[Nick]

Need a new bar for my trail bike. What is everyone using these days?

I'd like +/- 250g, 780 width, 31.8, not opposed to metal if weight is there. I'm pretty good about rotating out bars every 2-3 years. Is anyone's carbon bar stronger against crash damage than any others?

 

[kidwoo]

SixC still seem like the best plastic option. But I've still seen those go on people and just about kill them (bike park stuff though, not trail bikes).

I've got a gravity aluminum 35mm bar I like. Kore mega bars are about the lightest aluminum bar I've come across lately. You can actually feel them flex though. Made me a little nervous


Just pick a color. And don't get Easton or Renthal carbon.

 

[dexter]

I had a set of chromag bza 35mm but found them too stiff. Switched over to the deity tmo's and love them.

 

[StiHacka]

I like my Chromag BZA 35mm.

 

[maxyedor]

I have Enve DH bars, they're too stiff, too wide, too expensive and my dentist has the same bars. Had I paid for them, I'd have regretted the decision.

I've ridden SixCs and they're primo IMHO, but they costs money, thus I have not upgraded.

 

[slyfink]

I have Enve DH bars, they're too stiff, too wide, too expensive and my dentist has the same bars. Had I paid for them, I'd have regretted the decision.

I've ridden SixCs and they're primo IMHO, but they costs money, thus I have not upgraded.

I have a pair of the SixC 35mm. I trimmed them down to 770, and now I get sore wrists after a ride. I think they might be too stiff. I loved my SixCs in 31.8. they were perfect.

 

[jstuhlman]

sixc 31.8 cut to 780. money. but @kidwoo is eagerly awaiting my demise from their impending bro-splosion

 

[Nick]

210g for the SixC sure is light.

I'm gonna throw on a heavy metal chromag bar while I think about it, and research DIY carbon repair for deep gouges.

 

[StiHacka]

I'm gonna throw on a heavy metal chromag bar while I think about it, and research DIY carbon repair for deep gouges.

If you squint your eyes a little, they practically disappear.

 

[jstuhlman]

sixc 31.8 cut to 780. money. but @kidwoo is eagerly awaiting my demise from their impending bro-splosion

i somehow seem to have survived on mine for 4 or 5 years...even riding in the hot hot nc sun...

 

[dump]

carbon bars... don't do that, take a crap before you ride and worry about one less thing.

 

[kidwoo]

i somehow seem to have survived on mine for 4 or 5 years...

Yeah they're a little overdue.

Any day now.

 

[Nick]

I sort of agree with @dump.
maybe 80g penalty for the aluminium jobbers. done.

 

[jackalope]

Kore mega bars are about the lightest aluminum bar I've come across lately. You can actually feel them flex though. Made me a little nervous

Ever since you skeert me into getting an alloy [gasp] steering stick, I've been on the Kore OCD M35 bar, and they've been good for steering n'stuff. They do seem to have some flex in them compared to some of the turbo stiff crabon bars I've used previously, but I actually prefer it...well until brosplosion event of course (much shame will be upon my dojo if my alu bars fail before @jstuhlman 's death stick )

 

[kazlx]

I've been really happy with the Chromags, both the 31.8 and 35mm. Either the OSX or BZA.

 

[Udi]

I've got SIXC on both trail and DH bike too, so far so good.
Did some research before picking a carbon bar and felt drift RF fared best for durability per unit volume out there, plus a few hard hitting buddies are running them with success. If you run SRAM brakes though, avoid carbon bars, the clamps kill them. In general carbon bar life has a lot to do with what's clamped on them rather than direct crash damage, at least from what I've seen.

I can't think of any good alloy bars that will come in at 250g for 780mm, so an alloy solution depends on your +/- value. All the good alloy bars I've run were 300g @ 800mm, and the -20mm doesn't seem to drop much.

 

[Nick]

I have a Deity d30 on my dh bike, and Chromag osx on the dj and (now) trail bike.

Hell even the roadie had a metal bar.

 

[Sandwich]

chromag OSX now on the trail, KORE TORSION (the bar of RM) on the DH sled. Used to run atlases, but switched for less flatness and more fluoro yellow.

 

[Sandwich]

I've got SIXC on both trail and DH bike too, so far so good.
Did some research before picking a carbon bar and felt drift RF fared best for durability per unit volume out there, plus a few hard hitting buddies are running them with success. If you run SRAM brakes though, avoid carbon bars, the clamps kill them. In general carbon bar life has a lot to do with what's clamped on them rather than direct crash damage, at least from what I've seen.

I can't think of any good alloy bars that will come in at 250g for 780mm, so an alloy solution depends on your +/- value. All the good alloy bars I've run were 300g @ 800mm, and the -20mm doesn't seem to drop much.

HA, so I knew there was a reason magura runs plastic levers! That way your levers deform before your bar...oh wait.

 

[Fool]

I slapped a Deity 787 on my trailbike recently. 15mm rise, 270g, 7 extra mm of width so shit like this happens from time to time.

 

[jackalope]

I slapped a Deity 787 on my trailbike recently. 15mm rise, 270g, 7 extra mm of width so shit like this happens from time to time.

View attachment 125480

Or, if you have e-bike, this may be more your thing

 

[6thElement]

https://www.dragonflybamboo.com/bicycles-collection-iv/handle-bar-for-mountain-bikes

 

[Fool]

https://www.dragonflybamboo.com/bicycles-collection-iv/handle-bar-for-mountain-bikes

Sustainabro

 

[jackalope]

https://www.dragonflybamboo.com/bicycles-collection-iv/handle-bar-for-mountain-bikes

Now that we have the handlebar issue solved, the real question is what kind of bar ends (crabon or unsightly alloy) and what length?

Discuss.

 

[Gary]

Or, if you have e-bike, this may be more your thing

Harsh man. *cant' work out how to get through two posts safely* fuckwits wind me up too but advising them to slash their wrists or cut their stupid heads off is possibly a bit much.

A helpful "LEARN HOW TO RIDE YOUR BIKE!!" should do the trick... but even if that doesn't work.... it's cool .simply ride away from them. it's not like they're ever going catch up and bother you again

 

[Serial Midget]

I have sixc carbon bars and sram guide brakes on the bike I ride the most, no reason other than they were OEM.

 

[Nick]

I have sixc carbon bars and sram guide brakes on the bike I ride the most, no reason other than they were OEM.

Yea, you gonna die

 

[Serial Midget]

Yea, you gonna die

I'm not fast so it will be a slow death...

 

[Nick]

I'm not fast so it will be a slow death...

Wait... Is that sixc exposed to sunlight?

 

[djjohnr]

Now that we have the handlebar issue solved, the real question is what kind of bar ends (crabon or unsightly alloy) and what length?

Discuss.

Bar ends are so 90's. They've taken the concept a step further with Bar Knobs.

 

[djjohnr]

"Give your bars the happy endings they deserve!"

 

[johnbryanpeters]

Deity 'cause in stock at LBS and blue.

 

[StiHacka]

https://www.dragonflybamboo.com/bicycles-collection-iv/handle-bar-for-mountain-bikes

A friend told me those are also great for after ride spanking.

 

[ZHendo]

I picked up the Deity Skyline 787 bars for my trail bike build, and I like them a lot so far. Nice blend of compliance and weight, but certainly not too much flex. 290 grams, so lighter than a number of aluminum bars, but not so light my face already hurts from impending 'splosion.

 

[Toshi]

I sort of agree with @dump.
maybe 80g penalty for the aluminium jobbers. done.

I know the UV, cracks propagating issues with carbon, but in an ideal world don't you think an 80g lighter crabonz bar would be stronger than the alu counterpart?

/me is running carbon with SRAM brakes...

 

[kidwoo]

I know the UV, cracks propagating issues with carbon, but in an ideal world don't you think an 80g lighter crabonz bar would be stronger than the alu counterpart?

/me is running carbon with SRAM brakes...

'stronger' is a loaded term. I have no doubt in my mind that most carbon bars are pretty damn strong. But it's one of the only components you clamp onto with something (seatposts the other). Guess which two you see broken the most often?

I like lockon grips and I like my bars to not move. "proper" torque doesn't always achieve this so fuck'em. And as mentioned some clamp designs are worse than others for causing stress risers.

 

[toodles]

Unless you're super anal with torquing stuff up right, and happy to deal with the fact most bike components slip or malfunction at "correct" safe torque levels, then take the 60g (realistic) penalty and grab some aluminium bars at half the price and spend the rest on something less likely to end in dental reconstructive work.

If you've got carbon bars already, lucky you. Just don't cling onto them if they get damaged because "OMG they're worth $220 and I don't think its that bad a scratch/gouge/whatever..."

Aluminum bars are cheap enough that if you're genuinely concerned about them you can just ditch them for another set without breaking the bank.

On a side note - anyone else seen aluminium bars corrode to hell under the grip? We changed the grips on a buddy's bike the other week and the surface under the grips looked like the moon surface. Hopefully he's ordered new bars already.

 

[HAB]

On a side note - anyone else seen aluminium bars corrode to hell under the grip? We changed the grips on a buddy's bike the other week and the surface under the grips looked like the moon surface. Hopefully he's ordered new bars already.

Yeah. More so on road bikes with semi-permeable bar tape than MTBs with rubber grips, but that definitely happens. Sweat's kinda corrosive.

 

[dump]

I know the UV, cracks propagating issues with carbon, but in an ideal world don't you think an 80g lighter crabonz bar would be stronger than the alu counterpart?

/me is running carbon with SRAM brakes...

Stronger isn't the issue.

The issues here are:

How resilient is the bar... can I clamp any brake to it and maybe hamfist it a bit or do I need to set it to exactly 4.9Nm, cake it with carboner paste, etc. Am I allowed to crash with it or does that mean immediate replacement?

What's the failure mode of the bar... will it give some indication of weakness before breaking or just straight explode while jra?

Do I want to have to mentally run through these questions while inspecting the bar before every ride? For such a critical component, is 80g for worth it? Nah, I'll take the heavier aluminum bar every day... unless you're in a position that the 80g might matter, and frankly none of us are. As I said, go take a crap and you're immediately 200g lighter! Wow!

 

[Nick]

Just don't cling onto them if they get damaged

That's what started this whole shebang. I'm pretty confident that metal bars might/would have survived this crash, but a deep gouge in CF = no mas handlebaros.

And yea, all of my alu bars seem to have something funky going on under the grips. I wouldn't call it corrosion, but something.