MOUNTAIN BIKE HANDLEBAR BUYER GUIDE

Introduction

Nowadays due to the fact that more and more advanced technologies are used in order to produce bike components and more precisely both mountain bike and road bike handlebars. During the process of choosing the most suitable mountain bike handlebar it is recommend to pay particular attention to some aspects so that the choice of it will be the right one. Generally speaking, while choosing the MTB handlebar we should take in considerations the followings: materials, rise and sweep, width, and diameter.

Materials

Beginning with the materials, it is not new to everyone that nowadays MTB handlebars are divided into 3 main categories: aluminium, carbon and titanium. The latter is less used, not so popular and normally not chosen by riders.  We can consider the alloy to be the second level of the 3 categories of materials (titanium, aluminium and carbonium). There is a difference in term of price and weight between the aluminium and carbon. The first one is heavier and less expensive. The latter being the high-end material for handlebars is the most expensive and most light.  In addition to that as carbon handlebars are designed differently. They can do different things related to the stiffness. Carbon handlebars are also smoother, and fancier compared to aluminium ones. Therefore, carbon handlebars are more demanded compared to aluminium handlebars.

Rise and Sweep

Dealing with rise  in the past recent years higher rise mountain bike bars are becoming more and more popular compared to lower rise ones.  There are a lot of reasons why higher rise mountain bike bars are preferred compared to lower rise one. The first one is the type of MTB bike used for enduro bike, the most preferred MTB length measures are 20 25 mm. Talking about sweep angle , one should make a distinction between back sweep and up sweep. Eight degrees back and five degrees up is to be considered the most common sweep angle, in some rare cases there is the possibility to see  nine degrees back and five or four degrees up sweep angle.

After being used for a long time to certain measures for both up and back sweep, it will not be easy to change to another sweep angle as both elbows and wrists are used to a certain position and switching can be a bit uncomfortable. Talking about width, it is sufficient to look at the bikes we used from 15 to 25 years ago and the bikes we use now and make a comparison in term of handlebar width. In the past recent years, there was the belief that the tinier the handlebars the more aerodynamic and performant the bike was. Therefore most of bikes were equipped with tiny small handlebars.

Dimensions

Thanks to the recent technological progress the bike industry made, it was possible to manufacture more and more wider handlebar with shorter stems. This new combination was very appreciated among all categories of riders.  Nowadays the range of handlebar length goes from 740 to 800 mm. However the majority of bikes we see are equipped with a 760 or 780 mm handlebar. Obviously, the factor to take in consideration while choosing the most appropriate bar is shoulders width.

Diameter

Moving on to the diameter aspect, we normally have two different measures: 31.8 and 35 mm.

The advantages of 31.8 mm handlebars are multiple. Availability as this kind of handlebar is still the most common one. Low price as this product is always in high demand and therefore is very convenient to purchase and compliance. The latter aspect is the most technical one and most important as with a 31.8 mm handlebar the sensation of vibrations is reduced a lot compared to a 35 mm one. On the other hand, the 35 mm handlebar do also have some important advantages such as having more clamping area. Having a lot of stiffness making the bike to be very responsive and lighter compared to the 31.88 mm one.

ITM ERIDY MTB HANDLEBAR

More about our ERIDY MTB HANDLEBAR.

At ITM, we are specialized in the production of MTB handlebar. Among those, one can find our Eridy MTB handlebar. Eridy MTB flat handlebar is completely manufactured in unidirectional carbon fiber. With an eye-catching mattie and graphic finish UV which makes it perfect for MTB.

The EPS technology used in the handlebar manufacturing allows to differentiate the thicknesses. Also to have layers of fiber perfectly stretched, containing the weight and ensuring the necessary strength. Thanks to the unidirectional carbon, Eridy handlebar is very light. But at the same time very strong and neat. It is the perfect riding device  for MTB and for the E-Bike world. An excellent compromise between stiffness and shock absorption. The high-quality concept and the wideness (a free choice between 720 mm and 780mm) guarantee a precise and very comfortable ride. And a resistance during pedalling process in total safety. In the largest 780 mm version there is the possibility to shorter until 40 mm both extremities.

Discover more about our Eridy MTB handlebar here.