Steel - Absorb this. Our state-of-art custom hard-drawn 7075T78 aerospace aluminum is heat-treated and stress-relieved to damp vibrations and absorb shocks on the bumpiest of grinds.
Titanium - The state of the art. Aircraft-certified T3Al2.5V titanium, hard-drawn and heat-treated to deliver optimal strength, fatigue resistance and shock absorpion. Goes down smoother than your tenth tequilla. 155g
Submitted by
Mikey Likes It
a Cross Country Rider
from Boulder, CO
Date Reviewed: August 29, 2002
Strengths: Very Strong. Very light (read below). Titanium model, are people below talking about the aluminum or titanium?
Weaknesses: Dunno. It would appear from reading below that they can bend or break when leaping over school busses or doing drop offs from 30 foot cliffs, or houses, etc. Wish they would have said if it was the Ti or the Alum model - case I want to do a drop-off from my office window...
Bottom Line:
>>>>>
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HEY YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Please specify which bar you are using when you say it broke.
1. Titanium flat bar 2. Aluminum flat bar 3. Aluminum riser bar
They will all act completely different, and we need to know.
>>>>>
I have number 1., the Titanium Flat Bar. It came on my Rocky Mountain 2000 Element TO Scandium, bought used. The setup was a little off for me, and my LBS recommended replacing this with a riser. I put on the Answer Pro Taper.
I had already ridden it with the Syncros Ti Flat bar at several rock gardens. At first I hated the narrow width, it took a bit getting used to, especially after a 26" Easton Carbon Riser (monkey lite). Also I looked at it and thought "that thing must be pretty damn heavy".
When I pulled this bar off the bike, I was astounded at how much it weighed, or didn't weigh, if you follow. Lighter than a carbon straight bar I had sitting in my garage. Very nice, with aluminum plugs in the ends. Marked "Heat Tempered Titanium". Light as a feather. Stronger as steel.
The Answer Pro Taper weighed twice as much. It makes my hands numb. It looks great, much nicer than than the Synrcos.
The Syncros will be reinstalled. I will swap the headset spacers (luckily there are ones top and bottom of my stem), to adjust the syncros bar. I will be keeping it.
BOTTOM LINE - I think it is an incredible handlebar. Light. Strong. Vibration dampening. Ugly silver, but who gives a f---. I'm keeping it.
Email me for a deal on the Answer Pro Taper 1" Riser bar, used 3 days.
Submitted by
ace
a Cross Country Rider
from canada/kroea
Date Reviewed: August 16, 2002
Strengths: lite...
Weaknesses: bends
Bottom Line:
well it maybe lite...but being a flat bar...vibration absorbing does not replace a riserbar.. but that is my personal preferance so it should not affect my rating...
well it bends after a long time riding...but i can live with that...but just don't do any stupid jumps like some of those freaks below...
"my bar bent when i was jumping" of course it bent u idiot..
it's like "my Litespeed snapped after falling 30feet...it is waste of money so don't buy it"
don't be fooled by those and get this bar...because you are a cross country machine and so is your bike...
Submitted by
Mark Leblanc
a Cross Country Rider
from Moncton,N.B, Canada
Date Reviewed: January 5, 2001
Strengths: Sweet looking,gives that custom look to your ride.Light enough for me at 155grams.Titanium bar should last a while.
Weaknesses: Other than price none.But hey you have to pay for quality
Bottom Line:
Well....some people say they break them,but they all mentioned pretty serious crashes. All handle bars will break under enough pressure.I raced a few Cross Country events, and even done some hard drops with no problems.I'm still looking to buy a Syncros seat post in the future.Stem and handle bar are great!
Bike Setup: 98' rocky mountain.Oxygen race.99 Z2 A bomb, Full XT/XTR And a xt/517 wheelset.Syncros stem and handle bar.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Kelvin
a Cross Country Rider
from Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: October 20, 2000
Strengths: Wow, its really light and stiff! I was so shocked to find it that light. Makes the bike look trick.
Weaknesses: The decals comes off and question durability after some years.
Bottom Line:
If your going to dirt jump or free ride with this, forget it - it'll break. Buy it for lightness and stiffness. I really question the durability factor, although the vender did tell me to replace it 3 years down the road for safty reasons. The Syncros bar is sold at good price ($53), try one out.
Similar Products Used: Raceface Air alloy (itsn't as light), Kore, and Zoom
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
swamp
a Cross Country Rider
from w van
Date Reviewed: July 4, 2000
Strengths: i have both the hardcore series and the pro series.i have only tested the hardcore series (in shotgun form,which is the straight version)i also have the 5 degree bend version.i recomend the bent version for the natural bend of the wrist;but i prefer the straight version (from many years of use and adjustment to.)the bar is stiff.
Weaknesses: the hardcore seems theoretically impervious to breakage,i have landed like a 200lb gorilla sometimes and the bar survived.but i have not tried the pro series yet,but will do so this race season.from first impressions it seems a little thin(like a beer can near the ends),but i think this is there to there designing to put more material where it is needed.anyway i'll talk about it probably in september.
Bike Setup: brodie sovereign,xtr,shimano,race face,rock shox,mavic,etc
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Rob Graef
a Racer
from Green Bay, WI, US
Date Reviewed: June 21, 2000
Strengths: light weight, strong, short, small
Weaknesses: none found yet, still looking though
Bottom Line:
I haven't had any problems with the strait bars, they r light weight and very strong. They have wroked well in races(wors series). They haven't failed at Bairds Creek. i've only put about 200 miles on these bars. The handle bars are short so the don't get caught up on trees.
If you are looking for a nice handle bar try these sycros....
Submitted by
BigRing
a Cross-Country Rider
from Ga
Date Reviewed: January 4, 2000
Strengths: strong/light
Weaknesses: duh....?
Bottom Line:
I put the straight bar and Syncros stem on my RIGID Yeti. Believe me, it, (and me) take a beating. It is very rigid and strong. Anyone that takes a hit big enough to bottom out the fork should be glad the only thing busted was the handlebar. Get real, it is only EA70. The weight to strenght ratio is outstanding. This is a great product at a fair price and is one of lightest bars out there. Their service may stink but the products are good.
Submitted by
Judson Merrell
a Downhiller
from Salisbury, NC
Date Reviewed: December 15, 1999
Strengths: had a good feel
Weaknesses: It bent while I was jumping. It cause me to wreck, ruining my Mavic rims and almost my disc brake. I sent Syncros a Reply, but havent heard from them yet. I will not get another one, I only weigh 150 lbs and this bar almost snapped in half.
Bottom Line:
It was a bad investment. I will not get another one made by Syncros.
Similar Products Used: Answer Pro-Taper Azonic Double Wall Riser
Bike Setup: GT Avalanche, Judy 100, full hydraulic disc, Full XT
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
derek
a Cross-Country Rider
from delaware
Date Reviewed: December 14, 1999
Bottom Line:
It works. My grips are always where I expect them to be. For three years! I've already bought a replacement. I'm just waiting for the old one to tell it's ready to retire, but it dosen't. It doesn't creak or moan, and there's no sign of corrosion. It's light too. What more do you want?
The bar performed very well for about 5 months. Then I did a steep shoot and hit a rrock that was pretty big. It bottomed my fork and the shock was transfered to the crossbrace on the bar, cracking the clmaps in to pieces. I rode home with the bar rattleing the whole way. I now ride without the crossbar. It is noticeably less stiff. I have contacted Syncros a number of times and they have yet to return my emails or phone calls. I believe I am going to buy another Easton.
Similar Products Used: RaceFace Air Carbon Easton Monkey Light Specialized Special Riser
Bike Setup: 98Sworks SXti XTR RaeeFace,Syncros,Thomson
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Sore
a Cross-Country Rider
from Vancouver
Date Reviewed: October 26, 1999
Strengths: It felt quite strong and light Good comfortable shape (for me)
Weaknesses: It broke after one reasonably rough landing
Bottom Line:
Did a silly jump, landed heavily on front end, rolled myself off the ground groaning and saw left side of bar, under the grip, was bent back 60 degrees. Crawled back onto the bike and it just broke off as soon as I touched it. Am getting a new one under warrantee, but will be interested to see how long it lasts.
Strengths: Not too much rise, fairly light, great looking.
Weaknesses: Cross brace very weak, probably not necesary
Bottom Line:
Did wonders to improve my downhill handling, but one day doing light jumping I came down a little too heavy on my front end. I heard a crack but could not locate it. For about a week I notice a creaking coming from mystem/bars/headset. I narrows it down to the clamps holding the cross brace on. I tries to tighten the bolt and as soon as it was under tension a crack appeared and the bolt would not thread. Finaly the clamp just cracked into two pieces. I have emailed sysncros and have gotten a response yet.
Similar Products Used: Race Face Carbon, Titec Enduro, S-works.
Bike Setup: 98 Sworks with manitou sxti. Race Face System
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dave
a Weekend Warrior
from Sparks, MD
Date Reviewed: July 16, 1999
Strengths: Very Strong Light Good width and rise for my taste
Weaknesses: Logos (too many and in the wrong places)
Bottom Line:
I bought the riser version because I enjoy riding and my hands were getting numb. These bars are strong and do not need the support bar (leave it off & save weight). The Syncros are great risers because for my taste, they are narrow and have less rise (angle) than other bars I have tried. They have improved my bikes downhill handling and don't hurt on climbs. I would recommend these to anyone moving from flat bars not wanting a huge difference in handling. Bars are a very personal decision - you should feel them before buying. The Syncros are a 5 star for me - I'll buy them again for my next bike.
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