Opinions of this bar
 

Ok i gave the risers a fair go and i just plain dont like them. Going back to a flat bar and bar ends and wanted to get some opinions. My old bar on my old bike was chromo, and it seems everything is either carbon or aluminium these days. I worry about their strength. Which would you recommend? Im considering this one -

http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/139...-Handlebar.htm

Seems like a decent bang for buck and lowish weight?

While i have you here, what do you think of these bar ends?

http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/127...n-Bar-Ends.htm

That's a nice bar. The oversize clamp area (31.8mm) will add strength as well. Make sure you have an oversize stem to match it or it will not fit.

Strength...unless you're dropping off huge ledges, carbon should be fine. If you're doing huge hucks then a strong Aluminum bar will be plenty strong enough.

If you go with Easton Carbon CNT bars, check this out: "Nanotubes have a strength-to-weight ratio orders of magnitude greater than steel"

That's from their website, of course. Their new carbon is supposed to have more impact strength than the aluminum. Either way, I won't break a carbon or aluminum bar.


Bar ends...I hate 'em, I won't use 'em. I used to have 'em, but I love risers. I feel constricted with the bar ends keeping my hands in, or something. I get plenty of leverage with a nice riser.

Cheers:)

On bar ends- A few years ago you had to have them on the bike- Then risers came in and You don't use bar ends with risers. Then you get the diehards that have changed to risers and I find them more comfortable than Flat bars- but I still use bar ends. Admittedly only short stubby ones but on long rides they do offer a different hand position and out of the saddle riding they give me a better hold on the bars. Hate to say it but having had a Carbon bar fold on me 2 weeks after probably damaging them in a fall- I would prefer to use Alloy bars. Problem with carbon is that they can get damaged internally after knocks and you cannot see the damage.

Every one has their own opinions on carbon- Alloy bars and bar ends, so you will be confused by the answers you get. Only thing I would not recommend is Bar ends on Carbon bars- unless the Bars have strenghtening inserts at the end of the bars to stop them being crushed when tightening the bars ends

you can have some Chro-moly ones made for you by www.thickbikes.com

I've heard some nasty stories about carbon bars, flat and risers. I have a friend who had a full carbon front end, dropped about 6 stairs, then went home. The next day, he wheeled his bike out of the garage and his bars cupcaked before he even got on. The scary thing about carbon is that it's hard to tell when it's broken.

I'm a flat-bar and bar-end man myself. I have some of those heavy aluminum bar ends (Avenir) that bend WAY over my hands. (Kinda like this, but moreso http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Fuji-Mountai...QQcmdZViewItemI use them for climbing but i like em more for when i hit something with a bar. With risers and no ends, the tree catches the bar or my hand and throws me off, but with these ridiculous bar-ends, they just bounce off. Good luck, my man.

carbon...well...i have 3 myself...one riser which I hate just because I hate riser not the carbon, one that is flat and it cracked after one season of xc and a good thing i notice, the thrid a CT2 easton and working fine. Carbon is good to take in those bump but never get a used one

raceface evo seems good