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 […]
Spank Industries Limited World Cup Edition Direct Mount Stem and Spike 800 Vibrocore Bar
My downhill bike is one of my favorite bikes to ride. While I don’t ride it as often as my other bikes, it has received considerably more attention than most of them this year, getting a complete rebuild this winter. One of the highlights of the build is a new cockpit featuring a limited edition […]
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, […]
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 […]
Fresh Gear: Sunline V1 handlebars
More and more riders are making the switch to wider bars these days. Widths in the 29-30+ range are becoming more and more common. Wider grip= additional leverage in turns, making for a highly rail-able experience.