Muddy Brown's Blog: Fresh Goods Sunday - Brand-X Carbon Riser Bar

11 February 2024

Fresh Goods Sunday - Brand-X Carbon Riser Bar - 780mm x 25mm x 31.8mm

When I bought the Trek Marlin+ e mtb hardtail the standard factory handlebars were like massive cow horn risers. I don't ride with wide bars on any of my bikes as the type of terrain I ride I don't need the width. The other problem is I go through a lot of narrow gates / openings / bridges etc where I need a narrower bar. Yes I could cut them down but they were a low end alloy bar - Bontrager alloy, 31.8mm dia, 15mm rise, 750mm width.

I normally ride flat bars and I had some spare carbon ones so I fitted them but following on from last weeks Fresh Goods Sunday due to the short steerer tube and low stack stem the front end was too low for me and I could not add any spacers.

So it was back to a riser bar. I thought I had some spare carbon riser bars but I must have sold them or sold a bike with them left on. I had a look around the local bike shops and the internet to see what there was available at a reasonable price. I did want to spend mega bucks but wanted reasonable quality.

At the time Wiggle/CRC was going into liquidation and had a big sell off. They had some of their own Brand X carbon bars in stock. The rrp was £100 but I did not know if they were ever £100, the reviews on the bars were mainly excellent so thought I would give them a whirl. They arrived 48 hours later and the finish and quality looked spot on for the money. I opted for the 780mm wide x 25mm rise x 31.8mm stem clamp dia. I liked the suttle matt logos, end marks for cutting down and grippy finish to the stem clamp area inc angle marks.

I cut mine down to 680mm wide and fitting was simple enough. It takes longer to remove the brake levers / shifter and fork lock out than remove the stem face plate and swap over. The weight is very reasonable at 240g for the money.

After a few months of riding I find getting used to riser bars strange mainly due to the back sweep angle. They don't flex when out of the saddle honking up a hill. There is not much more I can say to be honest. They did come in 12, 25 & 38mm rise and two widths 780mm and 800mm but most options have sold out now.

Next week will be the last part of the Fresh Goods Sunday - Trek Marlin+ series.

RRP £99.99 and I paid £39.99 from CRC inc 48hr p&p. Discount 60%

Manufacturers Blurb -

This riser bar features a handcrafted carbon construction and a rigorously tested design, which gives you exceptional off-road steering performance at an affordable price. Hand built using high modulus graphite carbon fibre, this model combines both Uni-Directional (UD) and 3K weave to deliver a superior strength to weight ratio on the toughest rides. Brand-X has also used particle paint on the bar ends and clamp areas, which provides additional friction while also preventing slip.

Each handlebar is rigorously tested and is certified to ISO 4210-2.

Available in 3 risers - 12mm, 25mm and 38mm and two widths- 780mm and 800mm, depending on your riding style and preference, all in 31.8mm clamp.