Truvativ Announces New Descendant 35mm Handlebars, Stem

Nov 15, 2017 at 13:22
by Pinkbike Staff  
Truvativ

Truvativ have long been proponents of the 31.8mm clamping diameter for their handlebars, but the times are changing, and after releasing a 35mm carbon DH bar earlier this year they've now announced even more 35mm diameter handlebars and a stem to go with them. But don't worry, those 31.8mm options aren't going anywhere -- the new sizes are additions, not replacements, at least for the time being. Keep on scrolling for images, prices, and specs of the new products, which will be available in January 2018.


Truvativ

Truvativ

Truvativ

Truvativ

Truvativ

Truvativ


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Member since Jul 22, 2013
3,460 articles

119 Comments
  • 85 9
 great more unrideably harsh bar/stem combos
  • 84 4
 My handlebars are like wet noodles and not stiff enough. Said no one is the last 10 years.
  • 14 3
 My Process 111 came with this 35mm BS. My hands were numb going UPHILL. Swapped out for 5 year old Raceface bars that I can visibly flex just riding along.
  • 26 31
flag ballr (Nov 16, 2017 at 7:49) (Below Threshold)
 I do testing sometimes for SRAM and actually used these bars on my DH bike all last season. My prior experience with 35mm stuff has been similar to yours. However, I found this bar to be quite comfortable in comparison, with nice flex characteristics too. I'd highly recommend it, and I'm a picky bitch. Additionally, this bar is night and day better than the old BooBar, which I found to be unrideably stiff and non-compliant.
  • 18 16
 @ballr: Says the company shill, whose experience is different than just about everyone else's. FYI to all, Truvative is part of SRAM group.
  • 7 17
flag SlodownU (Nov 16, 2017 at 8:57) (Below Threshold)
 @McNubbin: No, SRAM and new standards, can't be.
  • 31 3
 @SlodownU, to be fair, this isn't exactly a 'new' standard. For better or worse, Easton released their 35mm handlebars back in 2012.

www.pinkbike.com/news/Eastons-35-millimeter-Handlebar-Standard-for-DH-800mm-Havoc-2012.html
  • 1 0
 Stock Atlas bar stem combo, 800mm and I'm 95kg. It rides great, and seeing how much I can flex it, I have no reason to believe it's too stiff. Is it better than 31,8? I don't know, if so, not by much. Weight reduction is a supposed positive, I haven't checked that.

I'm just bummed I can't swap freely with other bars/stems.
  • 4 1
 @mikekazimer: blame it on Deda, since they came out with the standard. I think they did 31.8 as well.
I had 35 renthal alu bars and they were way too stiff, I switched to sixc 35 carbon and the difference is way greater than 31.8 alu vs carbon.
They are actually very comfortable and feel solid. Will not go back to 31.8.
  • 6 17
flag SlodownU (Nov 16, 2017 at 10:12) (Below Threshold)
 @mikekazimer: Just pointing out the irony of Sram jumping on another new standard bandwagon, must kill them that they didn't come up with it.
  • 3 1
 @ballr: in the words of Chris Rock "Boo all you want, you know I'm right."
  • 24 2
 @mikekazimer: cmon Mike, we the commenter's are here to bitch and complain about anything.

We are not here to be fair.

And F e-bikes as well.
  • 4 1
 @jpcars10s: Kona's OEM components are garbage. There is no nice way to say that....
  • 16 4
 I know from a crabon bar maker that 35mm was invented for carbon bars. It makes them less likely to crack with pinching force from bolts. It also makes them more compliant, almost as compliant as alu bars. 35 does not do anything for alu bars. On the contrary it makes them unnecessarily stiff
  • 2 0
 @ballr: I have the BooBar on my bike and I love the feel of it. It really suits my agressive riding style and it feels super strong and predictable.
  • 3 0
 My 35mm RaceFace Next bar is super comfy
  • 4 0
 I get off on the harsh feel of stiff handlebars. I find it offensive that people won't respect my needs.
  • 9 1
 @McNubbin: GFY. Just trying to contribute some real world observation into the conversation, you dolt. I DON'T work for SRAM, but HAVE actually tried the bar, IN REAL WORLD conditions. Not to mention, your reading comprehension is shit as I clearly state that my prior experience with 35mm stuff has been consistent with others' observations.

(edited for typos)
  • 3 0
 @ballr: he said you were a shill - do you actually pay for the product you are talking about, or is it given to you to try?
  • 1 0
 @jpcars10s: Yeah I got the same bike. Honestly I don't notice the stiffness of the bar I think much more of that can be controlled by fork settings (unless your rigid). My biggest complaint with these "new and improved metrics" is that I don't have a way to mount my 'old' (2014 ain't old imo) lezyne riding lights to the 35mm bar. 31.8 worked fine for me for years and now I don't have a way to mount my light unless I get real creative with hose clamp/bolt combos or shell out another $60 minimum to pick up a new bar/stem combo to go night riding again. Kind of a lose lose for me.
  • 1 3
 Every one's gonna hate this but here goes. Years back in BMX a rider tried to introduce a bigger grip area of a handle bar, from 7/8 to one inch. The guy was like 6ft plus a bunch with big meat paws. An getting tired ahcey hands looked into why the grip area of a bar is the size it is....
Because it's a popular steel tube size that came off the shelf from tube suppliers......

Needles to say it didn't take off, Dia tech (cane creek) did change their brake levers to accommodate the new size but no other companies took it on board.

This is what most PB'ers are gonna hate... The guy had the right idea! I wanna see a new bar size that has a bigger Dia at the grip area!! Yeah it's gonna be a pain with new standard brakes an shifters an such BUT, in the long run we'll have stronger lighter bars, cheaper to produce, lighter grips an more choice for those of us with bigger hands, and most importantly LESS hand fatigue an maybe late life pro lems like arthritis an RSI's in the hands..

It's a big change but one that's worth it..
Like when disk brakes, suss, an threadless H'sets changed things for the better for the industry, the bikes and the riders.

And I HATE new 'Standards'
  • 1 0
 @ballr: Sounds just as good as 31.8...
  • 2 0
 @RedRedRe: since you mention Renthal, I’ll be a devils advocate for 35mm for a moment and say that the original MTB Fatbar in 31.8 is the most awfully stiff bar that I have ever had. I was lucky to buy it barely used and sell it right away. Fatbar Lite on the other hand is my favorite bar of all times
  • 4 1
 @nojzilla: Why don't you just use a thicker grip?
  • 1 0
 @2bigwheels:

No doubt. The wheels that came on it were trashed after 10 rides too. Amazing spec in terms of suspension, seatpost, drivetrain, etc though.
  • 1 6
flag McNubbin (Nov 17, 2017 at 7:33) (Below Threshold)
 @onemind123: No, he's a shill, and got all butt-hurt that he was called out on it.
  • 2 7
flag McNubbin (Nov 17, 2017 at 7:35) (Below Threshold)
 @ballr: You don't work for SRAM but you test product for them, which is it dumbass? You do it for charity? Or are you just full of shit?
  • 1 0
 @mikekazimer: and I still can't get a light mount for 'em. Go figure...
  • 1 0
 35mm stems are great with Plus Tires. You know, to dampen vibration and look fat.
  • 1 0
 @mikekazimer: exactly because of that it makes no sense.
  • 1 0
 @WAKIdesigns: There's this thing called the parallel axis theorem. You should look it up.
  • 61 1
 Cool. The standard no one wanted or asked for, that delivers no improvements. Neat
  • 2 0
 Is there only one of those? I had been starting to stink that was the entire industry was based on!
  • 6 1
 How to make money in the mountain bike industry:

1. Take a random component
2. Make it bigger
3. ???
4. Profit!

Who cares about improvements?
  • 59 0
 Still waiting for the industry to keep up. Everyone’s asking for 40mm bars but they just keep producing more of this weak, flexy 35 crap.
  • 32 2
 Wait, wait. Somehow, I'm thinking that might have been sarcastic. 40mm will work for maybe 1-2 years, but it's just a half-step until the next half-step Boost 48mm standard.
  • 2 0
 @pinhead907: I use large tree branch. Soak it for rough days. Dry for smooth trails.
  • 28 2
 I notice with my highly calibrated hands that the 35mm is 3.2% stiffer than a 31.8, but the diameter for the fork stanchions makes a big difference too. Like on my 35mm Pike I noticed 2.8% more vibration, but on my 36mm Fox I noticed 3.7% more flex. Also, the stem makes a big difference. I used a Race Face 32mm stem and there was .754 less compliance then when I used my 35mm Chromag stem.

And of course, I used it on a bike with an internal lower headset cup and then on a bike with an external lower headset up and it was roughly 5.5% more torsionally rigid.

In short, more research is needed.
  • 6 1
 Yeah I totally notice all that when I'm out ridding too. However one place where stiffness actually does make a difference is in longer travel lightweight forks such as in 140mm travel fox 32's where the chasis has simply been pushed to the point that the flex in them starts to become unbearable.
  • 27 14
 I've been riding race face sixc 35mm bars for four years, they aren't too stiff and never noticed more arm pump. In fact, I feel like they sort of damp the vibrations better than harsher riding alu 31.8 bars that have been made too stiff. They're way lighter for the same strength as a regular alu bar too.
  • 32 5
 There are too many variables in that anecdote to make it useful to anyone.
  • 27 3
 @tgr9 I got a 35mm bar stock on a YT 2+ years ago and never looked back. It doesn't make any difference to me. I ride several bikes with both sizes. People downvoted you for no reason other than that they are insecure with their own choices and need to validate them by rat-packing you....and me shortly, no doubt. Any diameter in the MTB world is a battleground for fools. 35mm do look cooler, though - more in proportion with modern frames and forks, so there. Come slay me now IDGAF.
  • 1 0
 Same here, it was an impressive difference from the Answer bars i was running. no more hand or arm pump.
  • 9 1
 @tgr9 What you're describing is more of a characteristic of carbon over aluminum, not 35mm vs 31.8mm. The only benefit of 35mm is you can make a lighter bar. It only makes sense on an aluminum bar where as on a carbon bar the weight savings are negligible. However, when you add in the increased weight of 35mm stems over 31.8mm, the weight savigns of aluminum 35mm cockpit is essentially non-existent.

Biggest reason to run 35mm is for aesthetics.
  • 4 0
 @clapforcanadaa: Which is honestly the reason that I run 35mm bars. I just like the look of 35mm bars with wide bars. I've usd Sworks and Enve Carbon bars with 31.8mm clamping diameter and RF carbon bars (NEXT SL and NEXT R) with 35mm diameter. I happen to the like the look for 35mm more on my bike and notice no perceptible difference between all the bars mentioned.
  • 4 1
 @neologisticzand: I actually prefer the more streamlined look of my 31.8 setup over my 35mm setup. The 35mm just looks bulky and excessive to me, especially on a trail bike.
  • 1 0
 @ninjatarian: It may help that I use 10mm riser bars only, which seem to taper faster than taller riser bars.
  • 5 2
 I don't have feelings cause feelings are gay! So I don't feel any difference and now all my bars are 35mm. But anyway 35 is FTW cause i'm sick and tired of this imperial sizes in bike industry, WTF 31,8 mm bars, 28,575 mm fork steerers, 31,6 mm post... If Yankies and Brits want to use their ancient measuring standards ok let it be, but bike industry could be much better without those ''I use my body parts to measure things'' people Wink
  • 2 1
 @b-wicked: Fking well said!! Haa!!
  • 12 3
 Sombebody ever said anything positive about 35mm bars over 31.8? As far as I remember, many prefer 31.8 because 35 is too stiff and leads to arm-pump. I am still on 31.8 but it becomes harder and harder to find new 31.8 bars and stems.
  • 19 1
 I killed a tree on a 35mm, maybe a 31.8 would have failed. Is that positive?
  • 12 0
 *citation needed*
  • 5 1
 @qreative-bicycle: No! Poor tree Frown
  • 10 1
 Sponsored athletes and naive joeys. "the added stiffness allows me to ride with much more control and my cornering speed greatly improved"
  • 15 4
 But..don’t 35mm bars suck?
  • 23 1
 They do but somebody out there clearly thinks bars beefier than a fork steerer needed to happen.
  • 3 0
 @Fix-the-Spade: Well the whole industry at least agrees onto something, stiffer is ALWAYS better. Now as for the customers...
  • 10 0
 @Ploutre: the bike industry agrees on "more/new standards means more money"
  • 10 0
 @Ploutre: Well that explains why they're always trying to stiff customers.
  • 3 0
 @Fix-the-Spade: you may be on to something with the bars being beefier then the steer tube.

How about a bar that is big enough that the steer tube passes right trough the bar. Completely replacing the stem (weight loss benefits).
  • 2 0
 @Fix-the-Spade: You might just have uncovered the reason for 35mm bars - an excuse to bring out beefier fork steerers further down the line along with new frames to accommodate them.
  • 2 0
 @km79: They already tried that, in fact Giant tried it twice!
  • 1 0
 @Fix-the-Spade: This mismatch makes 35mm bars look out of place, we obviously need 35mm steerers..

I have 35mm Raceface Atlas on my Swoop - I don't like the look campared to regular 31.8mm, they seem stiffer than my 31.8mm Easton Havoc Carbon bars not sure I like them at all may have to down grade back to 31.8mm
  • 6 0
 35 is bogus...had Renthal & Easton 35 Carbon, RF Alu 35...all too stiff. Went to Spank Vibro on DH & Enduro, noticed immediatly they were way better on the body. I'm done with Carbon bars for sure & 35mm. People always say "oh carbon dampens" ... ya well 35mm is still stiff as shit and beats you down. I would say that the Spank setup I just installed has better dampening than Carbon AND doesn't throttle my upper body. I am only 165lbs maybe that is why these 35mm feel so bad.
  • 6 1
 A proper carbon 35mm bar I have found to be pretty damn good. my first encounter with 35 was fucking awful but I wasn't expecting much from a stock oem setup. not all companies are equal in how they do things but that doesn't mean all companies should stop the 35mm bar setup as there are a few doing a killer job. also loving the. look of the Kyle Straight Bar.
  • 4 0
 I can say from personal experience that I've never noticed 35mm bars being too stuff. I've had good luck with RF 35mm bars. That said, that is just my personal experience, ie. anecdotal evidence.
  • 2 0
 My easton 35 are great
  • 4 0
 What most of you are forgetting is that this sicky wicky 35mm wank standard splits production volumes. Meaning more engineering cost, more tool cost, more documentation cost aso per bar. Plus it limits stem length. You want inexpensive products? Then cut the crap and boycott bullshit standards. But you don‘t. Thanks b*tches...
  • 6 3
 I don't find my 35mm bars to be too stiff at all. Infact I really like the rigidity of them and when I go on my spare bike with some RF Atlas 31.8 bars I actually can feel the bars flex. I mean with nice suspension and good grips would the extra stiffness of a 35mm bar really be that uncomfortable? I don't notice any difference in arm pump when riding with 31.8 or 35mm and I've ridden a few trails back to back on each.
  • 2 0
 ditto. 35mm RF atlas combo was stiff af first ride, but with larger grips, little more pike stroke progression and correct tyre pressure there's no impact...if anything I'm feeling how badly setup those things were a little more...it's a more sensitive setup. I'm sure everyone out here negging has their setup dialled perfectly though........... o_O
  • 1 0
 Got no money for nice suspension sorry.
  • 4 0
 Before I read this advertorial I thought 31.8 was still called oversize, SRAM had ditched the Truvativ brand, TLD stopped making things in gawdy colours and Kyle Straight had gone fishing. It was a revelation.
  • 8 1
 Why the hell do these bars even exist?
  • 5 2
 Can I just say publicly that I fully expect a mid-width bar standard coming very soon.
Just like when we were told that 29ers were great only to quickly back track (when it became clear that the early ones sucked) and introduce the mid-size wheel 27.

So something like 33mm bars will probably air soon....
  • 2 0
 Switched from 31.8 to 35 mm Easton aluminum bars and they were terrible. Hands fell asleep on every ride. I switched to a set of carbon Easton 35's and they are great. Super comfortable and just stiff enough. Are they better than the 31.8s? IDK, but they feel great to me and they look bad-ass!
  • 3 0
 Similar price, weight, etc. as every other brand out there. Think I'll stick to RF with their warranty and customer service on point.
  • 1 0
 I am already looking at the Descendant 31.8mm combo as the replacement for my very tired 25.4mm Funn Full On 750mm bar, and from what I have learned they are very well priced. But if the 35mm bar+stem combo is priced the same, why the hell not?
  • 4 0
 Pick a handle bar diameter a be a dick about it
  • 2 0
 What is the benefit of 35mm stem and bars? I have both sizes, have not rode the 35mm yet still building the bike.
Serious question
  • 8 0
 None that I’ve heard of, ridiculous when they’re designing them to have the same flex as a 31.8mm combo as well.. makes no sense?
  • 6 10
flag zede (Nov 16, 2017 at 7:30) (Below Threshold)
 It's heavier and less confortable. And it makes marketing happy because they just need to sell it as "stronger and stiffer"
  • 11 6
 They're lighter, stiffer and stronger. The larger diameter makes it so the manufacturer can use less material in the wall in the handlebar while still achieving the same or even greater strength or stiffness.
  • 14 2
 @DylanDaSilva: Tensile strength might stay the same, but impact strength decreases. The thinner walled tubing isn’t as resilient to scrapes and hits from objects.
  • 1 1
 @DylanDaSilva: I wonder, if the density of the bar is thinner, does that mean it carries vibrations more to your hands? Denser and tighter tubing would make more sense design wise?
  • 7 2
 As far as I can tell, the only valid claim is that you have a larger clamping surface which will prevent the bars from rotating in the stem. The stiffness of the bars can be controlled with shape and material. I would expect that a 31.8mm clamping surface bar could be similar to a 35mm bar in terms of stiffness.

So... if you have a problem with your bars rotating, I would suggest using the WCS Bullmoose bars. I have their predecessor on my 1980 Ritchey, and they NEVER slip. And being steel, they are a whole lot more rigid than any new bars you will buy today.

If you don't have a problem with bars rotating, I would suggest that they are more related to the other end of the moose. Pure marketing hype.

Let me point out that many motocross motorcycles still use 7/8th inch bars, and the "fat" bar for them seems to be a 1_1/8th inch bar. I know that the forces played into the bars on the MX motorcycles I used to ride were pretty high: much more than anything a MTB can generate.
  • 6 0
 @DylanDaSilva: Thinner walls = reduced impact resistance. I can't see how this is much of a benefit for something that might see some abuse.
  • 9 0
 @Dangerous-Dan: ???
If you have a problem with rotating bars you just need to tighten some bolts.
  • 1 0
 @ismasan:
At some torque bolts break. Even very high strength bolts. Or the clamp will crush the bars. Or the clamp itself will fracture. Or... yeah, tighten the clamp bolt. Occam's razor rules.
  • 1 0
 @Dangerous-Dan: yeah, that sweet spot where bars don't move, is right between rotating bars and destruction.
  • 1 0
 so rare to have bars rotate these days, provided you've clamped the stem correctly. the chance is pretty much zero if torque is correct. Plenty of surface area for enough force and if you've broken a grade 12.9 bolt in this application you're doing it so incredibly wrong you should never work on your bike again! haha. As someone else mentioned, cutting down the wall thickness will decrease impact deformation resistance as well. So yea, kind of a weird move. But hey, "progress"
  • 2 0
 Almost every un-popular new standard that has come out has at least offered a slight improvement in performance... except this one !!! 35mm bars... what a joke.
  • 2 0
 Really, didn’t you see how hard they had to work to prove the performance improvement with 29ers? They had to build an in between size so people would stop building better 26ers and only then once they 26ers were obsolete did a 29er win a race.
  • 1 0
 we i see 35mm bars on a bike i see someone who purchased a fully built bike with them stock and either has no idea or is too in poor to change them
  • 3 1
 I remember the Diablous 31.8mm set-up and all the hate that drew... I'll give it a shot, why not
  • 5 2
 Uhhhhhhhhhh what're those ugly TLD's doing in there???
  • 1 0
 If they are building them stronger, I can see the point. If they build them with the same flex as a 31.8 I don't. Unless bigger bars make you look cool at the trail head?
  • 3 0
 Well, a thing worth ANNOUNCEMENT indeed.
  • 1 0
 Did anyone else find that the old Clementz bar was routinely advertised as 760mm, but was actually 750mm? I assume this is correctly advertised now.
  • 1 0
 6 minute abs? That would be stupid, nobody can get better abs in 6 minutes, it's 7 minute abs you dummy!
  • 5 4
 Please don't let 35 become the new standard. I'm getting old and my arms need all the comfort they can get.
  • 3 0
 Too late
  • 4 1
 What discomfort? Seriously.
  • 1 0
 i wonder if they will switch my old system for this new system for free? I've already paid for them why pay again?
  • 2 1
 Wtf are you on about?
  • 1 0
 NO. I feel like Shimano purposely upgraded the XT caliper to f*ck with me like a month after I bought one new. They already had the Zee, and the Saint 4 piston calipers, then they're like, "let's get some shit f*cked with!". They won, and I'm a Shimano drone because their stuff is awesome.
  • 1 0
 I have a set of 35mm RaceFace Next bars and they feel great. Plenty of flex. Science!
  • 2 0
 35mm bars? what problem do these solve then?
  • 1 0
 zero. Unless you're a line backer.
  • 1 0
 Couldn't we all benefit from a stiff bar, with increased girth and a good rise?
  • 1 0
 Shame to see the Steve Smith bar dropped. Could have kept it and kept money flowing into the legacy program.
  • 1 0
 I guess I'm being a bit of a curmudgeon, sorry, those probably weigh like 20lbs. If I bought a child a bike it would be from the stone ages, the kid would be so disappointed, and I'd be like the angry, daft father.
  • 4 3
 You can stuff more ganja in a 35mm bar!
  • 1 0
 FFS !! Why didn’t you create a new standard and go 29!!
  • 1 0
 lol
  • 1 2
 I can't use cRbon 31.8mm handlebars because Every little rock on the road causes a vibration that hurts my hands.
  • 1 1
 And I thought bigger is better was only an American thing...
  • 1 2
 Great to see more 35 options tup
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