Carbon MTB Handlebars: What's the Best All-Around Option? | Vital MTB Roundup Review 24

Most mountain bikers have strong opinions about handlebar preferences and what sets their favorite bar apart from the rest. These opinions generally relate to bar width, rise, and sweep numbers. Now, a handlebar's vertical compliance is an attribute that's also under the microscope. The vibration-damping characteristics of 35mm carbon handlebars are a primary motivating factor for many consumers looking to create a more comfortable cockpit setup as they improve ride quality. There is no denying the importance of stem length, brake lever angles, grip preferences, and bar roll when discussing the perfect cockpit setup. Having all of these items in check ensures predictable bike handling and riders, to react intuitively on the trail. But if we keep these factors all the same and change only the handlebar, what difference do these compliance claims actually prove?

With so many compliant carbon bars on the market, all offering the benefit of reducing hand fatigue, I wanted to see how these claims would affect my ride experience when compared to the bars I normally run on all of my bikes. As the die-hard-31.8mm-aluminum-handlebar guy, who better to test a variety of 35mm carbon handlebars? To put all this flex tech to the test, I snagged seven of the most popular bars on the market from Deity, OneUp, Title, ENVE, Trail One, Race Face, and PNW to challenge a variety of stiffness levels. A great handlebar in this category should ideally reduce hand fatigue, hold a line well when changing direction, and not waiver through the rough stuff. 

Review Contents

• Testing Parameters and Scoring
• Race Face Era
• PNW Loam Carbon
• OneUp Carbon
• Trail One Crockett
• Deity Speedway
• ENVE M7
• Title FORM
• Test Results

Testing Parameters

Requirements given to each brand were that the bars need to be carbon fiber, 35mm in diameter, and as close to 38mm rise as possible. Deity Components provided a 50mm Copperhead 35 stem to replicate my usual setup, and all bars were cut to 790mm to keep as many factors as consistent as possible. 

These bars all have a variety of sweeps, so I did a few short rides on each handlebar for the initial setup to get the roll dialed in to where I liked it. I then marked all the bars to my preferred roll and brake position, allowing easy swapping between bars.

My Usual Setup

Deity Blacklabel 38mm rise w/ 50mm Deity Copperhead stem

• 31.8mm diameter
• 790mm width
• 9° backsweep
• 5° upsweep

• Body position/riding style: Weight centered/forward on the bike; tower over front of most bikes; heavy on input and movement
• Favorite characteristics of a bar: Relaxed hand position, grip should be cradled in hand without much effort. Compliant enough for a long ride but stiff enough for precise handling while turning and undulating. 

Categories Tested

For this test, I focused on two characteristics I felt would impact the ride experience most: vertical compliance (vibration damping) and steering precision.

• Vibration Damping - focusing on how well each handlebar absorbs feedback from trail chatter and high-frequency impacts.
• Steering Precision - focusing on handling characteristics when changing direction and across off-cambers.

Vibration Damping

Vibration damping is measured by how compliant the bar is to trail chatter and other high-frequency scenarios. When I think of a compliant handlebar, I think of something that will be comfortable to ride all day or on long descents. Compliance is engineered into the layup of a carbon handlebar or wall thickness of an aluminum bar, allowing the ends to flex vertically, absorb feedback from the trail, and reduce hand fatigue. Looking at the current offering of handlebars, you'll notice some of them have a uniquely shaped outer diameter around the bend where wall thickness is varied. Other bars achieve this internally through carbon layering but maintain a round outer diameter throughout the bend. Essentially, this area isolates where forces will be transmitted through the bar when paired with stiff clamping areas for the stem and controls. All of this translates into less feedback at the grips by allowing the bar to comply through vibrations. 

To test the vibration-damping characteristics of each bar, they needed to be put through a variety of square-edge hits, braking bumps, bomb holes, and any other form of undulation that could be hit at a high frequency. I used longer descents to help reveal more about how different levels of compliance relate to hand fatigue and shorter sections to draw closer comparisons of how much vertical movement each bar has. 

What are the reasons someone might want a stiffer bar with less compliance?

Those who are more concerned with impact resistance than vibration damping will prefer something more rigid that won't deflect as much upon impact. Certain high-velocity situations will be better with a bar that moves less for efficient energy transfer, such as dirt jumping or large freeride features. 

Steering Precision

When I think of how a bar handles, it's mostly related to how reactive the bar is to my input, which translates into what level of trust I can put into my body movement on the bike. How reactive a bar is to rider input can be classified as precision, and for this category, I wanted to look more specifically at where built-in flex can become a drawback and where it can be beneficial. This was done by analyzing how easily it feels to change bike direction on each type of terrain tested. The way compliance and precision affect one another is a balancing act that comes with designing something that is made to flex in one direction but not the other. Carbon is inherently stiff, and brands will often utilize that stiffness by creating a layup that restricts horizontal movement to increase steering precision. I was curious if the increased steering precision alone would negate any unwanted or delayed movement from more vertically compliant bars in high-input situations. 

To test this, I focused on a section of trail with a series of back-to-back turns and rollers that required a high level of rider input to navigate, analyzing any delay or wavering off the line from the front wheel while pumping, jumping, and cornering. These movements are made possible by rider input being translated through the bike, and where a more compliant setup can make that response less immediate than a bike that is firmer. Think of how these movements would feel on a pump track while riding a hardtail compared to a downhill bike. The hardtail is an example of the least compliant setup with the most immediate response while the downhill bike represents the most compliant setup with the most delayed response to rider input. Thankfully, the amount of flex built into carbon bars doesn't vary as much as these examples, but with the bar being the only thing changing between laps, my goal was to understand exactly how much they varied among the group. 

Testing Locations 

Having little experience with the current offering of 35mm options, I wanted to ride more than just one trail to analyze the bars. Instead, I rode three distinctly different types of terrain in three different locations to analyze if the bars behaved any differently between locations or remained consistent. The three terrain types I chose to focus on for analyzing the performance of each bar were a flow trail, steep natural trails, and a highly technical trail. As Johan discovered, there is quite a variety in levels of flex built into carbon bars and my goal was to find out which one would excel in all three locations. 

Flow Trail

Determining how precise each bar felt required an analysis of both vertical and horizontal stiffness. I felt it was necessary to put each bar through a series of rapid movements involving high rider input levels. I chose to test on a flatter, lower-speed flow trail that requires a lot of rider input to generate and carry speed through a series of turns and rollers. The turns would help me analyze horizontal flex through any delay from the front wheel when changing direction back to back. The rollers would allow me to determine how different levels of vertical flex affect pop and response to manualing. 

Steep Trail

Since compliance is a primary focus for so many of the bars in this test, I wanted to put them through a scenario where the additional vibration damping may not be so helpful: steep terrain with large undulations. To test this, I chose a few trails with whooped-out sections I could hit at high speed to analyze how the bike behaved differently between bars. Each bar is designed to flex with an allowable amount of vertical "travel" before it is meant to stop flexing, but what happens when more of my weight is over the front of the bike? 

Tech Trail

The vibration-damping properties become apparent when things get super rough with less speed involved. For this category, I chose a short trail littered with rocks and compressions of all sizes and shapes, giving me a baseline for how much vertical flex each bar has within a minute of non-stop smashing. Precision would be less of a focus here. Although a few quick movements are still required to navigate the trail, my main focus was the type of terrain where compliance could be most beneficial.

Scoring

I'll give each bar a score from 1 to 10 for Vibration Damping and Handling Precision. I'll then discuss how each bar performed in each location tested. 

Back to Top

Race Face Era Handlebar

Kicking things off with the newest carbon bar on the market, the ERA handlebar is part of the newly released Race Face lineup and the first-ever handlebar under the ERA name. The bar is offered in 10mm, 20mm, and 40mm rise options, comes in 760mm, 780mm, and 800mm widths, and wears useful graphics for dialing in bar roll and lever position. The Goldie Locks or GL Tune means each rise and width option has a size-specific layup to ensure the same flex characteristics are met regardless of dimensions. Consistency was a primary theme for Race Face when designing this bar to allow riders to dial in their fit as much as possible without changing the handling characteristics of the bar. To drive home the ethos behind ERA as the most durable top-of-the-line product available, Race Face backs up the bars with a lifetime warranty that includes crashes for peace of mind.

Flow- When influencing the bike heavily, the ERA bars absorbed little input. I felt no delay when pumping or jumping through rollers and no loss of input when pulling back to manual through successive rollers. The construction maintained consistent handling with high levels of input yielding a very slight delay when changing direction quickly. This delay came from the small level of compliance built in that did a great job of softening feedback from the trail without eliminating small chatter altogether. 

Steep- When changing direction with more of my weight over the bars, the comfort became even more noticeable. Where the firmer construction made higher frequency vibrations known, it helped slow higher velocity impacts considerably. The ramp in support builds up in a way that was most beneficial for maintaining control when a little forgiveness through super whooped-out sections was favorable. On steeper terrain, the vertical flex was hardly noticeable and made it easy to keep the bike on line. I felt confident riding how I normally would and the slight increase in comfort was apparent.

Tech-  On trails that were littered with square edges and chatter, the flex from the ERA bars seemed to disappear pretty quickly. This didn't have much benefit or influence when trying to hold a line across constant chatter. When bumps became less frequent, the same level of comfort I noticed on higher-speed trails became apparent, but there wasn't an obvious benefit in these instances. 

Race Face Era Overall Score

Vibration Damping: 7.6 out of 10

Steering Precision: 8.3 out of 10

Learn more at raceface.com

Shop the Race Face ERA at Jenson USA and Competitive Cyclist.

Back to Top

PNW Loam Carbon Handlebar

Being launched in the middle of the test, the PNW Loam Carbon bar is the newcomer of the group and carries over the traits of the popular aluminum variant into a carbon option. PNW incorporates the same relaxed geometry as the aluminum bar with a whopping 10 degrees of back sweep paired with their new patent pending CBD carbon layup. The goal of the carbon layup is similar to others, with the goal of damping vibrations from the trail but remaining stiff enough to allow for quick handling in corners. The Loam Carbon bar is offered in 25mm and 38mm rise options at an 800mm width with ten color options available. 

Flow- Right off the bat, the Loam bar offered notably comfortable small bump absorption over the smallest amounts of chatter. Changing direction was where the difference in handling characteristics became most apparent compared to what I'm used to. The more relaxed geometry of the bar resulted in a couple of wide turns, but I quickly got used to the feeling and had no further issues holding a line in turns. Changing direction felt precise in terms of horizontal flex, and while vertical flex was noticeable when preloading and mauling, it was at a predictable level that never threw off my timing.

Steep- With the laps consisting of mostly corners, I struggled with pushing wide in a few turns again. I took an extra lap on the Loam to figure out what was going on and found that the extra sweep required some recalibration when cornering, and the solution was to lean the bike more aggressively. Once I made this adjustment, I felt a heightened sense of confidence in corners and no issue linking turns. While cornering more aggressively was possible on the other bars, it felt most comfortable on the Loam. When things got steeper, the vertical flex from the bar was no issue, and the handling characteristics remained consistent even with a forward weight bias. 

Tech- Handling high-velocity impacts, the Loam has a good amount of ramp that comes on gradually through the vertical movement of the bar. The successive square edge hits felt considerably softer when blitzing rock gardens. This terrain felt like a great match for the qualities of the PNW bar. 

The PNW bar felt very comfortable on the high-frequency chatter from run one. The flex characteristics of the Loam Carbon bar feel like PNW did their homework studying what other options on the market provide in terms of bump absorption and ramp in support. The supple feeling off the top did get my hands to the point where support starts to build a little more easily on steep terrain which resulted in a stiffer feeling. Horizontal stiffness was never an issue, my perception of delayed handling was affected only by my unfamiliarity with the relaxed geometry creating a sensation that the wheel was turned further than it actually was. If pitching the bike harder is your thing, this may not be a factor, but it did require a bit of adjustment on my end in tight turns. 

PNW Loam Carbon Overall Score

Vibration Damping: 8.5 out of 10

Steering Precision: 7.8 out of 10

Learn more at pnwcomponents.com.

 Shop the PNW Loam Carbon at Jenson USA and Competitive Cyclist.

Back to Top

OneUP Carbon Handlebar

The OneUp carbon bar is regarded among many riders as the best handlebar on the market. According to the 2022 Vital MTB Survey, it was the #1 bar participants planned to buy next. With so much hype around the bar that started the craze around vertical compliance, I was eager to see what all the hype was about. The OneUp bar features an ovalized section within the bend to pinpoint where it will flex, leaving the stem clamping area unaffected and allowing the ends of the bar to move vertically. This strategic design also restricts horizontal movement to maintain precise handling characteristics while being more vertically compliant. The bar is offered in 20mm and 35mm rises with an 800mm width and six different decal color options.

Flow- Coming off the stiffer bars, the OneUp felt very comfortable, even on trails that weren't necessarily rough. The small amounts of chatter on the flow trail gave me a sense of how the OneUp bar absorbed small bumps, and the impacts from landing jumps gave me an idea of how the support ramps up. The bar felt controlled when linking turns and precise when holding a line through turns. Preloading for jumps made the bar's vertical movement even more apparent but wasn't noticeable while manualing sets of rollers at a time. 

Steep- The vertical movement from the OneUp bar would become even more apparent as things got steeper. The additional flex certainly made it one of the more comfortable options on longer descents, and the amount of ramp built into the vertical flex helped absorb higher velocity impacts. The bar felt like it reached the "bottom" of the vertical movement on steeper stuff, but the ramp in damping softened the harshness of reaching that bottom. The handling did suffer slightly with more weight over the front, but steering precision remained consistent in corners. 

Tech- When handling the chatter and square edge hits, it became clear why the OneUp bar has become so popular. Feedback from square edge impacts was softened considerably, and the ramp in flex happened late enough in the vertical movement to allow the bar to flutter over chatter. The stiffness ratio to flex made holding a line while turning across rocks easy and provided enough support for high-velocity impacts to ride aggressively. 

Coming off of the stiffer options in the test, I noticed things felt more comfortable on the OneUp bar, as expected. I felt like the bike was able to do its own thing beneath me, and the vertical movement of the bar separated a lot of the trail feedback from my hands. When it came to higher velocity impacts, the movement wasn't as noticeable and felt stiffer than I thought it would, which helped keep handling predictable. The OneUp bar remained consistent across all types of terrain I tested it on and is an excellent example of keeping the compliance-to-stiffness ratio in check. 

OneUp Carbon Overall Score

Vibration Damping: 8.3 out of 10

Steering Precision: 8 out of 10

Learn more at oneupcomponents.com.

Shop the OneUp Carbon Bar at Jenson USA and Competitive Cyclist.

Back to Top

Trail One Crockett

The Crockett bar from Trail One was the biggest outlier in the group, as it's a handlebar I hadn't heard much about. Like the others, the bar is focused, balancing strength, weight, compliance, and precision, but it appears to have a fairly standard construction at first glance. The bar is offered in 20mm and 35mm rise options and six color options. A cool standout feature of the Crockett bar and all Trail One products, for that matter, is the donation from each product sold to trail networks they are named after, in this case, Crockett Hills Regional Park in California.  

Flow- Linking features on the flow trail required a high level of rider input, where precision from the bars was most important. There were small sections of braking bumps and chatter between features, and even the smallest bumps seemed to disappear on the Crockett bar. Linking turns, I felt a slight delay from the front wheel, resulting in a slightly wider radius through back-to-back turns. Preloading into lips, I noticed a fair amount of vertical movement that wasn't necessarily a bad thing when setting up for gaps, almost like an extra level of preload.

Steep- These trails provided plenty of situations where I felt a heightened sense of comfort over the rest but also less control in other situations. High-speed chatter is where the vertical flex seemed to increase comfort most over the length of a run. Steeper terrain, where more of my weight was centered over the front, is where the Trail 1 bar suffered, and I felt the front wheel was harder to control. I found that larger undulations became problematic when things got steep and holding a line felt increasingly difficult. 

Tech- Technical terrain feels like what the Crockett bar was made for. Consistent chatter with less frequent high-velocity impacts is where the best qualities of this bar shine. Most notably, I felt an increase in confidence holding a line turning across mind fields of rocks. None of the drawbacks were present on these trails.

With a lot of questions surrounding the Crockett bar from Trail One, the level of comfort I experienced on the first ride was a pleasant surprise. The separation of trail feedback to my hands was significant, and square edges felt much softer on this bar than what I am used to. Where the bar did suffer was under high levels of rider input and with a lot of weight over the front wheel, specifically on steep terrain with big undulations. On the flip side, lower angle chatter is where the Trail One bar offered the biggest benefit in wiggling through the bumps rather than trying to snatch the grips out of my hands. 

Trail One Crockett Overall Score

Vibration Damping: 9.3 out of 10

Steering Precision: 7 out of 10

Learn more at trailone.bike.

Shop the Trail One Crockett Carbon at Worldwide Cyclery and Amazon.

Back to Top

Deity Speedway

Deity may not be known for its carbon offerings, but they are known for making some of the highest-quality components on the market. The Speedway bar is no exception, with attention to detail throughout. The Speedway is a standalone option in the Deity handlebar lineup, offered in only a 30mm rise and 810mm width with a handful of color options. Intended for DH / Enduro / All Mountain / E-Bikes use, strength is the primary focus of the bar. 

Flow- Under high levels of rider input, the Speedway felt precise. The more rigid construction was beneficial for rapid movements on the bike by translating input through the bike without any noticeable unwanted movement. The front wheel never waivered off-line when tightening up turns, and I experienced no delay when manualing rollers or springing out of preload for larger gaps on trail. 

Steep- The Speedway stayed consistent when things got steeper and rougher. With more weight over the front of the bike and larger, higher velocity undulations to deal with, the firmer construction helped keep things composed. Having less vertical movement out of the bar meant my hands remained in a more predictable space, even when most of my weight was over the front of the bike. While this became slightly less comfortable at lower speed parts of the trail, the firmer flex characteristics of the bar helped maintain precise handling at higher speeds.

Tech-  Across rougher terrain littered with square edge hits, I could tell the Speedway was among the stiffer bars in the test but closer to the middle of the road rather than entirely on the side of stiff. As I expected, the Speedway maintained composure in heavier compressions, but across the chatter, it required a little more strength to keep on a line than some of the softer bar options. Successive hits at high speed resulted in the front wheel dancing around a bit and a lot of feedback through the bar with a slight edge taken off. 

Rather than creating a point for the bar to flex under vertical forces, Deity focuses more on the vibration-damping properties of carbon fiber as a material rather than the shape of the bar. With strength being the primary focus of the Speedway bar, it was one of the stiffer options in the test. What the Deity bar lacks in vertical flex and comfort in high-frequency chatter, it makes up for in impact resistance and support through high-velocity situations. This results in a bar with a precise response to rider input and translates into a smooth ramp in support upon flatter landings and heavier impacts.  

Deity Speedway Overall Score

Vibration Damping: 6.5 out of 10

Steering Precision: 8.3 out of 10

Learn more at deitycomponents.com.

Shop the Deity Speedway at Jenson USA and Competitive Cyclist.

Back to Top

ENVE M7

When I think of ENVE, I think of the highest-quality carbon products and manufacturing processes. Being early in the game of gravity-focused composite among other disciplines, they have more experience than most brands when it comes to making carbon fiber products. That experience shows through in the M7 handlebar and the approach taken by putting strength and responsiveness at the forefront of its design. ENVE offers the M7 bar in 10mm, 25mm, and 40mm rise options at an 800mm width with a decal sheet to match their wheel colors for the ultimate bling factor.

Flow- The flow trail in the test didn't have much in the form of rough terrain but still had enough chatter to get a feel for flex, and the Enve M7 doesn't have much. My hands started to feel slightly fatigued by the end of the relatively smooth lap. The trade-off is that the M7 is highly reactive to rider input without any noticeable unwanted movement, and my front wheel held a tight line through turns. Precision was the standout characteristic here. 

Steep- With very precise handling characteristics and little vertical flex, the ENVE bar felt right at home among the steeper terrain and heavier compressions. After struggling to hold lines on some of the softer bars, the M7 felt like I could place the front wheel exactly where I wanted it at any point. As expected, the primary drawback was hand fatigue again towards the end of the lap. 

Tech- While the M7 felt the most precise at the first two locations, it was the hardest to keep under control in technical terrain. The additional stiffness translated into the most feedback through the grips and was rather difficult to keep on line through the higher frequency vibrations. The stiffness of the M7 was beneficial for powering up and over features with little movement out of the bar, but it might be a bit much for everyday riding in such rough terrain.

By prioritizing strength and precision, it is no surprise this bar felt stiffer than the rest on trail and excelled at translating rider input into on-trail movements. Being a taller rider, the higher 40mm rise was appreciated, allowing me to stand slightly more upright on steep terrain, and the angles of the bar felt surprisingly familiar to my usual setup. Another benefit of steep terrain is how composed the bar remained through all high-velocity impacts with weight over the front, a tradeoff that required more strength to hold a line across high-frequency chatter. The M7 bar is a great option if factors like tire pressure, wheel stiffness, and suspension pressures are prioritized when looking to create compliance on trail because the bar does not offer much. 

ENVE M7 Overall Score

Vibration Damping: 4.6 out of 10

Steering Precision: 8.5 out of 10

Learn more at enve.com.

Shop the ENVE M7 at ENVE and Jenson USA.

Back to Top

Title FORM

The Title Form carbon bar started popping up on their athletes' bikes a couple of years ago and has been intriguing to me ever since. Seeing the uniquely shaped bar on so many freeride athletes' bikes raised the question of what characteristics it has and why they would be beneficial. Title products are designed around simplicity and strength to handle all forms of gravity (or anti-gravity) focused disciplines, from big mountain freeride to slopestyle and dirt jumping. The bar is offered in 25mm or 35mm rise options, features a sharp edge along the top, a flat face, and tapers from the stem clamping area out towards the control clamping area. It looks to be designed around handling vertical impacts, yet the Form carbon bar is claimed to be one of the softest bars on the market in terms of compliance.

Flow- On the flow trail covered with high input movements, the Form bar felt very responsive to input when manualing, pumping, and jumping. I felt very connected to the front wheel when linking turns with a direct translation of input through the bike. The few small bumps I encountered gave the initial impression of a minimal level of compliance and a fair amount of feedback through my hands. Landing off of jumps felt controlled, with not much vertical movement noticed.

Steep- The firmer feeling from the Title bar worked well on the terrain with higher forces/velocity involved. The level of ramp through the vertical movement of the bar did an excellent job controlling impacts and remained composed when pushing at a high speed. Even with more weight over the front of the bike, linking tight turns felt best where quicker input was warranted, and the handling felt precise. The firmer feeling from the bar did become a bit fatiguing at the end of longer laps, but it was bearable.

Tech- Handling felt precise on chattery terrain where the flex characteristics became more apparent with more rapid undulationssurprised from the trail. I did not experience much compliance out of the bar in the other terrain types but was surpirsed at how well it took the edge off the constant chatter in technical terrain. This helped maintain the precise handling characteristic I'd come to like about the Title bar. 

With claims around more supple flex characteristics than any other bar on the market, it was a bit of a head-scratcher how stiff the Title Form bar felt on the trail. It remained very well composed in steep terrain with bigger undulations but felt a bit fatiguing, controlled high-velocity impacts quite well from how stiff it felt, yet seemed to absorb high-speed chatter on lower-angle terrain. The only possible explanation I can think of would be the allowable range of movement of the bar being "bottomed out" for much of the testing done on steeper terrain and with a more forward posture. When brought to technical terrain where things are flatter but much rougher, the bar had a bit more room to move freely rather than having so much weight resting on it. Whatever the explanation may be, the standout characteristic of the Title Form across the board was consistently precise handling. 

Title FORM Overall Score

Vibration Damping- 6.7 out of 10

Steering Input- 8.3 out of 10

Learn more at titlemtb.com.

Shop the Title FORM at Worldwide Cyclery.

Back to Top

Deity Blacklabel

How my Setup Compares- As mentioned, I like a bar that feels consistent in all situations without beating up my hands, and so far the Deity Blacklabel has done that better than any other handlebar. While it may not feel as “soft” as some of the carbon options, aluminum 31.8mm bars generally allow for more vertical movement at the ends than carbon options do, but with a firmer flex profile. Being a heavier rider, I find this to be beneficial because it behaves more like suspension with a higher damping force to slow down velocities rather than a soft spring that finds bottom out easily. While this opinion is subjective to my riding style and bike setup, the Deity Blacklabel represents a perfect 10 out of 10 in my mind. While I like the consistent feeling, the only category I noticed a deficit in was the vibration damping properties in technical terrain, there is no denying that the softer carbon options improved comfort and confidence in these scenarios. 

Deity Blacklabel Overall Score

Vibration Damping: 9.6 out of 10

Steering Precision: 10 out of 10

Learn more at deitycomponents.com.

Shop the Deity Blacklabel at Jenson USA and Competitive Cyclist.

Back to Top

Test Results

I set out to understand how the performance claims of 35mm carbon handlebars would affect my ride experience when compared to the bars I usually run. When picking a favorite out of the group, it had to meet the criteria I look for in a handlebar and tie into my riding style. I prioritize consistency and precision when it comes to a bike's handling characteristics, and what I picked will reflect that. The bars that excelled in one category more than another generally came with a tradeoff in the opposite category. At the same time, some found a happy medium and more balanced attributes with a smaller bias towards one end than the other. The more balanced options reflect lower overall scores but a closer ratio between the two categories.

Most Comfortable

Trail One Crockett

Most Precise Handling

ENVE M7

Best Compliance-to-Precision Ratio

OneUp Carbon Bar

My Personal Pick

As mentioned, if factors like tire pressure, wheel stiffness, and suspension pressures are prioritized when looking to create compliance on trail, the stiffness of the ENVE M7 isn't much of an issue. These are all factors I prioritize in setting up a bike to be comfortable across a variety of terrains because they are all adjustable. When it comes to a handlebar, I prefer composure in the most hectic of situations. I want steering to remain precise and rider input to be translated in the most direct way through the bike. This is where ENVE excelled in the layup with the M7 bar, and it is the bar I found myself coming back to most when other bars would feel less composed. While it was a handful to hold onto for the trails in my own backyard in Phoenix, I ride a lot of different terrain throughout the year, and adjusting my suspension accordingly is the approach I take to handling such variety rather than bar stiffness. 

What's the Bottom Line?

When it comes to looking at a new handlebar, the options available offer a full spectrum of performance benefits and drawbacks when it comes to improving ride quality in one way or another. The beauty of carbon handlebars is being able to pick and choose which factors are prioritized most. If mitigating hand fatigue is a priority, the more compliant options may solve that; if lack of precision or composure is an issue, the stiffer options can improve on that end. Understanding the issue a rider may be looking to solve is important, and understanding a preferred riding style is equally important when considering any of these options. I may not be ditching my 31.8mm aluminum bars just yet, but experiencing the characteristics of each carbon bar gave me an understanding of how each bar can pair with each terrain type best.  

About The Tester

Jonathon Simonetti - Age: 30 // Years Riding MTB: 21 // Height: 6’4” (1.93m) // Weight: 230-pounds (104kg)

Jonny started mountain biking in 2003 after a trip to Northstar showed him how much more could be ridden on 26” wheels than on a BMX bike. He began racing downhill in 2004 and raced for 12 years until ultimately deciding having fun on a bike was more important than race results. After working as a mechanic in the industry for a few years and developing a deeper understanding of bikes inside and out, he has an aptitude for pairing his riding ability with the analysis of bikes and breaking down what makes them work well. He spends most of his time between trail rides and skatepark sessions, with occasional days on the downhill bike. 

Back to Top

View key specs, compare, and review handlebars in the Vital MTB Product section.