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Perhaps you’re in the market for a new cockpit on your touring, townie, mountain, or whatever bike. Or you saw some bars you liked on Instagram and asked “what bars?” This new website is for you. WhatBars.com is an internet database that compares the sweep, rise, and flare of various handlebars, allowing you to overlay and compare the designs, making it easy to choose the right bar for your whatever bike. See more at WhatBars.com.
For those of you looking into swapping out your drop bars for something new, Whisky Parts Co’s new offerings might be of interest to you. The new No.7 aluminum and No.9 carbon bars come in a variety of shapes, thanks to the 6, 12, and 24º flair options, as well as widths up to 46cm. With the two material options, there’s something for any build, so head to Whisky to check out the details and your local dealer for ordering.
Words and Photos by Spencer Harding
If you’ve hung around me at all in the past few years you have probably heard me wax poetic over the idea of much wider mtb bars. One day Matt from Crust called me, like an angel who had heard my drunken ramblings, to see if I wanted to test out his new swept-back bar, the Jungle Runner.
Welcome to the… Well, you get it and Crust Bikes get it. They get that sometimes super kooky things just work, dare I say, better. Everyone laughed at the 66.6cm wide bars, but people love them and the same can be said about their Jungle Bars. As I like to tell people, don’t knock ’em til you rock ’em. Available in raw with a clear coat or black to match your touring build. Check out more details and swoop a pair up at Crust.
Like dirt drops? Want something with a nice big flat section and a good amount of flare? Check out these new Far Bars from Velo Orange. Available in 44 or 48cm widths, silver or black and in stock now.
After vigorous testing, a full run at PBP and seeking out Japan’s Nitto for production, the Compass Randonneur handlebars are now available. These Extralight bars are light. More light than any of Nitto’s current offerings, yet strong enough to take on fire roads, cobbles or whatever you can throw at them. They are available in widths of 400, 420, 440 mm and are in stock now at Compass.
Surly makes reliable, solid, affordable components and bicycles. Something we can all appreciate. Their newest dive bar is a spin on one of their first sweep bars. The Cheater Bar is a 11º sweep, 31.8 clamp, 4130 bar that’s 780mm wide, 427g and will cost ya $80 bones at your local bike shop. Not bad! Check out more babel at Surly.
Over the years Cadence has worked on some really great collaborations with Ritchey and this latest drop might be their best yet. Available now is a gloss white with black geometric overlay cockpit. The C220 Keta stem features a chevrons down the side with a “Keep Going” reminder on the top, while the EvoCurve bar repeats the pattern at the clamp. Both are in stock now at Cadence.
Never underestimate the benefits of a wide, flared-out dirt drop. Especially for off-road riding. While 655mm might sound like a MTB bar width, all that leverage in a shallow drop can add just the right amount of control to your MTB, cross or all-road bike.
Soma’s new Gator Bar looks like a beast! Check out more at the Soma blog and see the specs below.
Scott from Porcelain Rocket has been developing a bag that seamlessly integrates with the Jones Loop bar. I love seeing creative ways to literally make use of every square inch of space on a bikepacking rig.
More to come from Porcelain Rocket. See more at the Porcelain Rocket Flickr.
Nitto has been making handlebars for a very long time. To give you some perspective, back in the ’80s, there were dozens of handlebar manufacturers, then Taiwanese factories shut down all but one: Nitto.
Over the past few years, the Japanese handlebar manufacturer has lent American framebuilders a hand. Sycip cycles, being one of the more recent ones.
Now in stock, at Sycip’s online shop are the heat-treated aluminum JJ Bars and the CroMo steel JB bars. Both come in black or silver and are in stock now at Sycip.
This classic shape is often rendered in steel and is not the lightest option for a modern day race machine. For those looking for a classic Ritchey look for the XC bike, look no further. 35 years since it was first introduced to the MTB world, the Bullmoose returns. Just as stylish, but a little lighter…
The Ritchey WCS Bullboose features a 9 degree sweep with a 6 degree angle, weighs in at 280 grams for the 80mm and comes in three sizes: 70x720mm, 80x730mm and 90, 100 & 110x740mm. Retail is set at $299.95.
Mash and Cinelli continue their collaboration lineup with these ergo, 70mm reach, shallow drop bars, perfect for street track , CX or road bikes. No cable recesses means they’ll look great on a track bike! Pick up a pair at Mash.
SKYLMT has a few new products for sale in their shop. Their tees are restocked and the long-awaited Steven Jensen bars. These 4.8″ black bars have a 12º backsweep and a 4º upsweep, coming in at 29″ wide. See more information at SKYLMT.
No way. Personally, camouflage on your bike, or your person is just like any accent: use it sparingly. Case in point is this Swamp Things custom-painted 3T cockpit from Starfuckers. Granted, I’d like to see something like this on an all-black bike, but the intended ride ain’t bad either.
If my new touring bike was going to use a 25.4 clamp, these would be the bars I’d be buying. The Nitto B-105 have a great bend and now, Ben’s has the exclusive on the black ano. Blackened like my Germanic thrash metal and of course, my soul. Scoop here.
When the team at Budnitz Bicycles emailed me, asking if I wanted to try out one of their single speed, belt-drive bikes, I respectfully declined, prompting them to offer up their titanium bars and seatpost instead. I’ll be honest, I was pretty amped on how my Icarus looked with those Ritchey drops and there was absolutely nothing wrong with my Thomson post but I decided to give them a try anyway. It’s been a few weeks of riding them, so what’s my consensus?
Honestly, the feel of the bars is distinguishable from an aluminum bar’s stiffness but it’s not blatantly obvious. It takes a few rides to feel it. What makes these most appealing is the shape, perfect for a bike like this: not too racy but not upright like many cruiser or porteur bars. The finish is nice and the bend is elegant. I never was a fan of straight, flat bars. As for the post? I can’t really feel any difference. The clamp is a bit cumbersome but once you set it up, makes a lot of sense. And I really like the simplicity of the design.
Overall, a $170 Ti bar and $150 seat post is out of most of our price ranges but when compared to high-end carbon bars and posts, it’s not that bad, especially if you prefer the feel over carbon. Or in my case, the low-lustre finish. The Budnitz Bicycles Ti Bars and Seatpost definitely changed the look and feel of my Icarus. Only time will tell for how long. Check out some photos in the Gallery.
Fyxation‘s expanding their line for 2013 and their new catalog highlights their newest products, including new framesets. Check it all out above, with more frame photos here, at their blog.