Redshift Top Shelf Bar, Review and First ride

If you asked someone to describe a gravel bike I’m pretty sure, apart from knobbly tyres they’d say a gravel bike has a drop bar handlebar. I know you can ride a flat bar gravel bike and I myself ran one for 18 months before buying my first drop bar bike but at the current time the predominant style of gravel bike comes with a drop bar.

Trouble is, not everyone either likes the look of a drop bar position or has had a cycling lifetime of experience on a MTB or hybrid bike with a flat bar. Lets face it, coming from a non drop bar the mere fact that the brakes are in a totally different place is daunting for a start! Also, you just might feel too stretched out on a drop bar bike (although please get the expert advice of a good bike shop when deciding on a bike as this might all be down to buying the incorrect size bike for your body shape). You might feel nervous on technical terrain, this is especially amplified if you never use the drop bar part of the bars. Trusting your grip to the hoods can result in your hands being shaken off the bars. I’d sy the great majority of riders, on the correct size bike are totally fine and at home on drop bars and you soon learn the new technique of braking, shifting and steering.

For those that can never reach the drops, from lack of confidence, poor position or just being physically unable to then Redshift claim their Top Shelf bar can address all this.

The bars have the shorter reach, shallow drop and useful flare of their standard Kitchen sink bar that I really liked in my review here, have a look at the review as all the comments and findings apply to the top shelf bar just with a 50 or 70mm rise. The bar in the picture has a 50mm rise. I fitted it to my MTB. The reason for this is that I’ve always wanted a “monstercross” bike, a drop bar MTB, why? well there doesn’t need to be a reason to mess with bikes.

I’ve tried this before with not much success, this is because a MTB generally has a longer top tube than a gravel/road bike and makes you feel really stretched out. check out the video below for a visual explaination of this. Plus doing this sort of recreates the position someone with drop bar issues might have and became the perfect rig to test the Top Shelf bars on.

Its taken the bike from a compromise that started to make my neck, shoulders and lower bike ache after 15 or so miles to one that I choose to do longer rides on. The drops have become totally useable, not only for technical riding but also just for cruising along on. It’s not 100% perfect, that top tube is always going to be long but the 50mm of rise has raised all the contact poits by 50mm which has increased the useability no end.

Now if your gravel bike, with an inherently shorter top tube has a Top shelf bar fitted it might give you the position you crave and give you the confidence to explorwe firther off the beaten track.

The Redshift top shelf bar isn’t for everyone and Redshift admit this themselves but it might just be the key part you’re looking for to open up you gravel horizons.

check out the video below of my first few rides and impressions of the Top shelf bar in action