Super deep prototype Dare aero cockpit on display from Uno-X Mobility

Team Uno-X Mobility was spotted with a prototype bar and stem at Brugge-De Panne and E3 Saxo Classic. The new bar looks to push the UCI’s equipment regulations to the limit with a super deep profile.

The prototype bar is a collaborative effort from both the team and equipment provider Dare with rider input a key element to the final product design.

As of 2023, the UCI relaxed the regulations around bike and equipment design to allow for more aerodynamic profiles. Up until this point the rules limited equipment to a maximum cross-section ratio of 3:1 meaning that if a bar was 20mm thick it could only be a maximum of 60mm deep.

© GCN

The new bar would have fallen foul to the UCI's previous regulations that permitted a maximum equipment ratio of 3:1

The new ruling allowed far more freedom for aerodynamically optimised designs. The specific ruling around bars and stems is a bit more nuanced to prevent bars from being as deep as the length of a stem. Instead, they are restricted to a maximum depth of 80mm and both the stem and the bar need to fit inside a template detailed within the UCI regulations.

• Read more: Is the peloton actually taking the UCI’s lever position regulations seriously?

© UCI

The UCI has a template that the 'individual' sections of a one-piece bar and stem must fit within

Accompanying figure 334 (above) is the clarification that 'the blue areas of the illustration show the parts must respect the requirement of minimum and maximum dimensions'.

The images show that the centre of the bar profile deepens significantly where it joins the stem before tapering to a narrower section at the edges of the bars. Although the team would not share any specific data about the new cockpit they did confirm that the new bar has tested and presents an aerodynamic saving over the current more classically shaped cockpit.

• Read more: Banned tech: 10 things the UCI has outlawed over the years

The cockpit is one of the areas of the bike that can offer the most gains with regards to aerodynamic optimisation as it is the first section of the bike to take the wind. We saw this when Specialized released the new Tarmac SL8 last year with the new Roval Rapide cockpit contributing half of the total aero savings over the SL7.

With aerodynamics undeniably a pillar of professional racing it is likely that we will see more products in the coming months coming to light that make the most of the relaxation of the UCI’s equipment regulations.

© GCN

The bars are not far off production with the team confirming this is the final design

For the time being, Uno-X Mobility has confirmed that the prototype bar will be used by select riders across the Classics and by the team in the Tour de France. This means that the bar must be made commercially available before the Tour. With the bars confirmed to be in its final iteration, it cannot be long before we see a formal release for purchase.

Aerodynamic tech certainly seems to be where the focus is amongst the pro peloton this year with TT-style helmets making their way onto the road from both Ineos Grenadiers and EF Education-Easy Post. Vision also released a new version of the 5D Evo bar earlier this month which featured a larger or extra-large profile referring to the depth of the tops.

What do you make of the new bars, do you think they are hot or not? Let us know in the comments section below.

To keep up to date with all the latest tech news from the world of cycling head over to our dedicated tech news section of the GCN website.