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Lightest aluminum bars?

Freeridin'

Monkey
Oct 23, 2006
316
2
Colorado
Need some new bars for the trail bike. A minimum of 730mm and lightweight would be nice. I'm not confident with carbon bars.....so no carbon.
 
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Beef Supreme

Turbo Monkey
Oct 29, 2010
1,434
73
Hiding from the stupid
If you don't trust carbon bars, I highly doubt you want the lightest aluminum bar. A lightweight DH bar is around 300 grams. Most AM bars are not much lighter if any. There are a ton of them, Easton, Cromag, Answer, Diety, Raceface to name a few.
 

Lelandjt

Turbo Monkey
Apr 4, 2008
2,508
822
Breckenridge, CO/Lahaina,HI
Haha, what a difference a few years makes. I used to get constant comments on my carbon bars and how I was gonna lose teeth.

OP: If I was gonna get alloy bars right now they would be Easton or Raceface. But I wouldn't, I like my Easton Havoc carbons.
 
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norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,346
1,587
Warsaw :/
This is silly. Lightweight alu bars are a much more risky idea than a strong carbon bar from a tested company.

Gest Easton carbon bars. If you want more strength get the DH model. EOT
 

HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,628
5,443
I've bent cr-mo bars, alloy DH bars and cracked some carbon DH bars, none failed catastrophically .

Carbon bars are great but your choices are limited if you want to stick to light weight alloy, can you drop more weight by swapping out the stem?
 

UiUiUiUi

Turbo Monkey
Feb 2, 2003
1,378
0
Berlin, Germany
come on guys, stop being douche bags... or wait no don't, but maybe stick to answering the question and then suggest carbon? :D

personally i like the answer pro taper it's not really light with 335g, another option i like is the Syntace VECTOR 7075 HIGH20 (326g)

that said i will try the ENVE Carbon DH bar on my bike this season!

cheers
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
5,921
borcester rhymes
Pretty sure the raceface Atlas AM bar comes in 260g for 760mm. Cut it down and lose 15g. I've really like all my RF bars (three sets so far).

I too am on the fence about carbon. It seems that because it's become popular again, it's safe....but after seeing a few facebook photos of broken carbon cranks, I'm hesitant again.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,562
24,182
media blackout
Pretty sure the raceface Atlas AM bar comes in 260g for 760mm. Cut it down and lose 15g. I've really like all my RF bars (three sets so far).

I too am on the fence about carbon. It seems that because it's become popular again, it's safe....but after seeing a few facebook photos of broken carbon cranks, I'm hesitant again.
so pictures of failures deters you from carbon but not aluminum? very silly. even old gen carbon bars didn't deter me. I DH'd a set of monkeylite carbons for about 2 years with 0 issues. i was the second owner too.
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
5,921
borcester rhymes
What revolution in the past 2 years has turned carbon from being just OK to remarkably safe, safer than aluminum?

Besides a large push by manufacturers to sell you **** (650b wheels OMG 11speed we're all gonna die)
 

Huck Banzai

Turbo Monkey
May 8, 2005
2,523
23
Transitory
I still have 2006 MonkeyLite DH bars in use; DH for 3 years, AM for the past 3 -- pleeeeenty of crashes (Anyone know me in here? ! !)

Carbon is definitely the answer here.


Ahh.. I just searched through Carbon threads of days gone by -- reading so many of those who are now advocates deriding me for my foolish carbon love including those now 7 y.o. bars that I got warned would break years ago. Now if I could get my collarbones made out of this stuff, I might be on the right track.
 
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jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,562
24,182
media blackout
What revolution in the past 2 years has turned carbon from being just OK to remarkably safe, safer than aluminum?

Besides a large push by manufacturers to sell you **** (650b wheels OMG 11speed we're all gonna die)
Whoever said aluminum is safer? It still fails.
 

iRider

Turbo Monkey
Apr 5, 2008
5,648
3,089
What revolution in the past 2 years has turned carbon from being just OK to remarkably safe, safer than aluminum?
Carbon bars have always been safer than aluminum bars. Only problem was that more melons made it to the customers. Now that carbon manufacturers have some years of experience they have the QC dialed.

That said, I am a little disappointed with the Easton carbon bars I use. Everybody told me how much more comfortable they would be, but they are way stiffer than comparable aluminum bars.
 

no skid marks

Monkey
Jan 15, 2006
2,511
29
ACT Australia
Great to hear everyone is now sold on carbon bars. and I too remember the convictions against carbon. and I agreed having snapped a set causing a big crash, but baby that was years ago. Never snapped or even bent ally ones, so no carbon bars have not always been safer. I'll stick with Diety or Renthal ally bars a bit longer I think. At least they can be recycled.
I would trust reputable carbon bars now. as a gross generalization, I actually theoretically think I like a bit of flex in my bars. I can flex my Diety bars a touch pushing on them, I can't feel it riding but I guess it helps with a bit of dampening.
 
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norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,346
1,587
Warsaw :/
What revolution in the past 2 years has turned carbon from being just OK to remarkably safe, safer than aluminum?

Besides a large push by manufacturers to sell you **** (650b wheels OMG 11speed we're all gonna die)
I remember some members alluded that I'm a lunatic for liking the carbon bar idea so I'm also surprised. Strangely now half of the forum has monkeylites in their gear history ;)

As for lightweight alu - if you can live with a flat bar than Element Technic Nickel Wide. 760mm at 299g (280g claimed) but they are bombproof. I have a stupid habit of using trees instead of brakes and they held up for 2.5 seasons very well. Changed them because I went with a lower fork and stem so I had to compensate for that.
 

IH8Rice

I'm Mr. Negative! I Fail!
Aug 2, 2008
24,524
494
Im over here now
id be looking at the bend/sweep/rise combo you want/like, then trying to find the lightest that is closest to what you feel comfortable on
 

CrabJoe StretchPants

Reincarnated Crab Walking Head Spinning Bruce Dick
Nov 30, 2003
14,163
2,484
Groton, MA
After having a lengthy discussion with a composites engineer a few years back, I have 0 hesitation riding carbon anything. I'm 240ish lbs, and both my frames are carbon, both bars, both crown/steerer, 1 crankset, etc.

And this is coming from a guy who was so ignorantly anti-carbon it was pathetic. Go carbon if you want light.
 
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Da Peach

Outwitted by a rodent
Jul 2, 2002
13,681
4,904
North Van
After having a lengthy discussion with a composites engineer a few years back, I have 0 hesitation riding carbon anything. I'm 240ish lbs, and both my frames are carbon, both bars, both crown/steerer, 1 crankset, etc.

And this is coming from a guy who was so ignorantly anti-carbon it was pathetic. Go carbon if you want light.
2 carbon bikes? I thought you had divested... watdyagit?
 

Freeridin'

Monkey
Oct 23, 2006
316
2
Colorado
Being as this is the DH forum, I was looking for DH capable (strong/wide) alu. bar. Raceface, chromag, easton, renthal, gravity light, answer, thomson, truvativ, funn....who has the lightest alu. DH bar?

I'm not anti carbon, but it is unsettling for such a vital component. I'd much rather have my frame or wheels fail opposed to my bar. The picture of my face kissing the stem is unpleasing. Sure, such a catastrophic failure might be unlikely, or just a likely with alu, but it would remain in the back of my mind while riding either way.

Since everyone is recommending carbon, what bar are you riding? How long have you been on it?
 
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frango

Turbo Monkey
Jun 13, 2007
1,454
5
I've been on Easton Monkey Bar DH CF, FSA Gravity Light CF and Easton Havoc CF. Zero issues.
 

norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,346
1,587
Warsaw :/
Being as this is the DH forum, I was looking for DH capable (strong/wide) alu. bar. Raceface, chromag, easton, renthal, gravity light, answer, thomson, truvativ, funn....who has the lightest alu. DH bar?

I'm not anti carbon, but it is unsettling for such a vital component. I'd much rather have my frame or wheels fail opposed to my bar. The picture of my face kissing the stem is unpleasing. Sure, such a catastrophic failure might be unlikely, or just a likely with alu, but it would remain in the back of my mind while riding either way.

Since everyone is recommending carbon, what bar are you riding? How long have you been on it?
Get the new Easton bar. It's hard to miss some people used and loved their older narrower model.