New Handlebar Suggestions

[Australia]

Looking to replace the rather harsh bar that came stock on my Giant Athem Advanced SL1. I like the width, rise, sweep etc etc, its just a little bit too rigid, I understand a carbon bar will soften the feel a bit.

Current bar is as follows:
Giant Contact oversize alloy
Light (220g) 7050 aluminium alloy construction
31.8, clamp diameter 690mm width, 19mm rise
9 degree rearward 5 degree upward sweep

Cheers,

Andrew

 

[rone]

I've alway found Easton to be the best combination of rise and sweep. I nominate EC70 MonkeyLites in a mid rise. Or a Girvin Flexstem.

 

[Clyde Dave]

Bikes have 100mm of suspension, I don't get how handlebars can feel too "rigid".

 

[dirtpig]

Or a Girvin Flexstem.

Man I wanted on of those sooooo bad in 1991!!! Ha Ha good times, very good times.

 

[bh78]

I'm using Easton EC90SL. 130 grams with very little flex. Overall bar shape works well.

 

[Dales Cannon]

Bikes have 100mm of suspension, I don't get how handlebars can feel too "rigid".

I find carbon bars dampen out some if not all high frequency low amplitude vibration that the suspension cannot deal with. The sort of thing you get from the tyre knobs on hard pack. My bike has Fox 150 RLC forks and I recently fitted Noir carbon bars and they are brilliant.

Michael

 

[72Fury]

Looking to replace the rather harsh bar that came stock on my Giant Athem Advanced SL1. I like the width, rise, sweep etc etc, its just a little bit too rigid, I understand a carbon bar will soften the feel a bit.

If you are happy with the current sizing, just replace them with the Giant carbon version.

 

[harmonix1234]

I've alway found Easton to be the best combination of rise and sweep. I nominate EC70 MonkeyLites in a mid rise. Or a Girvin Flexstem.

Damn straight. These are awesome and I can vouch for them. (EC70 XC CNT) http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=33144.
I actually saw a pair on here the other day for $60 in tip top condish. That's a steal.

Ah, here they are. But they are hi-rise... http://www.rotorburn.com/forums/sho...-Sunline-Easton-Monkeys-Blacksheep-and-Answer

 

[Anthem_Pete]

Ritchey??

Hey mate, I run ritchey carbon superlogic riser bars on my sl1 and can't fault them. Nice for dampering etc. as well as excelent quality and have a nice sweep back. They are expensive though.

Enjoy your anthem sl1

 

[Anna85]

I am going through the same considerations before buying an anthem. But whilst looking, I have come across terminology such as high rise, low rise, flat etc. What's the difference and what are the best for xc racing... Plus also what is a good width?

 

[harmonix1234]

I am going through the same considerations before buying an anthem. But whilst looking, I have come across terminology such as high rise, low rise, flat etc. What's the difference and what are the best for xc racing... Plus also what is a good width?

The term rise relates to how high the bars bend up.
Flat bar

Low rise

Mid rise

High rise

Which is better for XC is debatable.
What seems to be popular for XC racing is flat, short and low rise so that the whole cockpit can remain low and racey.
It's all personal preference and I actually like a mid to high rise on my xc bike. But I'm no racer.
You won't really know until you try a few combinations and see what gels with you.

Width is also a very personal thing. Lots of people these days goes pretty wide, but I like no more than 685mm. Sometimes even shorter depending on the bike.
A wide bar will give you more steering precision and less twitchiness. It will also help you wrangle the bike the bike through the rough stuff easier than a skinny bar.
For XC though, generally 685mm or less seems to be the preferred choice of many riders. Again, there will be people on here that will contradict what I say just by what they ride, but what feels bets is what's best for you.

 

[Anthem_Pete]

I am going through the same considerations before buying an anthem. But whilst looking, I have come across terminology such as high rise, low rise, flat etc. What's the difference and what are the best for xc racing... Plus also what is a good width?

Hey Anna85, Well high rise means that the bars have a rise upwards so they are not dead straight like flat bars. A low rise has a small rise eg 6 degrees upwards and is an in between

As to what is better for xc racing, its really a personal thing. some people like to have a flat bar and be low down others like to have a low riser bar with the stem flipped (Like me) .

Width should be roughly the same width as you shoulders + or - a few cms.

Hope this has helped a bit.

 

[bunchie34]

Or even a flat bar with a riser sweep, like I run:

Bit tricky to see, but you get the idea!

 

[Anna85]

I too am looking into the same thing. There is a difference between the bars on the SL0 and the SL1 in terms of width. 690 vs 670 for the SL0. What is the price point on the giant carbon bars vs the ritchey wcs?