Review: Syncros Hixon IC Rise integrated carbon bar and stem

For almost a year now, Andi has been riding the super slick Syncros Hixon IC Rise bar and stem combo and he is absolutely smitten!

What is it?

This is the Syncros Hixon IC Rise, a complete carbon bar and stem solution. Anyone who rode mountain bikes in the 90’s will be well aware that the idea of integrating a handlebar and stem in one package is nothing new, but the Syncros Hixon picks up the old formula and brings it bang up-to-date.

Using Syncros engineered carbon, the Hixon IC Rise comprises an 800mm handlebar beautifully moulded into an integrated stem of either 40 or 50mm. The bar portion of the design features a 20mm rise, a 6-degree upsweep and 7 degrees of back sweep.

The stem is made to fasten to a standard 1 1/8th steerer tube and runs alloy inserts for the Torx bolts. Rather than being round, the clamp area has a neat but slightly wedge-like design to it, meaning it looks a little odd when mated to a standard round top cap, but Syncros has thought about this and supplies a very neat carbon top cap with the component.

The carbon finish is top-notch, as you would expect from a high-end product. The matt finish looks great and looks as good today as it did when originally fitted to my Izzo almost 12 months ago. There are stealthy black decals with Syncros branding, but you really need to look for them to find them. Though the entire design is super smooth, Syncros has added texture to the grip and control mounting areas to prevent brake levers and grips from slipping while on the move.

What is it for?

While these carbon integrated bars are generally seen on featherweight cross country bikes, the Rise IC is made of sterner stuff and is in fact raced on the EWS circuit.

In this case, the Hixon IC has been living on the front of an Izzo for almost a year, and in that time it has ventured over, on, and off various technical trails, drops and jumps without an issue.

What are the benefits?

Mounting a carbon bar and stem combo to a carbon bike with carbon wheels might sound like the perfect recipe for an extremely stiff and uncomfortable ride, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Right from the very start, I noticed how well the Hixon handles bumps and vibrations and how they help to take the sting out of the trail. It would be wrong to say that they are comfier than other bar and stem combos, but very accurate to say they offer the same level of comfort to any other good set-up and are much much more forgiving and comfortable than some of the new breed alloy and carbon 35mm bar and stems on the market.

One non-issue for me was the lack of roll. Obviously, you’re unable to roll the bar forward or backwards to dial in the fit, but I’ve never once needed it and out of the box the IC Rise feels amazing.

Oh, and they are light, I mean super light! At just 270g this is one easy way to shave weight off your build without sacrificing strength.

Any problems?

No problems whatsoever. They have been comfortable, have never slipped and I never worry about their durability even when leaping off blind drops. If I had one niggle it’s that if you do run spacers above your stem (as I do when testing forks) it looks a little untidy using a round spacer and top cap, but there is a matching stem and spacer kit if need.

I would try to test a pair on a mate’s bike or in a shop to be sure the roll is suitable for you as it’s not adjustable. As mentioned above, I have never felt the need to adjust them and I imagine many riders will be the same.

Not being round like a traditional bar, you might have issues mounting a light or GPS unit to the Hixon, however, Syncros does make a very neat top cap with Garmin mount built in to solve this.

What we would like to see

I personally like the angle and sweep, but with no adjustment, it might not suit everyone.
The top cap is cool but it looks strange using regular round spacers above it (which I sometimes do when testing forks). There are shaped spacers to match though.
Torque values are on the stem bolts but might be nice to have something for the levers and controls for ease of mind.

What we love

They look stunning. Beautifully made, and really well finished.
The sweep, length and angle are all perfect for me. I worried I might need to adjust them but they felt spot on from day one.

Will you keep using them?

Yes, absolutely! It’s not a cheap bar but it’s an extremely good one and at only 270g it has to be one of the lightest and strongest cockpits I’ve ever run. Put it this way, I like it so much that I’d happily buy one, plus it looks absolutely stunning.

Review Info

Brand:	Syncros
Product:	Hixon IC Rise
From:	Syncros
Price:	£299
Tested:	by Andi Sykes for 11 monts

Andi Sykes

Andi is a gadget guru and mountain biker who has lived and ridden bikes in China and Spain before settling down in the Peak District to become Singletrack's social media expert. He is definitely more big travel fun than XC sufferer but his bike collection does include some rare hardtails - He's a collector and curator as well as a rider. Theory and practice in perfect balance with his inner chi, or something. As well as living life based on what he last read in a fortune cookie Andi likes nothing better than riding big travel bikes.