I’ve had 5+ years happily using a set of alu bars on my full suss until recently when I put a deep scratch in them, and so decided to swap them for some Easton Haven carbon bars I got cheap from CRC, which I originally intended to put on my hardtail.

The new bars looked great but it’s unbelievable how much harsher they’ve made my bike ride, and it’s got a 180mm fork so shouldn’t be harsh at all. I normally feel pain in my fingers and knuckles after enough braking bumps, but yesterday I was getting it in my wrists too and I can still feel it in my hands today. Not what I was expecting as I thought carbon bars were supposed to be more compliant than alu.

If I want to swap back to a flexier bar what’s a good one to go for? It’s mostly for Enduro/DH but manufacturers don’t seem to be selling wide riser bars on the basis of comfort. The Thomson titanium riser bar sound perfect but it’s $390!!

Were talking about this with friends yesterday, and puzzles me how people tell the difference. I’ve had a number of alloy bars, chrome/steel even long ago, and run carbon Havocs now and had carbon Haven also. Never noticed any difference in flex or rigidity. I feel far more difference in the frame, differences in shocks and in the main just how much pressure in tyres and the shock set up.

Seen the On-One Knuckleballs in Chewy flavour?

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/HBOOKNUCK/on-one-knuckleball-handlebar

(I don’t work there any more, but I’m buying some)

Have always found the lightest, stiffest most race-inspired bars to be too stiff for normal riding. Not stiff/harsh like some inexpensive bars but just too communicative, too buzzy, too much info about trail conditions I don’t need to know about

Must have at least 30 bars in the shed some of which have only been used for a few rides.

Long-term favourites are Nukeproof Warhead and Chromag Fubar. Dimensionally very similar to the other bars but somehow they just feel ‘right’

puzzles me how people tell the difference. I’ve had a number of alloy bars, chrome/steel even long ago, and run carbon Havocs now and had carbon Haven also. Never noticed any difference in flex or rigidity.

this for me too.

Is it a difference in backsweep, rise or width* that’s made a difference? Sweep in particular.

*pure, uneducated guessing!

I’d bet a lot of money that you couldn’t do a blind test.

A road bike on 700c 23c tyres at 110psi, top end carbon vs cheap aluminium? Yeah, go on then.

180mm fork up front on 2.3in tyres at like 20psi on uneven, soft terrain? Nope.

You’re probably more likely to notice a change in atmospheric pressure from the top of a run to the bottom affecting the air in your shocks than you are the difference between one carbon bar and another.

I tried some ultra-light KCNC alloy bars on my XC bike a while ago, I found them unnervingly flexy. Just standing over the bike bouncing the forks you could feel them moving. Hated it. Got some carbon ones on there now, can’t remember exactly what though…

In my mind this is ergonomics not flex. Wrist and hand angle

As above the tyre and fork must swamp this

I assumed when I opened this thread we were on a rigid bike thread. They usually are

Or possibly you changed grips

^what ampthill said.

Thanks Brant, nice to see a company giving the option of different flexes and reassures me it’s not just all in my head. I’d definitely give it a go but I live in Switzerland and they want to charge me a whopping £60 postage whereas someone like CRC charges £5.

Maybe try sorting out the root issue instead? Go to the gym, and lift some weights until your grip and shoulder strength improves instead of buying something that will make a pathetically small contribution. If you don’t get on with a bars ergonomics then change it by all means, but complaining of harsh feel with a 180mm fork on the bike? Time to improve the rider, not the bike.

Shoulders and grip are fine. It’s the ‘pads’ of the fingers, knuckles and wrists that are hurting, and you can’t really train those in the gym. If you don’t think a 180mm fork can feel harsh it sounds like you don’t do a lot of lift-assisted stuff. Even with a big bike the wear on your hands builds up if you’re doing kms of vertical in a day.

I had pains in my hands and have swapped to 780mm Renthal Carbon Fatbar…no more pain.

I did opt for more rise also so possibly not all credit can be given to the carbon.

Interesting reading on page 2 of this

http://blistergearreview.com/gear-reviews/best-mountain-bike-handlebars/2

Knuckleball seems the obvious answer- other bars could be stiff or softer but you’ll only have online recommendations to go by and I reckon that’ll mean at least half’ll be bobbins- people who want stiff bars and just paid £120 will say their bars are stiff… And people who had ergonomic issues and changed bars and now they’re gone might well say it’s because of the extra softs. I can’t tell any difference between any of my bars stiffness but I’m probably wrong too.

Hmm, I’m less excited about the easton ec70 flat bars i just ordered now 😕 Got them for 35 quid though, so what the hell

I’ve only ever noticed this with some On-One risers I got as part of a package with my C456 frame. They were a good shape, very similar to the Eastons I had before, but they were super-solid and gave me wrist and hand pain. I swapped them for some pretty flexy carbon Wisers which were a pretty similar shape and it solved the problem. I was surprised it could make such a difference with 130mm fork and big squishy tyres but it did. It’s possible that the small differences in shape had something to do with it but I reckon it was the flex.

bones – Member
Hmm, I’m less excited about the easton ec70 flat bars i just ordered now Got them for 35 quid though, so what the hell

Wide flats? Where from?

http://www.fasstco.com/shop/flexx-handlebars-atv

steve_b77 – Member
Wide flats? Where from?

CRC + £10 off with paypal offer + £10 quidco offer

Edit: just read my quidco support ticket, it’s £20 off, not £10 🙂