Salsa Cowchipper Handlebars Review

Updated: June 16, 2020

About Salsa Cowchipper Handlebars

Released in 2015, Salsa’s Cowchipper handlebars are constructed from a strong 6061-T6 aluminum alloy that weighs just 322g, and at first glance, appear fairly similar to standard road bars. Newer versions are available in 7050-T6 series aluminum (Deluxe) that drops the weight to 293g, as well as a carbon model that weighs 247g.

Upon closer inspection, the biggest differences compared to road bars are the Cowchipper’s 24-degree flare angle and 12-degree drop angle, which Salsa advertises delivers “comfort, control, and efficiency for long days in the saddle, whether road touring, crushing mixed surfaces, or conquering the Great Divide.” The bars also deliver:

• 116mm drop
• 23.8mm outer diameter at the end of the drops
• 68mm of reach, as measured from the center of the bar where the stem clamps, to the center of the farthest part of the drop bend
• 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50, or 52cm widths
• 31.8mm clamp compatibility, including the Salsa Anything Cradle and aerobars

Despite the popularity of Salsa’s Cowchipper, choosing your “best” bike handlebars is as much about personal preference as anything else. To arm you with as much information as possible—and help you share the stoke, I’ll briefly discuss my experience with them.

My Experience with the Salsa Cowchipper Handlebars

I picked up a pair of 42mm Salsa Cowchipper handlebars from Competitive Cyclist in early April, and have logged more than 400 miles as of this writing. Here are my impressions so far:

Mounting the Cowchippers was as easy as any other handlebars I’ve worked with: I simply removed my old bars, replaced them with my Chowchippers, centered and leveled the bars and my brake hoods/levers, re-taped my cables, and re-wrapped my bars.

By far the most time-consuming part of the process was setting up my levers and hoods in a comfortable, natural position, as this was my first pair of flared bars. Even since I wrapped my Cowchippers, I’ve made some slight additional adjustments to get everything dialed in. This including adjusting the reach on my rear brake lever, which now feels easier to reach than ever.

Along these same lines, the Cowchipper’s additional width, courtesy of its wide flare, delivers massively improved leverage, stability, and control, especially on gravel and extended singletrack.

For real: the difference is night and day. I’m not sure why I remained on the fence for so long about picking up a pair of dirt drop bars.

Furthermore, the Cowchipper’s flair delivers more comfortable wrist positioning across the board, along with a seemingly endless number of hand positions available, regardless of what the conditions and terrain demand.

Personally, I’ve found that it’s super comfortable to place my hands at apex of the bar’s bend when cruising downhill, which I switch toward the end of the bars when cranking on the flats. Between variations of these positions, I can ride for hours while experiencing less frequent tingling and numbness.

Downsides? The Cowchipper’s steep flare angle pivots my hoods inward, making them less comfortable for anything other than short bursts. On the upside, this narrower positioning frequently reminds me to keep my arms and shoulders loose, lest they quickly tire and let me know that they’re not pleased. However, narrower hoods also result in twitchier handling.

With this said, because of the Cowchipper’s wide flare and relatively shallow drop (more next), I’ve found that I can comfortably climb without leaving the drops, unlike a more traditional road-oriented bar.

The only other nitpick I have regarding the Cowchipper handlbars is their thinner top profile away from the clamp, which I’ve found isn’t a comfortable place to rest my hands.

In my opinion, replacing my stock handlebars with a pair of Cowchippers was the most impactful customization I’ve made to my bike. Granted, adding Panaracer Gravelking tires has proven to be a close second.

I feel like I’m piloting a glider, watching the ground move underneath, while I retain total control of the situation up top. Five stars, and highly recommended — especially if you’re looking for an upgrade that could provide the most bang-for-your-buck.

Salsa Cowchipper vs. Soma Junebug, On-One Midge, & Other Dirt Drop Handlebars

With the skyrocketing popularity of gravel riding and bikepacking, the lines between strict bike categories (e.g., road, touring, mountain, etc.) has become increasingly blurred. And to meet the demand, many manufacturers have released their own dirt drop and flared handlebar versions.

Here are some of the most popular, as well as how their high-level details compared to the Cowchipper (including other Salsa models):

As mentioned at the beginning of this review, selecting a new pair of handlebars for your bike is a highly personalized process based on your specific combination of needs and preferences. Still, you can use some of their high-level details above to point you in the right direction.

Related: 5 Steps for Buying the Right Pair of Bicycle Handlebars

For example, Salsa’s Cowchipper bars feature a deeper drop than many competing models, although we’re mostly talking about just a few millimeters. The Woodchipper is also the only model available in carbon, although the Cowchipper and Woodchipper are the heaviest models among close competitors.

The trade-off, depending on where you place your emphasis, is that Salsa offers the Cowchipper in far more widths than any of the other models in our list.

At 76mm, Ritchey’s Venturemax provides the greatest reach, as well as the lowest weight among aluminum competitors, followed closely by Salsa Cowbell. The Venturemax is also the only model that offers “bio bumps” for potentially greater comfort.

Finally, the Salsa Woodchipper has the greatest flair angle (25°), as well as the most pronounced drop angle (38°). It’s not even close, if your top must-have is the biggest drop.

Where does all of this leave you when choosing whether or not to buy the Salsa Cowchippers?

What’s the Bottom Line When It Comes to Salsa’s Cowchipper Handlebars?

To say that I’m blown away with Salsa’s Cowchipper handlebars would be an understatement. Their wider flair delivers stability, leverage, and confidence by the boatloads, whether I’m cranking on tarmac, shredding singletrack, frying up some tasty gravel, or—most commonly—a combination of all three, they’re an improvement in almost every facet compared to my stock setup.

Be sure to bookmark this review, and I’ll update as I put more miles on these amazing handlebars!