Sep 2, 2008
Core blimey, there was me thinking those 750-760mm wide bars were wide. Then along comes the likes of FSA and more recently Kore with this whopping 800mm flat bar conception.
Bring it on..
Yes we all know FSA/Gravity had their 800mm wide riser bar out months ago. What we haven't seen before is a super wide flat bar have we?
Element have a flat bar in proto type stage and it's around the 750mm mark. Truvativ have a flat offering about to be released and my old mates at Chromag (I've been running them for 6 months now) have had a flat bar out for what seems like years!
Landed today at Superfly Central we have the Kore Torsion 800mm wide bar. Now firstly I must apologize as I rushed to get these fitted to my new Mountain Cycles Test Rig. This will be the bedrock for all new and shiny bits that land at my door in what we will call project "Patonator".. In that rush I forgot to get them on the scales, school boy error I know. You know what it's like though, new bike bit lands and your like a dog with two dicks.
Stats wise you will need a 31.8mm clamp to hold on tight. Made from 2014 T6 Double Butted Aluminum they should hold up well even with that extra leverage on the ends.
There's a 4 degree up sweep and a 9 degree back sweep which from above and sat in the cockpit looking straight down these look and feel like any "normal" wide bar! It's only when you look straight on they really stand out or "flat" should I say.
Now at a pub brawling 5ft 6ins tall I ain't got the longest legs in the World and as I said in one interview asking for tips/hints, "Never ride a bike with wheels bigger than your inside leg". Referring to our 29" weirdo relatives of course. That also means my arms are already at a reach disadvantage. That said I perched myself on top of these beasts and they actually feel pretty good.
The only downturn and especially here in the U.K is that a lot of our courses are tight and twisty through the trees. That is slowly changing as we've shown the way at the NPS - National Points Series that I run by marking them wider and having multiple line choices whenever possible.
Testing out the Chromags
What I did notice at first with my original Chromag flat bars is the lower riding height. Great in the corners and you're closer to the floor so that bit more stable. Just watch out on the jumps and drops, it took a while to correct her from some impromptu nose dives. All good now though.
Should this month's tip be to wear gloves or even those ones with padded knuckles? Up to you, I've said enough,
Except where to get these from:
UK - www.bob-elliot.co.uk
Tel: (0044) 01772 459887
States - J & B Importers (Dealer Sales Only)
Tel +1-800-666-5000
sales@jbimporters.com
Never, ever clip in..
Si Paton..
www.Descent-Gear.com
Oury Lock-On Grips £14.99
Element have a flat bar in proto type stage and it's around the 750mm mark. Truvativ have a flat offering about to be released and my old mates at Chromag (I've been running them for 6 months now) have had a flat bar out for what seems like years!
Landed today at Superfly Central we have the Kore Torsion 800mm wide bar. Now firstly I must apologize as I rushed to get these fitted to my new Mountain Cycles Test Rig. This will be the bedrock for all new and shiny bits that land at my door in what we will call project "Patonator".. In that rush I forgot to get them on the scales, school boy error I know. You know what it's like though, new bike bit lands and your like a dog with two dicks.
Stats wise you will need a 31.8mm clamp to hold on tight. Made from 2014 T6 Double Butted Aluminum they should hold up well even with that extra leverage on the ends.
There's a 4 degree up sweep and a 9 degree back sweep which from above and sat in the cockpit looking straight down these look and feel like any "normal" wide bar! It's only when you look straight on they really stand out or "flat" should I say.
Now at a pub brawling 5ft 6ins tall I ain't got the longest legs in the World and as I said in one interview asking for tips/hints, "Never ride a bike with wheels bigger than your inside leg". Referring to our 29" weirdo relatives of course. That also means my arms are already at a reach disadvantage. That said I perched myself on top of these beasts and they actually feel pretty good.
The only downturn and especially here in the U.K is that a lot of our courses are tight and twisty through the trees. That is slowly changing as we've shown the way at the NPS - National Points Series that I run by marking them wider and having multiple line choices whenever possible.
Testing out the Chromags
What I did notice at first with my original Chromag flat bars is the lower riding height. Great in the corners and you're closer to the floor so that bit more stable. Just watch out on the jumps and drops, it took a while to correct her from some impromptu nose dives. All good now though.
Should this month's tip be to wear gloves or even those ones with padded knuckles? Up to you, I've said enough,
Except where to get these from:
UK - www.bob-elliot.co.uk
Tel: (0044) 01772 459887
States - J & B Importers (Dealer Sales Only)
Tel +1-800-666-5000
sales@jbimporters.com
Never, ever clip in..
Si Paton..
www.Descent-Gear.com
Oury Lock-On Grips £14.99
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86 Comments
- + 29 props
saintjimmy
(Sep 2, 2008 at 0:18)
(Below Threshold) show comment
It would be tough to fit those bars through a garage door!
I like the feeling of a flat bar but this one is f*ck''ng to wide, you can't even think about doing a single track
High-rise stem + flat bars = stronger than medium/low rise stem + riser bars. Then again, risers just look so damn cool 
it's for put some fresh air in the rider arm pit then the sweat dry and they don't smell bad at the bar
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burgtech ridewides will be the widest bars are run
800mm is just plain crazy
be seeing a lot of coat hangers at the dh trails
800mm is just plain crazy
be seeing a lot of coat hangers at the dh trails
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Great article, but those bars are absolutely insane. 
I run 690mm FUNN bars (I'm guessing they were cut? I don't know, second hand bike) and even these are bordering on too big - the bike hardly fits through the door into the house, into the elevator, etc, and I've had more than one close call in the tight and twisting sections of certain trails. I guess I just prefer smaller bars.
Cheers!
I run 690mm FUNN bars (I'm guessing they were cut? I don't know, second hand bike) and even these are bordering on too big - the bike hardly fits through the door into the house, into the elevator, etc, and I've had more than one close call in the tight and twisting sections of certain trails. I guess I just prefer smaller bars.Cheers!
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if youre 5'6" and you run an 800mm wide bar you have to be the worlds biggest fashion follower. im sorry but thats just silly and will make it harder to ride than anything, especially if you dont have lanky reach.
flat bars and low rise make sense but the new fad for superwide bars is just a pisstake
flat bars and low rise make sense but the new fad for superwide bars is just a pisstake
Calm down - he's just testing them for this site! If you read the article you'd see that he runs a Chromag set... which at uncut length are rather narrower than 800mm.
looks nice, but who needs 800mm? perjaps it is just a test from the manufactors to see if the mass will follow the hype
"it's for put some fresh air in the rider arm pit then the sweat dry and they don't smell bad at the bar "
Funny how it was the French guy who comments that....
just playing with you nobrain
Funny how it was the French guy who comments that....
just playing with you nobrain
800mm bars arent impractical at all. i run fsa gravity 800's and iv only ever once clipped a tree. And being a tad over 6'2 they suit my arms perfect. id love a set of these bars.
shut up!
jesus christ alive he is just testing the bar!
maybe 800 isn't your cup of tea, but i know plenty of big riders who would love some bars like this.
i'd never buy them, i have no use for them, but some people might want them, so take your crap elsewere. half wit.
jesus christ alive he is just testing the bar!
maybe 800 isn't your cup of tea, but i know plenty of big riders who would love some bars like this.
i'd never buy them, i have no use for them, but some people might want them, so take your crap elsewere. half wit.
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why the hell do you need a bar that big... 710 is all you'll ever need. mine are dead on 700 and i wouldnt want 'em wider.... EVER, or you cant fit through tight woody sections, and your arms are pulled apart so far you're having a full frontal crucifixion against the top of your bike
I wouldnt knock em till you try em, gents. Ive got some 30 inch chromag fubar osx bars and they are rad. Did any of you guys see the bars Fabien Barel rode at the worlds? Theres gotta be some advantage to ultra-wides, cause that guy is an engineer and no trend-follower.
LEAVERAGE, that's the advantage. Much less deflection because it slows down your input on the bars. You may not even need a steering damper. Yeah personal preference prevails, but man, are you gonna get tired fast (especially at 5'6") with your arms that wide. I'm 6'4" and run 700mm bars and I love 'em. But the whole single track issue rules out much wider for me. If your ripping lifts all day a resort, probably great. And I know this is blasphemy, but the torque you could lay down with those climbing makes bar ends history.
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You can always take some off. If all bar makers made 710's as standard and you wanted 750 you're screwed. If you started off with 800's and then wanted 750 or 710 no problem just bust out the hacksaw.
Also, there are quite a number of pro's using 29" bars besides Barel. I beleive Tyler Moreland, Sam Hill and Nathan Rennie are a couple. Manufacturers coming out with these is following what pros are asking for not what everyday riders are asking for.
Also, there are quite a number of pro's using 29" bars besides Barel. I beleive Tyler Moreland, Sam Hill and Nathan Rennie are a couple. Manufacturers coming out with these is following what pros are asking for not what everyday riders are asking for.
Totally love the customizability of these beasts! For MTB you need a bar wider than you shoulder width in most cases but, Snap! Here's a couple of tests: Get in a wide push position (arms not quite locked) and have buddy step (not jump) lightly on your back and keep adding a bit of pressure, bet ya cave quicker than you thought. Go narrow (almost straight out arms but comfy) and see how long you last (my wife can sit on my shoulders at this point). Now get buddy to put something on the outside edge of both your hands in that position. THAT is YOUR BAR width (and unless you play in the NBA it will not be 800mm). Add maybe 30mm total so you can grab extra LEAVERAGE on climbs and rough descents, buy close to your width and cut to size. Go ride everywhere.
800 damn thought my bars @ 680 were big and they are ugly so they will never come on one of my bikes
They should come with bright orange bar plugs and frills (like my kids bike). LMAO. Make riding in hunting season safer, too.
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Two things bad about these bars. One they are way too fricking wide and two if you have bars with no raise aren't those just considered XC Bars and not DH bars, which have rise.
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A couple of guys on this forum get it, the rest are just idiots. These bars were designed after what the pros want. The WC circuit is a fast open course. Most of the time these guys aren't even riding behind the seat like the rest of us they'll hover over their bars. Just because you guys don't like the idea of having a wide bar cause the trails you ride are tight and twisty doesn't make them any less practical than Sam Hill running a 600 mm bar. One of the advantages is someone who wants to run..lets say a 780 or 760 mm bar.. they can. and it being a flat bar means nothing. One of the best riders I know at Bromont rides a flat bar. everyone needs to grow up and stop basing everything that's new and different. I imagine back in the day people thought it was stupid to make a bike with suspension and ride it in the dirt.
dude thats just how people are. new weird and exciting things scare the shit out of every body and say its crazy untill they try em i personally dont have anything close to these bars but i would give em a try if i had the chance.
Riding stolen bikes is not cool. Maybe it should be ride it like it's a rental, just as fun to abuse and way easier on the conscience.
if everyone who dissed these bars actually grew up riding them it would be completely different.
its just cuz you guys have ridden 25"-27" your whole lives.
its just cuz you guys have ridden 25"-27" your whole lives.
THE WIDER THE BETTER
COME ON U GUYS
I KNOW I GOING TO GET NEG PROPS BUT THERE CLASS AND I MIGHT HAVE TO GET THOSE BARS
(for my new bike )
COME ON U GUYS
I KNOW I GOING TO GET NEG PROPS BUT THERE CLASS AND I MIGHT HAVE TO GET THOSE BARS
(for my new bike )
yea, the wider the better. you mean the better for having trees rip your bike sideways during a race in the tight woods sections right?
Firstly for those that can't read I run the Chromags in an uncut version on my Commencal VIP Supreme.
The Mountain Cycles is my test bike which I bolt new bits and pieces onto for test. I ride the Chromags at standard lenght (can't some of you idiots read)? At 5ft 6ins the 800's are way too wide for me i'd have to cut them down!
Which is the real point here! If you want flat bars pretty wide, start with these and cut them down, to suit you and your riding.
Back in the day we all rode riser bars as our elastomer Manitous Mach IIIs had a couple of inches of travel. Now were running Boxxers with 8ins of travel and still the same riser bars!
Now is the time to re-address the balance. Mark my words within 2 years you'll see every manufacturer producing flat bars and half of you that are any good on a bike will be running them!
Please make sure you can read the actual article before you post anything up and make a dumbo of yourself!
Cheers.
Si..
The Mountain Cycles is my test bike which I bolt new bits and pieces onto for test. I ride the Chromags at standard lenght (can't some of you idiots read)? At 5ft 6ins the 800's are way too wide for me i'd have to cut them down!
Which is the real point here! If you want flat bars pretty wide, start with these and cut them down, to suit you and your riding.
Back in the day we all rode riser bars as our elastomer Manitous Mach IIIs had a couple of inches of travel. Now were running Boxxers with 8ins of travel and still the same riser bars!
Now is the time to re-address the balance. Mark my words within 2 years you'll see every manufacturer producing flat bars and half of you that are any good on a bike will be running them!
Please make sure you can read the actual article before you post anything up and make a dumbo of yourself!
Cheers.
Si..
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I'm riding the 800 25mm Gravity Bars and Wide bars are great! Believe it or not most and actually almost all trails are at least 31.5" wide. I know because here in Jackson Hole we have some super narrow, old school, skinny-ass DH trails and my bars seem to fit through everything. If anything it makes skinny stuff more fun and of course the added benefit of being able to through your bike around like an Olsen twin.
What a bunch of fashion victim shit! Super wide bars were all the rage 15years ago, they were unnecessary then and they are still unnecessary now. These things will only be sold to all of the sheep out there who have to be told how to think.
And just to correct Superfly, we have seen extra wide flat bars before, just ask Paul Plunkett. He was winning British National DH titles in the early half of the '90's with his.
Gadmack i don't think he ment absolutley everyone, just most of us.
looks like you need to cut the grass on your front lawn btw Si LOL!
looks like you need to cut the grass on your front lawn btw Si LOL!
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lol @ a dog with two dicks
I have never in years considered riding with a flat bar, but have given it thought now.
I have never in years considered riding with a flat bar, but have given it thought now.
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Im 6' and i run 1" extenders in my easton EA70s AND hang my grips bout 1" off the ends of the extenders thats a total width of 785mm. Thats realy comfortable for ME, the guys i ride with hate it but it all comes down to those oh so frequently used words "PERSONAL PREFERENCE". Im gonna buy sum of these and if i dont get on with the whole 800mm i can cut em down 15mm, big deal. I think massive bars are the future, cus they can be made to be a comfortable size for anyone.
i am 6 foot 1 and just bougt some spank spike 777 bars, are also very wide (777mm) and i absolutely love them, but its not good for persons that are not tall, (friend of mine who rode it 5 foot 6 hated them)
ok, so its really cool that companies are offering moto width bars, even if its not for everyone, its nice having the option.
But why is it most companies seem to only offer their extremely low handlebars in the wide widths? seriously, a half inch rise bar doesnt work with every bike setup out there!
would be nice to see some 2-2.5 inch rise bars in wider sizes.
But why is it most companies seem to only offer their extremely low handlebars in the wide widths? seriously, a half inch rise bar doesnt work with every bike setup out there!
would be nice to see some 2-2.5 inch rise bars in wider sizes.
To all the nay-sayers:
The biggest advantage to super-wide bars is that YOU CAN CUT THEM DOWN! That's right, the manufacturer is free to offer 1 width that the rider can customize. Is that really an issue? It's like a seatpost; you might not need a 410mm Thomson, but having the option sure doesn't hurt anything.
The biggest advantage to super-wide bars is that YOU CAN CUT THEM DOWN! That's right, the manufacturer is free to offer 1 width that the rider can customize. Is that really an issue? It's like a seatpost; you might not need a 410mm Thomson, but having the option sure doesn't hurt anything.
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