Wide bars offer the fit and control riders like on mountain bikes with modern geometry, but after a few hours of pedaling, we find that it isn’t always the most comfortable on our wrists. Although there are a few options for swept-back bars, many of the options are heavy or just straight up look a […]
Inner Bar Ends for MTB Handlebars? Three Options for Alternative Hand Positions
Bar ends suck. They look horrible, can catch on branches and blackberry bushes, and take up valuable real estate on the bars as they push your hands inwards decreasing usable bar width. They’re appalling mounted riser bars with any type of sweep… that said, for long XC and multi-surface rides, having a secondary hand position […]
Review: FSA Gradient Riser Bar and Stem
The FSA Gradient riser handlebar is billed as light enough for XC trail riding and strong enough for freeriding. Triple butted and tapered from Al7050/T6 alloy materials, the shot-peened aluminum is aimed at riders seeking durability for bike park riding and shuttle trails that still pedal up mountains. Available with 25 and 40mm of rise, […]
Spank Spike 800 Vibrocore Bar
Spank Industries took a different approach when it came to developing their handlebars. Instead of choosing to go with carbon like the rest of the industry, they stuck with their guns, focusing on aluminum. But what makes their bar different from the norm is their Vibrocore damping system. Low density foam is added to the […]
Gear: Answer ProTaper 780 Carbon Handlebar
The game changing upgrade to my first full suspension mountain bike back in the day was an heavy duty Answer DH riser bar. It was ages ago and I don’t recall the year, but upon installing the bar, I promptly cut it down to about 26″ or 27″ inches. Back then I was a very different rider, […]
Fresh Gear: Pro Tharsis Carbon Stem and Handlebars
I’m just going to say it. The Pro Tharsis stem is the coolest carbon fiber stem I’ve seen. With a listed weight of 130 grams, it’s light, but is still rated as trail worthy and suitable for all mountain and regular trail riding. I recently built up my first lightweight XC/trail bike in years, and […]
Easton Havoc DH 750 Handlebars: First Impression
I’ve recently become a fan of Easton’s Havoc line after mounting a test set of Havoc DH wheels on my personal Trek Session 88, so when a matching Havoc DH bar landed on my desk, I didn’t waste any time in mounting it up to get some time on it. The black and gold graphics […]
Nemesis Project Bar / Stem Combo
If you are looking for a good looking, stiff stem with a low stack height, look no further. Nemesis Project has got what you need. Their bars are pretty sweet too.