[ChrisRobin]

I have RF Sixc 785mm bars 31.8 on both my trail bike and DH bike.

I'm looking to change the bars on my DH bike, mostly for the sake of it. Have you guys noticed a difference going from 31.8 to 35?? Just for reference, I'm a 215lb sexual tyrannosaurus with helmet and old-school Dainese Viking bibs on. I'm thinking of trying the Easton Havoc 35 that are 800mm wide. 9 deg (vs Race Face's 8 deg sweep).

 

[StiHacka]

Generally they are lighter and stiffer than 31.8 bars.

 

[chris_f]

I've run the Havoc and the Atlas, both at 35mm. They're both good bars. I'm a rather large boy myself so I need it as stiff as possi... what the fuck am I writing?! They're both really good in my opinion. I'm not going back to 31.8, the ones I've used had noticable flex.

RF Atlas has really weak, shitty finish though, after pushing my bike for 15 minutes with my helmet hanging off it you could already see the finish being polished off.

 

[Udi]

In my experience the SIXC is a stronger bar than the Havoc if you're staying with carbon.
The 35-clamp version has 5deg upsweep instead of 4deg on the 31.8-clamp and feels nicer to me. I also much prefer the higher rise versions that are available now, you could only get 19mm rise on the 31.8 version. I'm currently running the 800mm version on my trailbike and 820mm version (cut to 810) on my DH bike, both 35-clamp, 35mm rise. I've run one for two DH seasons now with no problems.

I felt like I was giving in but like chris_f, going back to 31.8mm I can definitely notice more flex now. Happy with 35mm.

 

[chris_f]

To clarify, I was talking about alloy bars. I don't dare using carbon bars. I have no issues with carbon anywhere else, but when it comes to bars I'm way too clumsy, crash too often, and tighten my bolts too willy-nilly to trust them.

 

[Gary]

Main difference I noticed was it's an absolute ballache if you run a garmin/lights/anyfuckingbarmountedaccessory.

 

[jstuhlman]

paging @kidwoo ... @kidwoo to the crabon bars discussion plz

 

[Gary]

31.8 Vs 35mm is princess and the pea shit!

I rode 25.4s today

 

[toodles]

New bike came with 35mm setup so I'm on that program now. First impressions was crazy stiffness which worried me about harshness. Hasn't been an issue though and going back to 31.8 feels noodly afterward. Will be putting 35mm on the Scout in the future I think.

Running alloy Chromag 35s now, but they don't do a 30+ rise in the alloy bars yet, just in carbon

 

[ChrisRobin]

In my experience the SIXC is a stronger bar than the Havoc if you're staying with carbon.

Yup, might as well stay with plastic. Really? The RF bars are stronger than the Easton one eh? Interesting..

 

[StiHacka]

I run Chromag OSX 35mm with 25mm rise on the DH rig, Chromag BZA crabon 35mm with 25 mm rise on trail bike and RF Atlas 35mm with 20mm rise on trail HT. I'll go with Chromag again the next time I am buying bars. Jenson has some wicked deals once in a while.

 

[WestCoastHucker]

tyrannosaurus

you're definitely gonna need a lot more backsweep..

 

[slimshady]

I rode 25.4s today

Congratulations! Here is your popsicle.


Now to stay on topic, after switching to 35mm bars I noticed how flexy my previous RF Atlas 31.8mm alloy bar was. As @toodles said I was also concerned of them being overly stiff and killing my wrists, but after getting used to the new stiffness baremo I'm more than happy with the added steering precision.

 

[kidwoo]

paging @kidwoo ... @kidwoo to the crabon bars discussion plz

Whoa. You’re still alive?

 

[kidwoo]

I definitely notice a difference. I use 35s on my trail bike because pinner single crown fork. I put 31.8s back on my dh bike because ouch.

 

[DaveW]

Was running the Anvil 35mm carbon bars liked them heaps, then I changed to the 31.8 Pro carbon Tharsis bars as I went Di2 and wanted Di2 compatible bars to do the internal cable gig.
Massive difference, noticeably flexier and I get a lot more arm pump from them for some reason.

Put the 35mm Anvil's on the new HT and they feel so damn good.

 

[Sandwich]

Have 35mm/780 bars on the hardtail, off brand diamondback stuff.

31.8 cromag 780s on the trail

31.8 kore bar-of-god 800s on the DH.

35mm 42cm on the road bike.

I notice more flex in the hardtail than either of the other two. That's probably because it's a cheap product. So, saying that all 35mm options are stiffer is bogus. The cromags are probably stiffer than the kores, but those have different alloys and different lengths and are on different front ends, too. The road bike is just a bit stiffer than the alloy bar/31.8 setup it replaced.

I will stick with 31.8 until I'm forced off of it. I think 35mm is great for carbon- those are undeniably lighter for wider bars @ 35mm, but I also won't run carbon bars or cranks....just not worth the risk. I prefer a bit of flex/vibration damping in my bars for DH. The stiffer the bars, the less I got along with them. Looks like a lot of pros feel the same way.

 

[ChrisRobin]

Good info guys...thanks. See? That's why Ridemonkey is still awesome (can I still get one of those cool t-shirts from way back when?)

Good call on 35mm for the trail bike because of the single crown forks. Especially now since we're doing a little more with these types of bikes. But for DH bikes, unless you have noodly fork, the bigger forks offer better steering precision.

 

[Bikael Molton]

I have no complaints about my Race Face 35mm metal bar other than the bulge looks kinda dumb and yeah it’s harder to mount my lights.

On a single crown Lyrik set up.

I’ve never had a cockpit or bike that was too stiff.




Bulge, mount, stiff cockpit, lol

 

[StiHacka]

Bulge, mount, stiff cockpit, lol

@TN to the white courtesy phone.

 

[ChrisRobin]

I caved and cheaped out and got a Deity 825mm bar (aluminum) in 35mm. I'm liking the width for sure.

I just don't understand how a two-piece stem can be so expensive. It's lizardry.

 

[HardtailHack]

I went from a 31.8mm alloy bar to a 35mm carbon bar and the carbon bar has a bunch more flex but I am right at it's 220Lb lizard limit so if I stop posting you all know why.

 

[ChrisRobin]

This Deity 825mm aluminum 35mm bar is stiffer than the RF 785mm carbon 31.8 bar. I felt it too! It rattled my hands a little although I think I need to mess with my suspension since the bike just felt rough overall. The RF Atlas two-piece stem also clamps the bar wider than my old stem.

 

[Carraig042]

My new bike came with 35mm clamp and I threw on the Sixc bars cut to 785. I like them and did not notice much difference from my last carbon cars that were 31.8.

-Brett

 

[toodles]

I went from a 31.8mm alloy bar to a 35mm carbon bar and the carbon bar has a bunch more flex but I am right at it's 220Lb lizard limit so if I stop posting you all know why.

I get really worried by any component that has a stated rider weight limit, but I've only ever seen that on pedals, cranks, wheels and frames. You've got a carbon handlebar - with a weight limit? Hell no.

RIP. Can only assume you're posting from the afterlife.

 

[HardtailHack]

I get really worried by any component that has a stated rider weight limit, but I've only ever seen that on pedals, cranks, wheels and frames. You've got a carbon handlebar - with a weight limit? Hell no.

RIP. Can only assume you're posting from the afterlife.

I think it's a great idea, why should some 120LB whippet have to run a bar that is super stiff and overly heavy because it has been built so some fat parking lot princess can fit in with a bit of carbon bling?
I have cracked a carbon bar that didn't have a max weight rating, it was just poorly made.

I bought the bar as I have been having issues with a shoulder and my hands so I wanted something a bit noodley, I think it helps as the bike feels a bit more tolerable through the chattery stuff. Hand still goes numb after a few minutes on the road though.

Tune have a pretty good reputation for alloy hubs that crack so I figured their carbon bar was worth a shot
https://en.tune.de/produkt/handlebars/wunderbar.html

 

[toodles]

I think it's a great idea, why should some 120LB whippet have to run a bar that is super stiff and overly heavy because it has been built so some fat parking lot princess can fit in with a bit of carbon bling?
I have cracked a carbon bar that didn't have a max weight rating, it was just poorly made.

Its like HH is still here, speaking from beyond the grave...

Oh it makes sense to have parts with weight limits - I just meant that for my 85kg/190lb of jump casing hackness I'm not running any parts that limit user weight even if I am under the limit.

 

[DaveW]

I think it's a great idea, why should some 120LB whippet have to run a bar that is super stiff and too heavy because it has been built so some fat parking lot princess can fit in with a bit of carbon bling.
I have cracked a carbon bar that didn't have a max weight rating, it was just poorly made.

I bought the bar as I have been having issues with a shoulder and my hands so I wanted something a bit noodley, I think it helps as the bike feels a bit more tolerable through the chattery stuff.

No listed rider weight limit on the Anvil's *shrugs* and they are not what I'd call heavy at 229gm's.
But hey some people are just low skill clueless meatbombs, those people should probably just stick to buying the heaviest product on the market and refrain from whinging about the weight.

 

[HardtailHack]

No listed rider weight limit on the Anvil's *shrugs* and they are not what I'd call heavy at 229gm's.
But hey some people are just low skill clueless meatbombs, those people should probably just stick to buying the heaviest product on the market and refrain from whinging about the weight.

Yeah 230g is more than respectable, the ANVL stuff looks quite nice.
My HT is 14.5kg and is built for longevity and comfort rather than weight or web cred, I like it, even if my handlebar has a weight limit.
Some of the German bike brands are pretty crazy with their standards, they seem to have a number system for the size of jumps and drops bikes can do. If it reduces the number of people asking questions on YouTube and PB like- "What's the biggest drop I can do on my Pinarello Dogma?" I'm all for it.

 

[ChrisRobin]

Another thing I found is choice for 40mm length 35mm clamp stems is somewhat limited. Looks like most companies have 35mm and 50mm. I found 35mm is fun for everything except climbing...especially with my bike and it's funky geometry.

 

[Dogboy]

Another thing I found is choice for 40mm length 35mm clamp stems is somewhat limited. Looks like most companies have 35mm and 50mm. I found 35mm is fun for everything except climbing...especially with my bike and it's funky geometry.

The Race Face Turbine R stem is available in 40mm.