The Best Mountain Bike Handlebars of 2024

Your mountain bike handlebar is an often-overlooked element that may remodel the way in which your bike handles and feels. As the first dealing with interface of your bike, your handlebar is crucial not just for management however can have a major influence in your consolation as nicely.

Whereas mountain bike handlebars all look comparatively related, there are some fairly important variations among the many myriad choices in the marketplace. Working with fashionable supplies and development strategies, manufacturers have been in a position to design handlebars with completely different efficiency traits to go well with nearly each want and choice, and that’s an excellent factor. It seems that the handlebar is, in reality, a efficiency element that may present various advantages, whether or not you’re searching for one thing stiff and exact, compliant and forgiving, or in the event you’re attempting to loosen up your experience or dial within the match of your cockpit.

Lately, there are such a lot of completely different mountain bike handlebars in the marketplace it might make your head spin. Constructed from supplies starting from carbon fiber to aluminum – even titanium, coming in 31.8mm and 35mm clamp sizes, and a complete vary of various rise and sweep choices, it may be onerous to determine which is the perfect handlebar for you. It doesn’t assist that each handlebar is claimed to be the perfect for (insert adjective right here) by their respective producers. So how do you select the appropriate one?

Final yr, we teamed up with Faction Bike Studio to do a first-of-its-kind group compliance check of 42 completely different handlebars of their lab, adopted by rider testing to see how these findings translated to make use of out on the path. Armed with the data gathered throughout lab and rider testing, together with months of testing the bars included right here in the true world, we’ve acquired suggestions to go well with each want and finances.

Our favourite mountain bike handlebars are listed beneath, together with the perfect of the remaining that are additionally nice choices worthy of great consideration. Our useful comparability chart reveals the entire fashions we examined and their specs at a look. Our detailed shopping for recommendation has all the data in the event you need assistance deciding what you want, adopted by our FAQ part with solutions to frequent questions.

The Greatest Mountain Bike Handlebars of 2024

Better of the Relaxation

Comparability Chart

Why You Ought to Belief Us

To say that the workforce at Bikerumor is gear-obsessed can be an understatement. Writing about biking gear is greater than only a job, driving bikes can be our ardour, and we’re all the time on the hunt for merchandise that may enhance our expertise out on the paths. Through the years, we realized that even a element as seemingly easy because the handlebar can improve our consolation and management whereas mountain biking. And, we’ve been lucky to check out plenty of completely different handlebars to search out what we like greatest. Nonetheless, there are such a lot of handlebars in the marketplace with numerous claims about their efficiency traits, that it may be difficult to search out the right handlebar for you.

To study extra, we teamed up with Faction Bike Studio to do compliance testing of their lab to get some actual knowledge on the stiffness and compliance of 42 completely different handlebars. Then, we rider-tested a collection of these handlebars to see if the variations in stiffness/compliance had been noticeable on the path and what influence it had on our consolation and management. We discovered that there are notable variations among the many bars we examined and that the lab findings lined up with the rider expertise. Overview creator, Jeremy Benson, was one of many check riders for the handlebar testing undertaking. As somebody who has struggled with numb palms and arm pump whereas driving, Jeremy has spent years trying to find the right handlebar that gives the best steadiness of forgiveness and responsiveness, and he has tried over 30 completely different fashions previously few years.

We began our testing by gathering 42 handlebars and having them despatched to Faction Bike Studio in Granby, Quebec for compliance testing of their lab. Every handlebar was put by the identical compliance check to measure the deflection, or flex, underneath a predetermined quantity of weight utilized. These numbers gave us knowledge to match the handlebars by way of stiffness and compliance, as there may be in any other case no normal ranking system or scale. After the lab testing, we selected 4 fashions for rider testing, and you may take a look at this text and the accompanying video to see how we examined and what we realized. Along with testing the handlebars within the lab and on the path for our video undertaking, Jeremy examined all twelve of the handlebars included on this purchaser’s information to get a really feel for a way every mannequin performs out on the path. Our suggestions are primarily based on his real-world testing expertise and are knowledgeable by the outcomes of the Faction Bike Studio lab testing.

Shopping for Recommendation: Easy methods to Select Mountain Bike Handlebars

For such a seemingly easy element, there’s a stunning quantity to think about when selecting a brand new mountain bike handlebar. Within the following sections, we’ll talk about essential components like completely different supplies, geometries, stiffness/compliance, weight, and extra that can assist you wade by the multitude of choices in the marketplace in the event you’re on the lookout for one thing new.

Materials

The 2 supplies which might be mostly utilized in mountain bike handlebars are carbon fiber and aluminum. In lots of instances, some manufacturers even make the identical handlebar in each choices. There are additionally a small handful of handlebars comprised of Titanium in the marketplace today. One of many main components that differentiates these supplies is value, however there are different variations we’ll cowl beneath.

Carbon Fiber

Carbon fiber is broadly used within the development of mountain bike handlebars as a result of it has a superb strength-to-weight ratio and it may be manipulated into completely different shapes and layups to tune them to supply desired efficiency traits, significantly with regard to stiffness/compliance. One of many main advantages of carbon handlebars for a lot of riders is that they’re dramatically lighter than their aluminum counterparts, typically weighing within the neighborhood of 70 to 100 grams much less (relying on the fashions in query). Whereas that will not matter to everybody, it is without doubt one of the less expensive methods to shave that a lot weight off an entire bike. Moreover, carbon fiber has a great capability to soak up high-frequency vibration, comparatively talking.

It’s price noting that within the compliance (flex) testing on the Faction Bike Studio lab, the common stiffness of the carbon handlebars we examined was barely larger than the aluminum competitors. In fact, that’s a mean taken from our pattern of handlebars and doesn’t inform the entire story, significantly given carbon’s vibration-absorbing properties. In truth, we’d argue that a lot of the carbon handlebars in the midst of the stiffness compliance spectrum really do a greater job of dampening vibration and muting suggestions than equally compliant bars comprised of aluminum.

The first disadvantage to carbon fiber as a handlebar materials is that it has a better manufacturing price that ends in costs that may be as a lot as double, or extra, than an equal aluminum choice. And, whereas carbon fiber handlebars are extremely robust, they are often extra susceptible to wreck from blunt impacts, crashes, or presumably even the over-tightening of stem bolts or bar clamps in your controls. We all the time advocate utilizing a torque wrench when tightening something in your bike, significantly when coping with carbon elements.

Aluminum

Earlier than the industry-wide adoption of carbon fiber as a cloth to be used within the development of nearly every part, aluminum was nearly the one sport on the town for mountain bike handlebars. Comparatively talking, aluminum is cheaper as a cloth, and producing elements like frames and handlebars is less complicated and subsequently more cost effective. Nonetheless, it may be manipulated into a wide selection of styles and sizes, though it is a little more restricted by way of tunability in comparison with carbon fiber. And, whereas it’s pretty light-weight, aluminum handlebars nearly all the time weigh fairly a bit greater than their carbon counterparts.

The outcomes of the Faction Bike Studio compliance testing within the lab confirmed us that, on common, aluminum handlebars are barely extra compliant than their carbon counterparts. That could be a very broad generalization in fact, as some aluminum bars are tremendous stiff, however total, aluminum bars are a bit extra forgiving by way of stiffness. That mentioned, past the flex of an aluminum handlebar, the fabric itself doesn’t soak up vibration fairly as readily as carbon fiber, in our expertise.

Titanium

Titanium is the least frequent materials utilized in mountain bike handlebars, however manufacturers have been making frames and handlebars out of it for a lot of many years. In truth, I’ve a brilliant slender Bontrager Titec handlebar on my classic ’93 customized hardtail out in my storage. Titanium has lengthy been utilized in high-end bike frames, because it has a singular and forgiving experience high quality in comparison with metal or aluminum. Not surprisingly, that interprets fairly on to handlebars, and the Roost Titanium bars we examined are roughly 30% extra compliant on common in comparison with each the carbon and aluminum fashions we examined. In the event you’re after probably the most forgiving bar, significantly for greater impacts, the Roost Titanium bars are it.

Not surprisingly, Titanium is kind of costly, and the fashions we examined are a few of the most spendy handlebars in the marketplace. That mentioned, Titanium additionally has a status for being extremely sturdy, so the upper value could also be justified by its lengthy lifespan.

Clamp Diameter

Mountain bike handlebars are available both 31.8mm or 35mm clamp diameters, and fairly a couple of are supplied in each sizes. In the event you’re getting a brand new handlebar to interchange your present one (and also you don’t wish to exchange your stem too), then you definitely’ll wish to make sure you get the identical clamp measurement. The dimensions is usually printed someplace on the handlebar, often within the clamp zone that will get coated by the stem, but when not, you possibly can measure the diameter with a caliper.

For a few years, the 31.8mm clamp diameter was thought-about the “normal” till a number of manufacturers began making bars and stems with a 35mm clamp interface. Initially, the transfer to 35mm clamp diameters was to extend each the stiffness of the bar/stem interface and the handlebars themselves, and the overall notion was that each one 35mm clamp bars had been stiffer than 31.8mm. Whereas which will have been true for a short while, it’s certainly not a tough and quick rule and we’d name it an oversimplification. Lately, the stiffness of a bar is dictated extra by its design and development than by its clamp diameter, and there are tremendous stiff and really compliant bars in each sizes.

That mentioned, we did discover within the outcomes of our lab testing within the pattern of bars we examined, that the common stiffness of these with a 35mm clamp was, in reality, simply barely larger than these with a 31.8mm clamp. Once more, this can be a broad generalization, however a notable pattern nonetheless. No matter clamp measurement, most riders ought to be capable to discover a handlebar that fits their preferences.

Stem

The stem of your mountain bike is a fairly simple element that merely attaches your handlebar to your fork’s steerer tube. As such, alongside together with your handlebar, your stem is a part of a system that’s used to regulate your bike. Mountain bike stems are available a wide selection of styles and sizes that may play a task in your bike match (bar peak and attain), and ranging ranges of stiffness that may have a minor influence on the responsiveness of your dealing with. Relying on the stem, some can have a little bit of flex, whereas others are ultra-stiff, so that may be an element that’s price contemplating when upgrading your handlebar, particularly in the event you’re going to a special clamp measurement and have to buy a brand new stem anyway.

On the subject of motorcycle match, altering the size of your stem is a straightforward option to successfully improve or lower the size of your attain, which might play a big position in your consolation in addition to your bike’s dealing with.

Geometry

Mountain bike handlebars are available an enormous assortment of rises, sweeps, and widths, all of which might play a task in your physique place, wrist alignment, and total consolation on the bike. And, by making modifications to any of these dimensions, you possibly can regulate the ergonomics and match of your cockpit to dial it into your particular wants.

Width

Over the previous couple of many years, mountain bike handlebars have (fortunately) trended wider which has helped enhance each stability and dealing with leverage for our more and more succesful bikes. Whereas it varies considerably by model and mannequin, most handlebars for path or gravity driving come within the neighborhood of 780mm to 800mm of their uncut, inventory width. Handlebars on XC bikes are usually a bit narrower, and the light-weight Race Face Subsequent SL is an efficient instance that is available in a 740mm width. Whereas the inventory width of a handlebar is likely to be an excellent match for some riders, our our bodies are available all completely different styles and sizes, and as a rule, most riders may gain advantage from trimming a brand new handlebar to a extra applicable width to get a greater match.

Handlebars which might be too slender may end up in much less stability and management, whereas bars which might be too broad can stretch your arms out too far and negatively influence your dealing with or consolation in different methods. Figuring out the appropriate width is usually a little difficult, however in case you have a handlebar that you just already know is an efficient match for you, it could possibly be as straightforward as measuring that one and trimming your new bar to match. In any other case, we advise utilizing a calculated method as a result of chopping your handlebar is everlasting. Bear in mind, you possibly can all the time make it narrower, however you possibly can’t put materials again on, so begin slowly until you might be assured that it’s proper.

Handlebar producers anticipate that their bars will likely be getting trimmed and most come marked with measurement strains on the ends to make it a bit simpler. It isn’t too troublesome to trim a handlebar by yourself (there are some nice ideas on-line), however if you’re uncertain or don’t have the instruments, any native bike store ought to give you the option that can assist you out.

Rise

The rise of a handlebar refers to how excessive a handlebar rises over its size out towards each ends and it’s usually measured in millimeters. Rise is comparatively essential to think about as your handlebar peak can have a big influence in your physique place, weight distribution, and total consolation on the bike. Because of this, many handlebars are supplied in a number of rise choices to go well with various wants and preferences, whereas others are solely supplied in a single rise.

Like anything, there isn’t a one-rise-fits-all, and what works greatest is usually a matter of non-public choice or doubtlessly the kind of bike that you just’re driving. If, for instance, you’re feeling extreme stress in your palms whereas driving, it could possibly be that your handlebar is a bit low and that stress could possibly be relieved through the use of a bar with a better rise that shifts your physique place barely extra upright. Conversely, if the entrance finish of your bike feels too excessive, liable to wandering, otherwise you’re looping out on steep climbs, reducing your bar peak with a lower-rise handlebar might assist repair the issue. It’s additionally price mentioning that adjusting the place of the spacers above or beneath the stem can have the same impact in your bar peak.

The correct quantity of rise may be influenced by the kind of driving you’re doing. Cross-country racers who prioritize pedaling pace and effectivity will typically experience in a extra aggressive, forward-leaning place, so it’s not unusual to see flat or 10mm rise bars on light-weight XC bikes. Conversely, those that experience tremendous steep terrain regularly will typically go for a higher-rise handlebar to boost up the entrance finish of the bike and assist stop their physique weight from being too far ahead whereas descending steeper pitches. Once more preferences fluctuate, however discovering the appropriate rise for you is a crucial side of getting your cockpit setup dialed in for consolation and efficiency.

Again Sweep and Upsweep

Transferring out from the middle of the handlebar, the ends of handlebars are angled each up and again, and these angles are known as upsweep and again sweep. These angles are meant to offer higher alignment of the palms and wrists when gripping the handlebar within the driving place. There aren’t actually “normal” upsweep and again sweep angles, though the candy spot for many riders is round 8° or 9° again and 4° or 5° up as evidenced by the truth that nearly all of handlebars in the marketplace fall into that vary. There are outliers, in fact, just like the Hope Carbon Handlebar with a barely extra aggressive 7° again sweep or the PNW Vary Gen 3 which has a considerably extra relaxed 10° again sweep.

Some riders can profit from extra improved ergonomics and wrist alignment supplied by handlebars which have extra again sweep than the conventional vary talked about above, and luckily, a couple of manufacturers supply merchandise to fulfill that want. One such handlebar is the SQlab 30X Carbon (or aluminum) which may be bought with both 12° or 16° of again sweep. Whereas that a lot again sweep isn’t essentially very best for everybody, it might be precisely what some riders have to experience extra comfortably. It’s price noting that growing again sweep successfully shortens attain, so these choosing extra excessive angles like 12° or 16° might have to think about adjusting stem size to compensate.

Bar Roll

Straight associated to again sweep and upsweep is bar roll. When establishing your handlebar, you wish to place it in order that the again sweep and upsweep are aligned within the place that feels greatest for you, and that’s achieved by “rolling” the handlebar ahead or again within the stem. Even slight modifications to bar roll can play an enormous half in your wrist alignment and the way a handlebar feels in opposition to your palms. Adjustments to bar roll are fairly straightforward to make, so that is comparatively straightforward to experiment with to search out out what works greatest. Simply you should definitely reposition your controls and grips to the proper angles if you’re making modifications to the bar roll.

Management Setup

Organising your controls (shifters and brake levers) correctly may also influence your wrist alignment and influence your consolation. Ideally, you need your shifter paddles and dropper lever to not intrude together with your thumb whereas gripping the handlebar however nonetheless be shut sufficient that you just don’t have to achieve excessively to press on them. Equally, the lateral place and attain of your brake levers needs to be adjusted to go well with the size of your fingers so to attain them simply. And, let’s not neglect your selection of mountain bike grips as that may influence your consolation as nicely.

The angle of your brake levers is arguably crucial right here as it’s most probably to influence how your wrists are aligned when gripping the handlebar and reaching for the levers. In case your levers are too flat or too steep it may possibly trigger your wrists to bend an excessive amount of in in some way. In fact, what works greatest is a matter of non-public choice and may be dictated by the kind of driving that you just’re doing. Similar to bar roll, adjusting the place and angles of your controls is fast and straightforward, so attempting various things to dial it in is fairly simple.

Stiffness vs Compliance

Compliance is a well-liked buzzword within the biking {industry} that’s used to explain elements that present some forgiveness by flex, and it’s utilized by many handlebar producers to characterize the efficiency of their merchandise. Compliance is basically the alternative of stiffness, and it refers to a cloth or object’s capability to flex underneath load. Whereas flex could not sound like probably the most fascinating trait in a handlebar, compliance can work to soak up a few of the forces from influence which may be helpful and enhance rider consolation.

Developments in supplies and development strategies have allowed manufacturers to tune handlebars to attain desired efficiency traits whether or not that’s tremendous stiff, very compliant, or someplace in between. With out an industry-wide compliance check “normal”, nevertheless, it’s onerous to know the place completely different handlebars line up on the stiffness/compliance scale in contrast to one another.

So, in 2023, we partnered with Faction Bike Studio to do a first-of-its-kind mountain bike handlebar compliance check. We examined 42 completely different handlebars in Faction’s lab with a standardized flex check to see how they fluctuate by way of stiffness and compliance (see the graph beneath to match), after which we did some blind rider testing to see if the lab check outcomes are noticeable in use and the way that interprets out on the path.

As you possibly can see, there are some fairly dramatic variations by way of stiffness, and in our testing, we decided that these variations are, in reality, noticeable whereas driving. Imagine it or not, there are some handlebars that may present enhanced consolation by influence and vibration absorption, however, similar to anything, how stiff or compliant your handlebar needs to be comes right down to rider choice.

Stiff handlebars are recognized for being tremendous exact and supply responsive dealing with, however typically it comes at the price of consolation. Alternatively, compliant handlebars are recognized for offering extra consolation, however typically at the price of dealing with precision. Handlebars in the midst of the stiffness scale will usually present probably the most balanced traits, the place they supply a bit additional consolation with out sacrificing a lot by way of dealing with.

Many fashionable handlebars, significantly these comprised of carbon fiber, are being constructed with particular layups that permit for some vertical compliance to soak up influence whereas remaining horizontally stiff for dealing with and management. These efficiency traits may be onerous to steadiness, however some manufacturers and fashions of handlebars are doing it fairly successfully. Carbon fiber, and significantly the entire interfaces of composite constructions, does a greater job of absorbing vibration and serving to to dampen high-frequency suggestions which will in any other case be transferred to the palms in comparison with different supplies. However, as you possibly can see within the graph above, lots of the stiffest bars we examined additionally occur to be comprised of carbon. Nonetheless, considered one of our favourite carbon handlebars is the OneUp Elements Carbon as its distinctive ovalized form and carbon development present a tremendous steadiness of compliance, vibration absorption, and dealing with precision.

Similar to carbon handlebars, these comprised of aluminum fluctuate fairly dramatically by way of stiffness/compliance, however on common, we discovered them to be barely extra compliant within the lab testing. Regardless, there’s a wide array from tremendous stiff to extra compliant which may be seen within the graph above. Six of the ten most compliant bars are aluminum and two of the ten stiffest bars are aluminum, so you’ve the choice to decide on your most popular stiffness. It’s price noting, nevertheless, that aluminum doesn’t soak up high-frequency vibration fairly in addition to carbon fiber can, usually talking, though the bars on the extra compliant finish of the spectrum do assist soak up greater impacts fairly successfully.

Titanium is way much less frequent as a cloth for handlebars, largely as a result of it’s costlier, however it’s recognized for offering a singular, comfy experience really feel when used as a frame-building materials. This interprets fairly on to the handlebar software, and our lab testing confirmed that the three titanium fashions we examined had been probably the most compliant in comparison with aluminum or carbon fiber. On the path, that distinction is noticeable they usually undoubtedly do soak up a few of the influence forces from bigger hits. And, whereas we discovered the dealing with to really feel a tiny bit obscure initially, it didn’t take lengthy in any respect to get used to it. The uncooked titanium additionally seems superior, which doesn’t harm both.

Weight

The load of a handlebar most likely shouldn’t be crucial think about deciding what to purchase, however for the weight-conscious amongst us, it’s doable to avoid wasting weight in your bike with an improve in the event you select. With most aluminum handlebars weighing in round 300g to 340g and most carbon bars starting from round 200g to 250g, it’s doable to cut back the general weight of your bike by round 100g (3.5 oz) or so. Whereas which will appear insignificant to many riders, there are many people who would possibly respect the advantages of getting a lighter total bike weight, and in comparison with another elements, the price-to-weight distinction between a carbon bar and an aluminum one is less complicated to abdomen.

For these riders trying to save probably the most weight on a light-weight XC race bike, for instance, there are a number of tremendous gentle handlebars in the marketplace. The lightest one we’ve examined is the Race Face Subsequent SL which is available in at a scant 167g at its untrimmed 740mm width. Whereas that width gained’t enchantment to everybody, it’s nicely chosen for the XC software the place bars are usually a bit narrower than these utilized by path and enduro/gravity riders. Transferring up barely in weight, lots of the wider, burlier carbon bars are nonetheless very gentle with fashions just like the Hope Carbon handlebar (222g), Oneup Carbon (228g), Chromag BZA (230g), and the FSA Gradient carbon (237g) weighing shockingly little in comparison with comparably sized aluminum choices.

Worth

You don’t have to spend so much to get a handlebar that will likely be a efficiency improve over the inventory aluminum handlebars that come on plenty of full mountain bikes. The aluminum fashions we examined vary in value from $69 to $109, and there are many different choices in the marketplace which might be priced equally and can outperform the fundamental choices that many producers spec on bikes to save cash. The price of a handlebar rises as the fabric will get fancier and the load comes down, and carbon fiber handlebars fall in a value vary of round $150 to $200. Whereas that’s clearly costlier than the aluminum choices, the load financial savings is pretty important and we really feel the efficiency helps to justify the upper price ticket. Going up a value stage, area of interest merchandise comprised of unique supplies like Titanium or which have particular options like additional again sweep appear to command more cash. Whereas a Titanium handlebar or 12-16° again sweep gained’t enchantment to everybody, they exist for individuals who want or need them, simply know that you just’ll be paying a bit additional to get it.

Ceaselessly Requested Questions