Reviewed: Easton Haven Stem and Haven Carbon Bar

By Eddie Clark
If you’re looking for some sweet cockpit hardware for your all-mountain ride, the Easton Haven Carbon Bar and Haven Stem combo may be right up your alley. This combination, priced at $100 for the stem and $150 for the bar, provide incredibly strong and reliable steering that is sure to help you rail your favorite singletrack instead of cart-wheeling off it.
The Haven Carbon bar and stem combo sport some slick and consistent graphics that just look fast. With a combined weight of 323 grams for the bar (170g) and stem (153g for tested 85mm length), even the uber cross-country weight weenies will be jealous.

The Haven Carbon bar and stem combo sport some slick and consistent graphics that just look fast. With a combined weight of 323 grams for the bar (170g) and stem (153g for tested 85mm length), even the uber cross-country weight weenies will be jealous.

Additionally, the impeccable CNC machine work on the stem and enhanced composite material with refined Taperwall butting in the bar create a combination that lightens the all-mountain load when it’s time for the uphill, so you can have that extra post ride beverage or morning donut
guilt-free.
The 9 degrees of bend paired with 5 degrees of upsweep, 20mm of rise, and a 711mm width put your hands in the right position to point your ride where it needs to go without cramping your wrist.

The 9 degrees of bend paired with 5 degrees of upsweep, 20mm of rise, and a 711mm width put your hands in the right position to point your ride where it needs to go without cramping your wrist.

Because of the highly-engineered materials used in the Haven combo, the days of gorilla fisting your stem bolts tight are long-gone. With that said, Easton does an excellent job of providing informative step-by-step directions on the proper installation of this stem and bar combination on their website. Whenever possible, use a torque wrench to properly torque all the bolts on this stem in the proper sequence. I ran the combo atop a Marzocchi 55 160mm travel fork and there was no flexing or wincing when my lines got bad- just point-and-shoot precision that was always there when I needed it.
Top Lock Technology is pretty simple in application, and the arrow makes it easy to know which side is up when mounting the stem face plate. The real value gained is from eliminating unequal stress points on the bar which can lead to handlebar failure.

Top Lock Technology is pretty simple in application, and the arrow makes it easy to know which side is up when mounting the stem face plate. The real value gained is from eliminating unequal stress points on the bar which can lead to handlebar failure.

Conclusion
I really like this bar and stem and think Easton significantly took
craftsmanship, performance and weight savings to the next level for
all-mountain riding with this newest Haven edition. There may be
cheaper bar/stem alternatives, but they’re not lighter or as functional,
since this set up works without fail when it comes to getting more out
of your riding. Noticeably, the carbon bars take the sting off
sharp edged hits that a stiffer aluminum bar would transmit into your body, which was greatly appreciated during
several four-hour rides in demanding rocky terrain. On the trail, the
bar feels right in the hands and on the wrists, and the stem provides
inspiring torsional rigidity.

Have you ridden Easton Products?
Review them in the Vital MTB Product Guide