
Product dislikes:
The lack of total flat width on tops restricts both hands and mounting kit
Price
