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Bontrager
Race Lite EA70 Handlebar
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Submitted by
Ryan Hughes
a Cross Country Rider
from Marietta, GA
Date Reviewed: April 28, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | porcupine rim in Moab, UT | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Strengths: | light weight, easy adjustability | | Similar Products Used: | Easton Carbon Monkeylite riser bar | | Bike Setup: | Klein Adroit Race, xt/xtr, mars fork, monkeylite riser bar | | Bottom Line: | I don't know if it was the shock getting bad, or the handlebar, but my fingers and joints started hurting badly during rides. I upgraded to the Easton monkeylite bar and really like the riser feel as well as the damping qualities. No complaints about this bar though. I ride pretty hard and it never slipped or cracked. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tom
a Weekend Warrior
from San Rafael, CA USA
Date Reviewed: February 1, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$23.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike World | | Strengths: | Slight flex smooths out ride of rigid fork on rocky trails.
9 degree bend makes for better hand position.
Shorter than most, the right length for me. | | Weaknesses: | Too light for extended abuse. Short length makes for tight fit of Grip Shift and bar ends. | | Similar Products Used: | OEM bar. Topo 140g bar. | | Bike Setup: | 97 Fisher Tassajara rigid. Icon bar ends, Oury grips and GripShift. | | Bottom Line: | I got these bars because of the nine degree bend. I have them set up so the bars bend downwards as well as backwards.
The positions is not hugely different from the old bars, but it is enough to take away some of that "carpal tunnel" feel after a long ride.
The flexy bar, with some help from the Oury grips, really helps smooth out the ride on rocky fireroads and a rigid fork. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jon
a Cross Country Rider
from Tulsa, OK
Date Reviewed: December 21, 2000 | | Favoriate Trail: | Turkey Mountain Hochi | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike Shop | | Strengths: | Light & Short (if you like short handlebars) | | Weaknesses: | Thin, Breaks easily | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized Longboy | | Bike Setup: | Trek 4900, Frame is only stock piece left :) | | Bottom Line: | Good bar for XC cuz its light, but dont hit on anything. I Fell one day, sheared off 1/8 of my bar. Sucked cuz my ride wasnt over yet and my handlebars were too short to have good control. I had to by a new bar and start my ride all over. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Avva
a Cross Country Rider
from Moscow, Russia
Date Reviewed: August 2, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Weight | | Weaknesses: | FLEXY! Short - 560 mm. | | Bike Setup: | custom Scott Team Racing | | Bottom Line: | It's flexy. I fear to climb and jump with that handlebar. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
SGT ROCK
a Racer
from Drumheller, AB
Date Reviewed: May 26, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | Control Tech, Titec | | Bike Setup: | 2000 GIANT ATX | | Bottom Line: | Keith's stuff stacks up well against everyting else. Factor in the price, and it's the best deal around. My first Race Lite bar is still being used on my '97 TREK, so naturally I put one on my new 2000 GIANT.
Keith won't put his name on crap. Top drawer product. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
paul B
a Cross Country Rider
from Antioch
Date Reviewed: May 20, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Bottom Line: | The Bontrager Race Light is the best bar for the money.
It's light and strong, I mean STRONG! I have had mine for
3 1/2 years. Just about every ride I'm either getting ejected or laying the bike down or finding a tree. Crashing is what I seem to do best. I put a Carbon bar on my new bike,
Broke it in a week. Bontrager was back on. And is going to stay on.
5x5 Flamin' Chilis Buy this Bar! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
TREE
a Weekend Warrior
from Seattle WA
Date Reviewed: November 20, 1999 | | Favoriate Trail: |
downtown Seattle | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
cool looking
strong
light
just everything | | Weaknesses: |
none so far | | Similar Products Used: |
icon
ritchey | | Bike Setup: |
trek 7000 | | Bottom Line: | Those bars should be sold for more.
good quality for cheap.
5 hot sh*t with no question asked | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jerry
a Cross-Country Rider
from Austin
Date Reviewed: October 8, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
Light
good finish | | Similar Products Used: |
Kore lite
Ritchey Force-lite
Specialized Special-Rise | | Bottom Line: | It's a great looking light bar that doesn't scratch everytime you look sideways at it. I'm 6'5 210lbs and I don't notice any flex. SuperGo has these for $15 and for another $15 you can add the Race Lite bar-ends at 110 grams. For the price you can't beat this setup. Nice Stuff! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Webb Phillips
a Cross-Country Rider
from Stanford, CA
Date Reviewed: April 12, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Strong, Light, Reinforced ends. | | Weaknesses: |
Not as light as a carbon bar (though perhaps stronger?) | | Bike Setup: |
Bontrager Race | | Bottom Line: | This bar is very strong, and about as light as practical for Easton Aluminum 70. I've crashed on it many times, breaking wheels and shiters and causing barends to face the wrong direction, but the bar has lived through it all without a scratch. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark
a Cross-Country Rider
from Madison, WI
Date Reviewed: March 18, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
a beautiful bar. Lightweight, strong, very durable. Black finish is extremely tough | | Weaknesses: |
none | | Similar Products Used: |
n/a | | Bike Setup: |
Klein Pulse Race, XT/XTR, SX-R fork, etc... | | Bottom Line: | I picked this bar up at a race last fall and have been quite pleased with it since. Undamaged despite numerous encounters with trees, rocks, pavement, me... not a scratch on it. Lightweight, and strong too, I like this product! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Fate
a
from cross-country rider
Date Reviewed: December 22, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
So far this has been an excellent bar. I'm 190lbs and ride very technical, high torque stuff. I have done several dozen slow speed crahes on this bar and have not noticed any problems. The bar has stood strong for 1.5 years of abuse, and I'm just wondering if/when I should replace it. For the price, if saftey is an issue I'll buy another in a second. This bar has taken a beating, and has not let me down! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chucko
a weekend warrior
from Silicon Valley, USA
Date Reviewed: October 16, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Very light, very well made! I went for this bar not for its gram-shaving properties, but for the 9 degree bend. I had to special order it from the LBS, but it was worth it, because the bigger bend fits my hands much better than the standard 5 degree. Seems to hold up reasonably well on my MTB, though I haven't really beaten on it much yet. More info next season...Four chilis, only because I haven't done a real durability test on it yet, and because there ought to be a less expensive way to get a flat bar with more than 5 degrees bend. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bonechewer
a racer
from Michigan
Date Reviewed: June 23, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
It seems like everyone has a gimick these days and half of them don't live up to the hype. After purchasing the Bontrager EA 70 bar locally I was amazed how light it was. (As the review says 140 grams on the button with the berts) The black coating it nearly indestructable and the quality is really top notch. Probably the most cost effective bar I ever purchased considering I picked it up for $30. So far it's seen 300 miles, 2 biffs, and one direct collision with a tree and still looks like new. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
will mcknight
a weekend warrior
from toledo, oh
Date Reviewed: April 18, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
This bar has outlasted any I've ever owned, survived numerous crashes not to mention looking great too. EA-70 is great stuff. I'm big(220) and ride hard and I'd recommend it to anyone hard on a bar! I don't see how you can go wrong with this bar. PS, be sure to use the BERTS, that's where most the damage is inflicted on a handle bar! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
pak
a cross-country rider
from Michigan
Date Reviewed: March 4, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
This bar rules. I have the black finish, which has proven to be surprisingly durable & it looks as cool as hell! It came complete with BERTs (which I didn't use since I'm not a great believer in bar-ends), & an amazingly detailed instruction sheet! To be honest, I'm not totally convinced that it's worth the extra coin over the Bontrager Comp or Race Bars, but I was building up my dream bike (Bonty Race Lite) & could afford it, so what the hell?The bar weighed in spot on nominal (140gm) so no complaints from me. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Keith Bontrager
a cross-country rider
from Santa Cruz, CA
Date Reviewed: March 4, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Bontrager Basher is out of line. Maybe the name gives a clue. Maybe
he should get one.The EA 70 bars are very similar to Hyperlites. There is no way anyone
could bent 3 in 3 weeks and live to tell about it. We've never seen
or heard about one bent in the center. If you don't use the METAL BERTS you might crimp them with a good
slam on the bar end. This damage is at the bar end, not the in
the center of the bar. Answer supplies the bars with the plastic
BERT. We developed the metal one to make the bar more durable.I don't usually put in reviews of my own stuff. But I don't want to
see this bar get dissed by a fool. I'll go with a 5 to offset the
BS from the other review.Sorry. If MTBR pulls that one they can pull this one and set
things straight.Later,KB | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bontrager BAsher
a cross-country rider
from Conway, AR
Date Reviewed: February 17, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Dudes,
DO NOT BUY THIS HANDLEBAR!!!!! I've had 3 in three weeks, each has bent or broken while on casual rides. If I wasn't a bad ass, I would have busted my ass a good one. Someone needs to sue!! All this light is right stuff really is dangerous sometimes. Bontrager BLOWS! | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Greg Wang
a cross-country rider
from Berkeley, CA
Date Reviewed: January 14, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
As handlebar's go, I think all the Easton EA70 aluminum ones are coolI got the Bontrager because it was the only one I could find locally and it looks very cool (I
have the silver one). One thing, though, you MUST have the BERTS (Bar End Reinforcment
ThingS) if you want barends. Really! And you have to call Bontrager to get them. No big
deal. Make sure you get the plastic ones, not the metal ones.The bar is 5 degree bend, and I think about 22.5 inches long. Could be a little bit beefier,
but it works well enough and it's very light. | | Overall Rating: |
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