Carbon Bars

[Giff]

Has anyone got an opinion or recommendation for carbon bars? Do they stop arm pump on longish downhills. Are they better to absorb shock. Are they safe ? Thanks

 

[VWsurfbum]

I found that some carbon bars are too stiff, some are too flexy, my happy place is the Santacruz ebike-specific ones, I'm told the One-Up ones are very similar. Renthal ones I had were so stiff it hurt my hands.

 

[MOTO13]

I run Renthal carbon bars. I have never had any issue with arm pump on a mtb however. They definitely give great feedback and a more compliant feel than aluminum.

 

[VWsurfbum]

Just shows how personal that feel is.

 

[irie]

I have SQlab 30X carbon bars solely to try to reduce vibration transmitted to my hands.

 

[theremotejuggernaut]

I have a set of Oneup carbon bars on my hardtail.

Used to get really sore hands/ arms and the carbon bars made a huge difference. My hands used to hurt for a few days after a long ride but that went away with the carbon bars.

They don't feel flexy bouncing around but seem to make a difference when riding. I used to be conscious of the bars and always felt like they were too stiff and like I was being punched in the hands but after fitting the carbon ones, I stopped noticing they were there so there is a difference somewhere.

I'm not sure whether to buy another set or just swap them over to my emtb. Either way, I have no concerns over safety or suitability.

They were stupid light too. I actually had to shake the box when it turned up because it just felt like an empty box!

I'd like to give Vibrocore bars a try at some point. Supposedly super comfy and good for tuning out high frequency feedback much like carbon but cheaper and a little bit heavier than carbon.

 

[Mikerb]

Both carbon and ally bars can be very stiff or have more flex. It is as much about design as it is about the material used. With ally 7075 is stiffer stronger and potentially lighter than 6xxxx series which is heavier but less stiff if the same tube thickness and design is used. 35mm bars are likely to be stiffer and stronger.
With carbon bars the same criteria applies. Very few, if any, brands say what modulus of carbon is used or what the composite lay up is. Merely branding them as carbon is pretty meaningless.
I would suggest bar design has a greater impact than material used.

 

[Stihldog]

I have a set of Oneup carbon bars on my hardtail.

Same here. I have them on the F/S also. They help remove the micro-vibration on gravel roads and some rocky trails. Other carbon bars, without the parabolic shape, seem too stiff. I like the small amount of flex that the OnUp bars provide but there can be some difficulty in mounting some bar clamp devices at the flex point. (4”? Maybe). But I like a clean cockpit too.

 

[theremotejuggernaut]

Same here. I have them on the F/S also. They help remove the micro-vibration on gravel roads and some rocky trails. Other carbon bars, without the parabolic shape, seem too stiff. I like the small amount of flex that the OnUp bars provide but there can be some difficulty in mounting some bar clamp devices at the flex point. (4”? Maybe). But I like a clean cockpit too.

Yeah, that's a good point. If you've got a stem with a wide clamping area, you might struggle to mount a controller or phone mount. I've got a RF Turbine (I think) stem which leaves plenty of room for gadgets.

 

[Stihldog]

.
Arm pump isn’t from shaky bars so much as it’s having a death grip and there for sure are times where you need a death grip but for me it’s generally when im in hard tech, braking hard in bad bumps and landing a sketch jump.

Yeah that death grip gets me every time. Mostly hand cramps. I suppose I could adjust the forks but then I would lose the action of the forks. Winged-grips for me gives a little bit of relief.

I need a tunable-bar with an air-bag.

 

[Mikerb]

talking of death grip .......the right set of gloves and bar grips can make a big difference to being able to control the barss without gripping hard. Pins and needles is usually caused by restriction of the blood supply and a death grip will certainly lead to that. Cockpit design that has you putting too much weight on your hands can also cause those sort of problems.
Then there is how you absorb shocks through the bars. Being stiff at the elbow and wrist effectively makes your hands and forearms, solid extensions of the bars, and subject to all the same shocks.
A cockpit position that has your wrist angulated towards the stem or in anyway not straight from your forearm, weakens the forearm to hand connection and can lead to aggravation of the nerves in the wrist.
All in all there is a lot you can do before throwing money at new bars..............after which ( especially if they are expensive) you will convince yourself you found the holy grail!!

 

[theremotejuggernaut]

talking of death grip .......the right set of gloves and bar grips can make a big difference to being able to control the barss without gripping hard. Pins and needles is usually caused by restriction of the blood supply and a death grip will certainly lead to that. Cockpit design that has you putting too much weight on your hands can also cause those sort of problems.
Then there is how you absorb shocks through the bars. Being stiff at the elbow and wrist effectively makes your hands and forearms, solid extensions of the bars, and subject to all the same shocks.
A cockpit position that has your wrist angulated towards the stem or in anyway not straight from your forearm, weakens the forearm to hand connection and can lead to aggravation of the nerves in the wrist.
All in all there is a lot you can do before throwing money at new bars..............after which ( especially if they are expensive) you will convince yourself you found the holy grail!!

Very true. Tilting the saddle nose up a few degrees can work wonders!

It won't always help but it's a lot cheaper than new bars/stem/grips.

My hands are always happier when my saddle is too low. It takes a bit if work to find a simultaneous happy place for legs and hands.

 

[RustyIron]

Yes and when I wear my super tight elbow pads my arms just swell up because the blood doesn’t return.

and don’t feel it until the medical team cuts my clothing off. It’s a method to get a date with a nurse ya know.

Yeah... the blood failing to return... that's why I gave up wearing super-tight riding pants.

I've only had my clothes cut off of my once by this super kinky freak nurse. I can only vaguely remember thinking, "Huh... she's cutting off my pants..." Then everything went blank. The bitch probably roofied me. I don't recall a happy ending, and my expensive riding clothes were a total loss. I would have been better off had I just hired a conventional hooker.

 

[Stihldog]

you will convince yourself you found the holy grail!!

I think everything I add to my bike is the holy grail …until it breaks or becomes useless. (circular learning curve here).

 

[KnollyBro]

Has anyone got an opinion or recommendation for carbon bars? Do they stop arm pump on longish downhills. Are they better to absorb shock. Are they safe ? Thanks

I have OneUp 35mm 35mm rise carbon bars on my KSL and a set of AliExpress Delux 35mm 35mm rise carbon bars on my Levo SL and honestly can not notice the difference when I am riding. I am not sure I trust the Ali-bars but I have never seen anyone break any carbon bars during the type of average riding I do. Who knows if any carbon bar will survive a big digger into the ground, off a tree or off a sharp rock at speed. As @BAMBAMODA has suggested, arm pump is caused by other factors including a constant death grip on the bars but IMHO, the biggest contributor is poor cockpit setup with too much weight on your hands, brake lever angle and reach distance. YMMV.

 

[MOTO13]

My carbon bars are all 35mm rise. I like a more upright riding position and not the hunched over style I see some people riding with. But, I stand a lot when riding. Also, grips make a huge difference IMHO. I was a ODI grip guy for years. But after trying the PNW Loam grip, I switched all my bikes to them. They are a very comfy grip with great feel and just the right amount of cushioning.

 

[Dynamo]

After severe soreness in forearms and hands on my hardtail I went with the OneUp carbon bars and new ergo grips. Problem solved. When I bought the Emtb in March I was experiencing the same pain. Bought the same bars and grips and no pain now. OneUp says their bars have ‘flex points’ crafted into them where the roundness of the bar flattens out a bit then returns to round. Made a big difference for me on two bikes.

 

[Spin]

"Death grip" means holding the grips without covering the brakes.

 

[irie]

"Death grip" means holding the grips without covering the brakes.

Death-grip syndrome - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Oh.

 

[Dirtnvert]

I like not being as obsessed with weight that an emtb affords but its still a factor. Not nearly enough of a factor that i'd consider carbon bar. A bar is one part i dont want to have a catastrophic failure on. Aluminium will most likely bend before that happens. Ive always found carbon bars harsh(renthal, raceface) but i havent tried one up. I find aluminium more comfy. Another big factor is sweep. Wide shoulders probably more comfy with 8⁰(renthal,spank etc) and not so wide shoulders 9⁰(race face,deity,etc). Its been nice ditching lock ons in favor of slip ons. Way less discomfort with renthal slip ons just need to find a source for more renthal grip glue just to have a stash in my toolbox ,just in case. Chainreaction arent stocking grip glue now

 

[Chairman]

Had a Renthal carbon snap clean in half on a downhill once. It could well be they had been unknowingly damaged in a previous crash sometime in the past but No more carbon bars for me.

 

[jonmat]

I bought some carbon bars but went back to aluminium as the risk of snapping them is reduced. I can't afford another broken collarbone.

 

[Giff]

Thanks everyone for the replies and opinions.
I am going to stay will Alli bars.

 

[1oldfart]

I love carbon but you can try riding more relaxed.
With any bar if you are constantly gripping too hard
you might be creating a problem.

 

[Gyre]

Thanks everyone for the replies and opinions.
I am going to stay will Alli bars.

You can try Vibrocore bars. Review: Spank Spike 800 Vibrocore Bars

 

[Downhillr]

Has anyone got an opinion or recommendation for carbon bars? Do they stop arm pump on longish downhills. Are they better to absorb shock. Are they safe ? Thanks

I replaced stock Santa Cruz carbon on my Bullit with OneUp ebike carbon bar. OneUp bit better in smoothing high speed trail chatter, incorporates controller wire for clean install as well.

 

[sam.spoons]

I think everything I add to my bike is the holy grail …until it breaks or becomes useless. (circular learning curve here).

As America's Cup designer Ben Lexcen once said, "If it doesn't break it's too heavy; if it does it wasn't built right".

 

[steve_sordy]

Pre-emtb experience: I switched from Renthal alloy bars to Renthal carbon ones. They were the same width and angles. My first ride out on the carbon bars felt as though every single rock had had its edges smoothed off just for me! It was an astonishing feeling. But I very soon got used to it.

 

[MOTO13]

If you are doing mainly trail riding...carbon is best IMHO. If you are doing a lot of higher speed, big jumps,/drops etc...higher risk type of riding, then aluminum. Aluminum bends, carbon snaps. BUT, it takes A LOT to snapped carbon. Like a major crash at speed. I have never seen a CF bar break just riding single track/trail type of riding.