The Faserwerk Baslerstab is a Handlebar with No Stem

Sep 7, 2021 at 6:46
by James Smurthwaite  
photo

Combining the stem and handlebars into one carbon piece is something that brands such as Syncros, Gemini and Bontrager have been doing for a short while but Faserwerk has now taken it one step further and removed the stem altogether.

Faserwerk is the component arm of Arc8 bikes, a brand founded by former BMC and Santa Cruz engineer Jonas Mueller. Mueller is taking full advantage of Arc8's in-house production facilities to create some unique components including the world's first one-piece 3D-forged carbon seatpost and the Rockstock riser bar with viscoelastic damping.

Now he's designed and released the Baslerstab (Basel Staff) that takes "a logical step" and bypasses the stem altogether. Instead of a stem, a circular cutout attaches directly to the fork's steerer tube, with a clamp bolted on from the back holding it there. Don't worry though, this isn't the same as the super-short 10mm stems from the early days of Forward Geometry and in fact your hands should remain in roughly the same position as with a regular set up thanks to the shape of the bar with virtual stem lengths of 35mm and 50mm both available.

photo

So why bother? Well, the main reason is because of the weight savings. This bar and stem combo is DH rated, 800mm wide and has a claimed weight of 240 grams - for comparison, Gemini's DH only Pollux is claimed to weigh 255 to 275 grams. Some other key figures from this bar include a 15mm rise, 9° backsweep and 6° upsweep.

The component is made in two parts with the bar itself bladder moulded to create a lightweight, high performance tubular structure while the clamp is made using a CPMC (compression molding compound) process that apparently reduces "resin rich areas or voids."

The bar is priced at €/$299. More info, here.

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129 Comments
  • 359 7
 The first comment is hard. You don't want to set the bar too low
  • 98 2
 I can see a lot of issues stemming from this product
  • 42 2
 sometimes you can't roll the bar so you have to raise it
  • 20 3
 Unfortunately Faserwerk set the bar pretty low already, with only 15mm rise instead of 30.
  • 45 2
 I don't think this will be a far-reaching concept
  • 40 2
 You handled it fine.
  • 7 2
 @mtb-journal: It could get even lower than that. However, Hambini doesn't ride mtb so we are ok.
  • 18 2
 Don't mind me, just sweeping up
  • 10 2
 Looks like they went to great lengths to achieve this but came up short.
  • 4 38
flag stumphumper92 (Sep 7, 2021 at 10:18) (Below Threshold)
 Omg the puns please stop PB I beg you
  • 29 4
 @stumphumper92: get a grip dude
  • 10 2
 @stumphumper92: no holds barred
  • 11 3
 @ceecee: lever alone
  • 10 1
 This idea probably stems from a series of sweeping ideas in a bar but I think it's quite a reach.
  • 6 1
 sometimes you eat the bar, and well, sometimes the bar, it eats you
  • 4 1
 @BenPea: tapering off. No point cutting down the already-narrow
  • 3 1
 going to be hard to set the bar too low, since you can't adjust a single thing about it.
  • 7 2
 @ceecee: is this how you rise to the occasion?
  • 2 1
 @BenPea: don't be a bore
  • 2 1
 I don’t see any spacers for rising up any further for you. Job well done and keep rising that bar.
  • 5 1
 I might be late to the party but hopefully I can steer this in the right direction.
  • 2 1
 @stumphumper92: coming from someone with the name stumphumper. Talk about setting the bar low Smile
  • 1 0
 These comments are taking a turn for the worst.
  • 2 0
 @brass-munky: I hump stumps. not a pun. it's my life
  • 75 0
 Coming up next....steerer tube with no stem nor handlebars, just direct mounted grips
  • 15 0
 Next next.... Direct mount mtb gloves. Next next next... axs electronic steering. Use your Xbox or ps5 controller.
  • 6 0
 Grips mounted directly to fork crown. No need for head tube junction at all.
  • 5 0
 I'm waiting for the grips to be mounted directly to front wheel axle.
  • 6 0
 Grips mounted directly to the front axle, basically you are riding a unicycle while holding a wheel
  • 2 0
 @pink505: Don't give them any ideas...
  • 3 0
 puzzle of the day:

How do you get a a handlebar built into a steer tube through the head tube on a bike?
Rules: Folding or jointed bars dont count.
  • 2 1
 @Planetx888: Any more direct and the bars will just mount to the starnut via the top cap...we all know that won't work without modification of the steerer tube (bars would move around too much). I guess you could spline the steerer tube and attach the bars via the top cap. You'd have to have a fairly chunky middle section of the handlebar where it connected to the steerer tube though otherwise the bars would be quite weak at the "stem" section. The spline tabs would have to be pretty chunky too and internal to the steerer tube so that is didn't interfere with the head tube. I'm thinking a press fit internal sleeve could work with 2-3 spline tabs for the bars to engage with leaving just enough space for the top cap bolt to pass through to the starnut. Slits in the top of the steerer tub and precision tabs on the bars could also work. I know your thought was a joke, but this is actually possible.
  • 1 3
 @fuzzhead45: Lol. And the point of that would be? May as well ride a unicycle, second wheel wouldn't help with balance since it isn't connected to the other rigidly. For what its worth I have seen one strange instance of what was essentially two unicycles attached by a bar with one end having the saddle, seatpost, seat tube, seat stays, pedals, and wheel and the other being a combined unit of handlebars, steerer tube, fork, and wheel (so the front and back could turn independently). The handlebars we quite tall I recall so that the rider could maintain an upright riding position. A more sophisticated version of this concept would be the swing bike which you can see in this video www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQyXDd-kPMw
  • 1 1
 @SuperHighBeam: Steve Jobs u ain’t
  • 3 0
 @fuzzhead45: do we really need wheels? I mean we could just put our hands directly on the ground
  • 5 0
 @LS3VER33: Just go for a jog with some grips in your hands
  • 1 0
 @fuzzhead45: how do you put a motor on that? The bike industry will fall into ruin. Let focus on the direct mount grip topic...I mean the direct mount handlebar...
  • 1 0
 @blackthorne: Fork's got to be attached to something. Steve Jobs was all about the user experience and keeping things simple and intuitive. You idea although simple is neither intuitive nor does it enhance the user experience. So who's closer to being Steve Jobs?
  • 1 0
 @LS3VER33: So, just run around like a monkey...you have fun with that.
  • 1 0
 @fuzzhead45: I like this just because the concept is hilarious. Even better if you just run around with a handlebar with grips on it while pretending to ride a bike.
  • 1 0
 @fuzzhead45: Don't you mean go for a ride with grips in your hands. Otherwise that would just look silly.
  • 1 0
 @SuperHighBeam: the whole thing is a joke!
  • 47 1
 "We're doing what Syncros did, but we're claiming that ours has no stem and theirs has an integrated stem, so we can say we're different."
  • 3 0
 I hope they weren’t given a patent for this… it’s hardly an ‘idea’ at all.
  • 4 0
 @blackthorne: they certainly will/did. it's easily different enough from existing designs. as much as I hate the patent system(I truly believe they shouldn't exist at all. full stop), this easily resides in the space of patentable.
  • 11 0
 Next there will be a 800mm wide stem without handlebar.
  • 1 0
 @conoat: Can just go design registration?
Patents do not even do what they were designed to do, protect original ideas of individuals!
  • 2 0
 Right? There is quite literally no difference. A handlebar and stem is a system that clamps to the steerer tube and offers handles to manipulate said steerer tube, from some point in space. But the intermediate physical shapes that define that relationship is totally immaterial. Call it what you want -- "mini-stem", "no stem", "full-handlebar-length-stem" -- there's no difference.
  • 24 0
 cool, but it presents the same issues that any bar/stem combo presents. No adjustability. With a regular bar/stem setup, you can rotate the bars to find the right angles for your body, and your preference, but with these, you get what you get and that's it. you can adjust the stack height by moving spacers around, but that's about all the variance it offers.
  • 24 10
 Still. It is an elegant solution and it makes much more sense than internal cable routing.
  • 7 0
 Yeah, and for starters, at what head angle is this designed for. Would be keen to know what's the difference in sweep for a 63 vs 67 deg HTA.
  • 13 0
 @gadabout-garth: yeah DH rated for a bar that won't fit a DH bike.
  • 2 0
 One less thing for me to mess up!
  • 18 0
 Incorrect. You can mount it upside down for cafe racer as well as front to back for reverse sweep. Or both, for cafe reverse sweep. Massive adjustability.
  • 1 0
 Maybe it would be possible with some sort of toothed cam system, shims... I dunno, someone will figure out a way to have some adjustability in an integrated system.
  • 1 0
 The rating is becoming a requirement for some enduro races @gadabout-garth:
  • 1 0
 @goroncy: nog sure. Internal cable routing only bothers me once a year when replacing a cable and can be done the right way (with guiding tubes). This has no right way and will bother you indefinitely if the angle isn't right for you.
  • 2 1
 if you know what you ride works and this is lined up accordingly, this is a great option to keep strength while losing nearly 1/2 pound up front. And it looks so clean!!!
  • 14 1
 I'm waiting for the day we get negative stem length because something, something, something reverse geometry.
  • 1 0
 It has been done (kinda…if you check publication date) : m.pinkbike.com/news/ns-bikes-introduces-radical-new-geometry-for-mountain-bikes-2015.html
  • 1 0
 @Armand74: this bar none the best April fools. So simple, no photoshop, just clever :-)
  • 13 0
 I'll take the weight penaly of 50g that comes with the ability to roll my bars to my liking
  • 1 0
 Hell yes.
  • 4 1
 I probably set my bars once when I buy the bike then forget about it unless it goes in a plane and the bars have to come off, so frankly I like it. But please can I have it in aluminium, with a round section in the middle for Garmin and lights (winter is coming...)?
  • 1 0
 Agreed. Heck I'd even take a steel bar from the likes of doombars. Custom heights, widths, all the round section with this cool steerer clamp design.
  • 4 0
 I like the idea of this integration but you need a lot of different types to satisfy everyone. I'll take a 50mm reach, 760 width with at least 50mm rise and a 12 degree backsweep please.
  • 1 1
 Obviously you can’t adjust it… but your 50mm rise is spot on! Even the pic of the bars shows a stack of spaces - if it’s about weight saving then adding the extra rise to the bars would save spaces and allow a bit more steerer to be cut, that would save some extra grams. Also look better than all those spacers.
  • 2 0
 Very cool but for a narrower scope of rider I think. I can't think of ever leaving my SQ Lab 30x 16 degree bar. There's too many variations for too many riders for companies like this to cater to everyone. Still, very cool, and hopefully there's enough market to sustain it.
  • 10 0
 When size medium frames hit 520mm reach. Then we will have negative stems.
  • 1 1
 @PTyliszczak: Yep, I've been saying this for years as well.
  • 2 1
 Other than top end WC XC weight watchers, I feel the integrated stem/bar combo (regardless of brand) is just trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist or a product no one is really asking for. Why would one give up the ability to fine tune the bar role or to risk having to replace everything in the event of a hard crash or break?
  • 6 0
 Don't forget the top end WC XC weight watcher wannabes. That is a much bigger market. They may not be able to do the training or the diet or the racing, but they can buy the parts.
  • 2 1
 10mm shorter stem can screw up you body position/geo never mind 30-50mm! You can ride more forward on the bike but this could make some bikes fairly unrideable. Now you have to buy frame/bar combo with all your fave geo? Sheesh
  • 2 0
 Hand position would be the same as a 35mm or 50mm stem and regular shape bar so the question is...why? Is it a stiffness/flex thing?
  • 8 0
 @Patrick9-32: I should have read better…
  • 1 0
 Kind of awesome looking. Would never spend the $$$. Next logical step on the integration train.

But you lose that place to grab your stem with one hand and steer your bike around while you’re walking it!
  • 2 3
 Maybe it will motivate the owner not to walk.
  • 5 0
 This is for the 37.6% of people who prefer to grab their *saddle* with one hand and steer their bike (with extra flair) while they're walking it.
  • 3 0
 @mi-bike: show-offs!
  • 4 0
 @mi-bike: I do that! I'm such a snob.
  • 1 0
 Personally I think the Syncros bars look much better than this, and the weight is a bit heavier than a 77 design stem and a lightweight Tune Handlebar. I do like the concept though.
  • 3 0
 Handlebars with the word stab in the name. Anyone ever play Road Rash on Sega Genesis?
  • 2 0
 Played it on Panasonic 3DO, there is some history for you lol!
  • 1 0
 Not a terrible option if you're stuck with, or realize your frame front center is too long. Not sure what effect a stem shorter than your fork offset would have on bike handling though.
  • 1 1
 There are some amazing looking stems out there. I don't see the point of eliminating the stem... other than weight I guess. I'm no weenie though. Why not a dropper with no clamp and a built in saddle? Because you can't fine tune things to feel right. Same with bar/stem in my opinion.
  • 2 1
 Fortunately it is about 15 gr lighter than the next light downhill-handlebar, so i dont have to Press that hard anymore when being in the toilet to be lighter now, before i Go on my Downhill runs.
  • 1 0
 Makes sense for XC where grams matter, but for DH or enduro it's a lot to ask to give up on adjusting stem length / bar roll.
  • 4 0
 Its April 1 already?
  • 2 0
 In China it is
  • 2 0
 These integrated bar/stem combos are for the person that sets their brake clamp right the edge of the grips.
  • 2 0
 You mean like in the photo?
  • 2 0
 More parts mean more adjustability. I don't even want less individual components because that equates to less adjustability.
  • 1 0
 DH rated? my sled has a direct mount stem. curious what they mean. the material is as thick as a dh bar, but wont fit on your "foxxer" ?
  • 1 0
 People worried with aestetics and not performance
Adjustability over weight anytime, anywhere and can it be beautiful? That should be your aim...not the way around.
  • 2 0
 Oohhh nasty reminds me of the old mondraker days when thay did the nasty short stem thing.
  • 2 0
 So you save a little more than an ounce over other lightweight options AND you get to spend 300 doing it. F@ck off
  • 3 0
 Zauberstab
  • 2 0
 It looks like the bike version of a human without a neck.
  • 1 0
 They should rename this bar the Fesserlipinchip chalkwitheringlicktacklefeff Produced in conjunction with the late mad tv.
  • 1 1
 So no benefits but many disadvantages, such as no adjustability and no option to change stem or bars independently based on changing preferences, use, experience etc.
  • 2 0
 Or is it a stem with no handlebar?
  • 2 0
 Well, nothing is going to stem from this.
  • 1 0
 I was wondering if there's any benefit in having a one piece stem/top steering bearing dust cap....?
  • 2 0
 Show me a higher rise and a larger sweep and I might be interested
  • 2 0
 neat, i like it....
  • 1 0
 The grips not going to be behind the steering axis with that?
  • 1 0
 Come back to me when you do a 40mm riser
  • 2 0
 Do these even sell?
  • 1 0
 First thought “take away the Faser” in Gold Members voice.
  • 1 0
 Overpriced crap no one really needs.
  • 1 1
 Can't stand this fixed stem/bar combo fad. It's not quite as bad as the Mullet fad but it has potential to be just as bad!!
  • 1 0
 Bad fad ! Daf dab
  • 1 0
 Took long enough, something needed to compete with Syncros bar.
  • 1 0
 I bet @dangerholm has one already on order for a bike build ha!
  • 1 0
 I'm too fat to be a weight weenie.
  • 1 0
 Could easily become a Ballserstab if it snapped.
  • 1 0
 More cheap adjustability! :-D
  • 1 0
 I'd like to put Bar-Ends on mine!
  • 1 0
 It just looks odd. Kinda like there's something missing.
  • 1 0
 Ooooof
  • 1 0
 Patent pending
  • 1 0
 my back hurts already
  • 1 0
 Creepy
  • 1 0
 Where's the weak spot?
  • 1 0
 Its a no from me.
  • 1 0
 Stems are dumb anyways.







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