Handlebars / Stem

matt-

hi,

i'm looking at buying a spank lounge bar and the corresponding stem from CRC for my 2010 rockhopper sl comp

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=29335

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=29332

on the stem there is a measurement that says 50mm - do you know what this is for?

also for xc riding would the 50mm or 30mm rise be better?

thanks,
matt

cat_with_no_tail

The stem is 50mm in length, which is pretty short for XC.

As for rise, it's a personal preference. Do you prefer to be sat up a little more? generally, XC bikes have longer stems and lower rise. But I stress, that is a sweeping generalisation and does not apply across the board.

supersonic

It is a very heavy bar, and a downgrade in my opinion. Not needed for a bike like the rockhopper.

matt-

thanks for the advice..

cwnt: no I only really sit up more on my leisurely ride home from work, otherwise I usually
ride quite agressively

supersonic: will I really notice the weight much? I really want to get white bars
for the aesthetics and these ones have really positive reviews

supersonic

Well it all adds up! If you add 100g to every part on your bike, it would be a tank lol.

While aesthetics are important to some, don't shoot yourself in the foot. Most people on the traildon't give a damn, and if they did see it, they would be wondering why you have a DH bar on an XC bike!

Also heavier bars are stiffer and transmit more shock.

cat_with_no_tail

Longer stem and lower bars then.

If you want white, look at:

Ritchey WCS Riser Bars

As for a stem, you could go for a matching Ritchey one if you've got the readies:

This one

matt-

thanks

i was looking at spending no more than £100 for the pair so the ritchey ones are probably out of my range, i'll keep looking at white ones

cat_with_no_tail

I take it you didn't actually look at the bar and stem combo I linked for you then?

I ask this because the bars are £45 and the stem is £49.

The bars look like they're just what you need.

As for the stem, it's really a personal thing. Are you happy with the stem you currently have on your bike? If so, what length / rise is that one?

cat_with_no_tail

Cat With No Tail wrote:

I take it you didn't actually look at the bar and stem combo I linked for you then?

I ask this because the bars are £45 and the stem is £49, and they're BOTH white.

The bars look like they're just what you need.

As for the stem, it's really a personal thing. Are you happy with the stem you currently have on your bike? If so, what length / rise is that one?

supersonic

I'd buy exotic and invest in Dulux ;-)

cat_with_no_tail

supersonic wrote:

I'd buy exotic and invest in Dulux ;-)

supersonic, MTBs very own Gok Wan

davewalsh

supersonic wrote:

I'd buy exotic and invest in Dulux ;-)

If all he wants is white bars, I'd just invest in Dulux :-)

matt-

No i just failed to add up!

This is my current stem
Thomson Elite X4 90mm,10 degree rise, 31.8mm clamp

and current bars
Butted alloy riserbar, 25mm rise, 660mm wide, 8 degree back sweep, 7 degree up sweep

I quite like the geometry of the parts that I have although I wouldnt mind a bit more "rise" in the bars and the richey ones are only 18mm. I think i'll get them anyway and take them for a spin

The Northern Monkey

I had both on the NS... much more suited to a freeride/heavy hitting bike as they're heavy but uber stiff and strong.

the bars are 710mm wide and don't have cut makes on them so make sure you want to go that wide.

cat_with_no_tail

matt- wrote:

No i just failed to add up!

This is my current stem
Thomson Elite X4 90mm,10 degree rise, 31.8mm clamp

and current bars
Butted alloy riserbar, 25mm rise, 660mm wide, 8 degree back sweep, 7 degree up sweep

I quite like the geometry of the parts that I have although I wouldnt mind a bit more "rise" in the bars and the richey ones are only 18mm. I think i'll get them anyway and take them for a spin

Keep the stem, that's a nice piece of kit!

As for the bars, how many headset spacers are you currently using?

Before buying the Ritchey bars, you could experiment by moving your spacers around to have more on TOP of your stem, thus having the effect of lowering your bars so you can see what it'd be like running the Ritchey bars.

Failing that, Merlin also have the Easton EA70 White bars in at £50, and with those you can choose wether you want low, med or High rise.

matt-

I'm using 3 headset spacers atm so I might perform a bit of a switcheroo on those and see what its like.

I quite like the looks of those Easton bars - by performance/reputation/quality, which brand would you say is better between Ritchey and Easton?

While I've got your attention can I ask you about tyres as well?
Heard a lot of people getting a Nobbly Nick on the front and a Fast Fred on the back... Is this a good combination or should I just go for the faultless all-rounder option of 2 highrollers?

thanks!
Matt

101_North

Just to throw another option in - have you thought about Syncros? They have some very nice stuff in white. I have a Syncros stem and really like it. Keep considering a matching bar but not got round to it yet!

Stems:

http://www.stif.co.uk/gear/select_optio ... &store=mtb

http://www.stif.co.uk/gear/select_optio ... &store=mtb

Bars:

http://www.stif.co.uk/gear/select_optio ... &store=mtb

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matt-

I really like the syncros stuff actually, good offer on the stem at the moment too!

Same question arises, what sort of quality is their gear?

cheers,
Matt

101_North

Pretty sure Syncros are now part of the Ritchey setup so their stuff is good. I've got a stem and a seatpost and have been more than happy with both. I bought the white stem at the offer price from Stif and for the money I reckon it's a bargain - light, strong and looks great in white. I've been impressed with both. I think their stuff offers a good compromise between strength and weight. Not the most common of components but I kinda like that

Brief reviews of some of their bars/stems here:

http://www.singletrackworld.com/reviews ... -seatpost/

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