Submitted by
Eric L
a Cross Country Rider
from Laguna Hills, CA
Date Reviewed: July 1, 2004
Strengths: Looks sooooo sick Pretty lightweight Did I mention it looks wayy cool?
Weaknesses: Those aluminum things look weird...but i dont use bar ends so i dont know if they work well
-Its a frickin handlebar-I dont see how people can have soooo many problems
Bottom Line:
Not sure if im weird but carbon fiber turns me on. I rode the EA 70 bar for like 15 miles and then returned it to my LBS when i saw this on ebay. Not sure why but it just feels better than the EA 70. Its pretty cool how it kind of absorbs small vibrations. Also, im not sure how someone could brake this thing-its as solid as a rock. If you can get a decent price on it, get it. If not, get it anyways.
Bike Setup: Access XCL frame, XT deraileurs, race face evolve XC cranks, wellgo M-something titanium, FSA platinum pro BB, FSA orbit DL, Shimano xt cassette, XTR chain, Sun Ringle RPM lite rims, more stuff but im gettin bored
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Submitted by
Mark Lasch
a Cross Country Rider
from Friendswood, TX, USA
Date Reviewed: September 25, 2002
Strengths: Looks great, light, stiff
Bottom Line:
I have been riding this bar for a year. I have some concerns about riding it sub 50 degrees, but I love it. It looks great, it is stiff, absorbs a lot of little impacts, has crashed without any obvious problems. I use it with bar ends and have not had any problems with the inserts. It was a good buy for me, got it on a close-out!
Bike Setup: Cannondale SV 900, Mostly XT with XTR V-Brakes, Race Face cranks, Spinergy Spox ...
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Submitted by
Saby
a Cross Country Rider
from Calgary, Canada
Date Reviewed: July 24, 2002
Strengths: very Stiff
Weaknesses: The look is very average, the aluminium insert for teh bar end wont last, if you don't care about look and you don't use bar ends, I guesss this bar is OK but consider other option
Bottom Line:
There are not good reason to buy this bar, I had it for a couple month where I used it exclusively on pavement (building up cardio), I NEVER crashed, then again I ride on pavement, it's kinda hard to crash... The little aluminium insert for bard end loosed up on one side which make using the bar ends totaly impossible. Brought it back to my LBS and got an nice Answer Hyperlite Carbon instead, this bar is lighter, look way better and won't have the same problem (no insert). Bottom line, stay away for this product.
Bike Setup: Rocky Mountian Oxigen Race, full XTR, Race Face Next, Syncros (stem, seat post and headset)
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Submitted by
Mike
a Cross Country Rider
from Omaha, Nebraska
Date Reviewed: June 11, 2002
Strengths: Light weight, good looking, aluminum inserts for bar ends, soaks up the trail/road.
Weaknesses: Tough to tell how tight to clamp down on it
Bottom Line:
My first fiber handlebar. Feels very different from the normal. I was worried about how hard to clamp down on it. Finally I said screw it and tighten the hell out of the stem. To my relief it is just as solid as anything else.
Anyway, I liked the fact it had inserts for bar ends and the price was right. It has held up well and I have taken a few pretty hard spills.
Weaknesses: it separated, the union of the carbon fiber with the aluminum of the end, the aluminum broked with the bar ends tight, not a really good handlebar, I had to by a race face XY instead.
Submitted by
Duncan
a Cross Country Rider
from Tacoma, WA, USA
Date Reviewed: February 2, 2001
Bottom Line:
I'm writing to report a problem I had with these bars. I was using them with Profile aluminum bar-ends, and had to really tighten down the pinch bolts on the bar-ends to keep them from slipping. In retrospect, I think the diameters didn't match very well.
In any case, when I finally got the bar-ends to stop moving, things were fine, until I bent the aluminum insert at the end of the bar in a very minor crash. Turns out the aluminum insert was crimped by the bar-end, and the other side was almost as bad (no crash on that side). So in sum, I damaged the bars in trying to make them work with bar-ends from the same company. Yeah, maybe I should have stopped cranking down the pinch bolts, but it seems fair to expect a company's parts to work together well. I certainly had no problem with the bar-ends on a previous set of bars from another company. I guess I'd just caution folks to test the match of bar-ends with these bars, even if they're both Profile.
Bike Setup: Wheeler Cro-mo, XC race geometry, XTR, Race Face.
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Submitted by
Jason D
a Cross Country Rider
from VA
Date Reviewed: July 24, 2000
Strengths: Light
Weaknesses: Bar end insert spun itself loose Flexy
Bottom Line:
Junk, how can a 3 month old product fail so quickly? I was really expecting great things from Profile from experience with the BMX cranks. This disappointed me, I'm getting a Race Face bar today.
Submitted by
Martin
a Cross Country Rider
from Oakland, CA
Date Reviewed: June 13, 2000
Strengths: Super Low Weight, Strength, Looks Way Cool, Price.
Weaknesses: None found yet.
Bottom Line:
Thus far I love this bar. It looks really cool on the bike and weighs almost nothing. I got mine for under $40! Unbeatable. Ride is very good, and I have raced with mine twice, and put lots of stress on them, and they just seem to love the abuse. My front end is substantially lighter. I can recommend this bar to anyone looking to lighten up their ride.
This is the second set I broke. I would not suggest you buy these. You will get hurt. They offered to replace them free of charge, but I am sick of them breaking. They can keepem.
Bike Setup: iron horse ars 900, spinergy, esp, xtr, kooka
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Submitted by
Dijridoo
a Weekend Warrior
from Grand Forks, ND
Date Reviewed: January 7, 2000
Strengths: Weight? Looks Strength Alloy inserts
Weaknesses: Weight
Bottom Line:
I got these because I wanted to try carbon bars for their weight, strength, and damping abilities. I also wanted to try riser bars, and my LBS let me try these out for a few days (nice folks!). The test worked because I bought them no question, and they have been great ever since. I run Paul levers, Suntour thumbshifters, and Serfas grips, and there is plenty of room on the bars for all the gear. The grips like to stick, and I have to be very careful not to scratch the surface when putting stuff on or taking it off. When I switched back to my original Salsa Pro-Moto flat bars I noticed the weight difference immediately (the risers are lots heavier). BUT, the damping is great, the control is outstanding, and I feel confident in their strength.Bottom line: Give 'em a try as a comparison to much more expensive bars and a nice alternative to aluminum. 4 chilis with a deduct for weight.
Similar Products Used: Easton Monkey Lite Carbon risers
Bike Setup: custom steel hardtail Judy SL/ Englund
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Submitted by
Nisene
a cross-country rider
from Santa Cruz CA
Date Reviewed: April 16, 1998
Bottom Line:
So far, so good. I bought this bar to replace my 3.5 year old Control Tech bar which served me so well. Although it is a bit narrower than the CT, theres a noticeable improvement in shock dampening with this bar. Throw in the nice appearance of the carbon weave, built-in bar end reinforcements, the $40 price tag, and an unconditional lifetime warranty, and youve got a winner here folks! I'll subtract one star for coming up 5 mm short.
