[ptourkin]

I have the carbon Easton AX flared bars on my Trail Donkey gravel bike and they are the most comfortable bars I've ever ridden. The flare is good for technical descending. If I did it over again, I'd go wider. I always ride 42s but for the occasions when I use my gravel bike for overnights, it would be easier to pack my front roll with a wider bar.

I am 1x 36 10-42. I started out with a 40 chain ring and steadily dropped. I'd rather have a boost on the hard climbs than a little more power on a descent. For me, 1X has been fine for road riding as well. 36-10 is a pretty big gear if you do the math and I'm not using that bike for the kind of ride where you are chasing someone who is 53-11 going down.

I demoed an Open from Above Category and went riding in the Marin Headlands. I believe it was set up 40 10-42. I sat in with some roadies and it was fine. On the dirt, a smaller chain ring would have been fine. If you are jumping up to 46 on the cassette, personally I would still go no larger than a 40. There really shouldn't be a situation on that bike where you need to be bigger than 40-11 and I'm willing to bet that you'll eventually size down for the dirt.