Element Nickel-Wide Bar

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I like my bars like I like my coffee; long, black and on a bike, oh, hang on…
I like my bars like I like my coffee; long, black and on a bike, oh, hang on…

Element Nickel-Wide Bar
Price: £54.99
From: RHUK www.ridinghighuk.com
Tested: Three months

As forks have increased in travel, handlebars have decreased in rise. It got to the point that some people have quipped: ‘You might as well run a flat bar’. Well, yeah, not a bad idea as it goes.

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The problem previously was that decent width bars (700mm or more) have only been available as risers. Now though there are a few flat bars that offer all the width you could ever want.

These bars from Element are a shoulder-spreading 760mm wide with a 9º bend. At first they look and feel a bit odd – especially if you’ve not touched a flat bar since Answer Hyperlites ruled the world – but if you’re running them on a bike with 160mm of travel or more up front the lower front end can help return some of the handling that a big fork can rob thanks to the bars putting more of your weight over the front.

Some singlespeeders may also like the wide flat bar feel as it gives them something to wan… er, pull on.

Overall: Flat bars are not just for XC race bikes.

Sim

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Comments (0)

    They were ace on the Hifi as well ;]

    Does anyone have a rough idea how high your bars should be, measured from the ground?

    A lot of talk about needing to lower your front end, but do many people know how high is too high?

    Maybe if you related it to the Stack/Reach measurements. So you’d get the effective height above the BB.

    Limiting factor for me is whether my brake levers would hit the top tube in the event of a crash – I always run the bars as low as possible while retaining about 5mm clearance between levers and top tube with my prefered set up. I’ve not had a bike that could do that with flat bars yet…

    A lot of people are trying to lower the front end of there bike ooOOoo if there running big forks etc so they can get back over the front more easily and weight the front wheel up through corners etc, the height thing is kind of personal and also how you ride if you hang off the back down stuff than it probably won’t make you fell better having a lower front end,or if you’ve got a 100 mm travel race bike for that matter. Yoiu can try messing around with you spacer stack height first and see how the bike feels. ;]

    “Does anyone have a rough idea how high your bars should be, measured from the ground?”
    Depends on what type of setup you are trying to achieve, but for most riding I tend to want the bars level with the saddle at proper pedalling height. Else my back starts to ache
    Not sure if this is ‘wrong’ though, and I’m robbing myself of front wheel traction by doing so?

    Height from the floor is the wrong question, you need to know vertical height from your BB as that isn’t variable across bike/tyre choice/wheel size. If you’re just measuring the frame, it’s the ‘stack’ in the new Reach and Stack measuring system.

    “but for most riding I tend to want the bars level with the saddle at proper pedalling height”

    I do similar, but that’s no good for DHers 🙂

    As Cy said it relates more to the ‘stack’. So I suppose Stack + Spacers + Stem Rise + Bar Rise = Bar height

    I have been looking for flat bar to try out just see if its any good or not. I hate high risers with a passion so currently run a lower rise. As someone else mention, Thing is the levers might struggle to miss the top tube which will mean it gets expensive really quick in a crash.

    Loving the Sunline flatbars as well – also perfect for singlespeeding

    whats the weight like.

    Maybe I’m odd but I run higher bars on my singlespeed as I find they allow me to push harder while seated and give my back an easier time.

    i’m waiting for a new Easton wide bar to appear on order in my LBS – even dug up the bar ends to fit…

    Yay – does this mean I can now put my bar ends on and ride in public again, or will the fact that the bars are wide / shiny / black or something else equally as irrational still offend the fashion police?

    got my Easton bar Friday – way big with my Ergon Mag grips on – looks like a praying mantis on an FSR frame!

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