A tale of two cockpits – Zipp Service Course bars and stems review

Zipp is well known in the professional peloton for their wheelsets, but their Service Course bars and stems are increasingly seeing use in the pro ranks as well. The line is a great choice for team mechanics as the range of bars offers a wide selection of widths and shapes to accommodate the needs of riders.

I made a road trip to Indianapolis, Indiana to visit their headquarters and got the opportunity to learn about the philosophy behind the entire Zipp Service Course line.

Zipp Service Course was given a full reboot in 2013, resulting in an all-new line of six bars, two stems and four seatposts. Zipp IS still making carbon bars and stems, but that selection is limited compared to the options available in the Service Course line.

The Service Course line is marketed as a ‘bike fitter’s dream’ and I can testify that it really helped me address two nagging issues on my bikes.

My cyclocross/city bike is really too big for me. Even with an extended head tube, the reach and drop for the bike left me in a less than comfortable position for cruising around town. The Service SL-70 Ergo bar ($110) and a slightly shorter Service Course stem ($76)was the fix.

The Service Course SL-70 Ergo bar features compact reach and drop dimensions but also has a flattened top section that is a little more comfortable on the hands, while still being race-ready. The SL-70 Ergo has a shorter reach to the hoods than other bars without needing to compromise stem length and steering control.

 

On my road bike, I hadn’t really worked to update my fit for the last several years. With a little less flexibility as I’m getting older, I was starting to see a little bit of back soreness on longer rides with my current setup.

I didn’t need the bars to go higher, but a shorter reach reduced the length of the cockpit enough to give me back a slightly more upright position for the comfort that I needed. The Service Course SL-80 bar (also $110) is set up to give efficient hand positions whether you’re on the bar tops, hoods or in the drops.

Though I don’t spend a whole lot of time in the drops, the SL-80 does have a slight outward flare (4 degrees) that lends the rider a more comfortable wrist position for the occasional town line sprint.

Aesthetically, the flatter top of the bars makes transition to the brake hoods very smooth without the need to turn the bars upward.

A little about the stems:

Zipp put a lot of thought and work into the design of the Service Course stems. While Zipp’s carbon fiber SL Sprint stem is still the stiffest out there, the Service Course and Service Course SL ($109) stems combine reliability and stiffness at a weight of just 120 grams for the SL model (100mm).

The stems are constructed using 3D forged 7075 series aluminum and have smooth lines that will be a good visual match with modern frame designs.

Zipp has moved to using T25 Torx®-head bolts on their stems (titanium on the SL stems, stainless steel on the base model). Their reasoning is that the Torx bolts are more durable, less likely to strip, and that they provide more accurate torque readings (and yes, you should be using a torque wrench on your bike). Lest you be concerned that you won’t have the right tool to install the stem, they include a T25 bit with every stem.

Bars:

Service Course SL Line ($110):

Service Course SL-70: 250g, 70mm reach, 128mm drop, 10 ° ramp angle, 4º drop outsweep, sizes 36 to 44cm in 2cm increments.

Service Course SL-70 Ergo: 260g, 70mm reach, 128mm drop, 10 ° ramp angle, 4º drop outsweep, sizes 38 to 44cm in 2cm increments.

Service Course SL-80: 250g, 80mm reach, 125mm drop, 7° ramp angle, 4º drop outsweep, sizes 36 to 46cm in 2cm increments.

Service Course SL-88: 275g, 88mm reach, 130mm drop, 14° ramp angle, 3º drop outsweep, sizes 40 to 44cm in 2cm increments.

Service Course Line ($55):

Service Course 70 Ergo: 305g, 70mm reach, 128mm drop, 10 ° ramp angle, 4º drop outsweep, sizes 38 to 44cm in 2cm increments.

Service Course 80: 300g, 80mm reach, 125mm drop, 7° ramp angle, 4º drop outsweep, sizes 38 to 44cm in 2cm increments.

Stems:

Service Course SL ($109): 120g (100mm), 70-140mm length in 10mm increments, 31.8mm clamp diameter, 42mm stack height.

Service Course ($76): 130g (100mm), 70-130mm length in 10mm increments, 31.8mm clamp diameter, 42mm stack height.