Carbon MTB bars

nasha48

So then, with the retail industry already getting us in a festive mood, I've started giving thought to a nice length of carbon to plant my MTB hands on. Not having ever owned or ridden with any, is the outlay (someone else's if it's a pressie!) really worth it? For half the price, is it better vfm to get a decent lightweight alloy handlebar instead? And, reading a small amount on bolt tightness/torque settings, do they suffer from slippage or rotation in the stem typically? Any reason why not to stick bar end grips on them when XC riding? Been looking initially at the Renthal range as they seem consistently well spoken of.

supersonic

It depends ;-). If you have a £300 bike and have say have a one off lump sum of £75 for upgrades I'd say no; as part of a longer upgrade plan, maybe. If you have a higher end bike and want maximum performance then definitely.

The precise torque values are more to do with carbon crushing easier, they don't slip if done correctly. Is just that you can generally be a bit more ham fisted with alloy bars. Bar ends, as above, is the crush factor - some carbon bars are reinforced to cope better at the ends.

Have a look at Exotic carbon bars - a good range at good prices.

nasha48

Cheers SS, that's helpful. New baby is a Boardman Pro FS so, imo, would be worth the investment. Main reason I'm looking at carbon is a) lightening the front end, and b) reducing buzz/vibration.

Hear you re crushing torque, will check if ends are strengthened on particular models. Just gonna check out these Exotic bars you mention...

rockmonkeysc

I wouldn't have carbon bars again after spending £120 on a set and completely destroying them on the fourth or fith ride with a crash which I doubt would have damaged aluminium bar.
They didn't reduce buzz either but that may be because they were a downhill bar.

poah

had carbon bars, all of them were crap for reducing buzz even after optomising brake position. changed to spank vibrocore bars and haven't looked back.

Giantmatt75

I noticed more difference from changing grips . Had Easton monkey lite dh bars and they were light but again didn't notice much reduction in trail buzz. I would go for good quality alloy and some nice grips

nasha48

Mmmm, clearly some varied opinions here. As with any upgrade, you want to at least be able to notice the difference in some way, especially if it's costing a reasonable amount of cash. Tbh i dont suffer a HUGE degree of vibration issue through my current bars (Boardman stock issue) but it would be nice to feel a little more comfortable on the longer rides. I agree about grips making a difference - i use Lizard Skins Northshore as they are larger diameter than others but even these i feel are too slim which i think doesnt help. Can't find anything else bigger though? Do need some new gloves too. Suspension is set up fine really and have played with different rebound settings to see how they feel. The Spank bars do look good and price is more reasonable too. Exotic bars look ok but little in the way of reviews so unsure. Hence, I'll just have to buy a selection of 6 or so, fit + ride, choose my favourite, then chuck the rest away. If only...
Renthals still a big draw, though the majority of my riding through the year is XC really so i guess I'd only really notice the benefits of these more for the smaller amount of DH runs i do. On saying this, it sounds like i may be better off getting a decent set of lightweight alu bars for my use.

swod1

Some renthal fat bar lite alloy bars would be a good choice. I'm looking at getting some for my mega tr as my 720s feel a little short on this bike.

What's the reason to change bars are they not wide or have enough rise on them or just purely to just upgrade them?

nasha48

Nice bike the mega tr. Stock bars are fine for me at 740 wide. Not sure what the rise on them is tbh but thinking maybe a touch more would increase comfort- I'm right on the limit size wise in the cockpit, however I'm not actually sure whether less rise or even sweep may improve my position. Did an 18 mile pretty flat ride today and i do feel it in my hands/fingers after. As I mentioned, gloves are a bit naff so that doesn't help. Have looked at the Renthal Lite ally bars and agree they do sound suitable. I suppose I'm after some slight but noticeable added comfort as well as simply an upgrade as I don't imagine my stock ally bars can be all that special. Just trying to research enough to lessen the chance of being disappointed after shelling out.

swod1

Try some better gloves, I've got some gel padded fox gloves which I like as ordinary gloves didn't work for me and the gel padding helps as they cover the pressure points on your hands.

nasha48

Gloves are Fox gels. Gel packet floats around a bit within each pocket so often moves from where you want it. Other pair are some specialized BG which have been great for few years but heavily worn and need binning. Renthal Lite bars certainly get well reviewed and easier on the pocket.