We love stumbling across unique items at Interbike…. especially those that are so simple that you wonder why it took so long for somebody to try it. Fouriers showed us the new Control Bend Bars, with a slight arch in the grip area, that claim to reduce hand fatigue. They also had the new Stash Stem and Bars with Di2 routing and “first of their kind” features. Plus some new oval and narrow-wide ring options for Shimano and Sram.
Head around the bend to see what Fouriers has been up to…..
Fouriers puts a twist bend in what we have grown to accept as standard as far as handlebars go. There are several various handle bar sweeps as well as round and ergonomic grips out there that try to conform our not so flat hands to, in essence, a flat tube. Just like all the other “standards” out there, we’ve always just accepted it. Chris Sullivan, Fouriers’ Brand Ambassador was curious as to how a bar that conformed to the natural arch of your palm would feel. One problem some have with paddle or “ergonomic” grips on a bike that they do a lot of technical descending on is that it never feels right in both standing and seated positions.
Initially before trying it, I admit I was a little skeptical. Handlebars have always been straight, and I never thought about it twice. When placing my hand on the Control Bend Bar, it surprisingly didn’t feel awkward, and if anything, it drove my curiosity even further. It was still round but like arch supports in shoes, it contoured to the natural shape of my hand when in a clinched position. The idea behind it is to keep constant, even pressure on your palm so it’s not acting like a leaf-spring when riding over rough terrain, thus reducing fatigue. The one limiting factor is that you can only use grips that are flexible to conform to the bend.
Speaking of bars, Fouriers has new alloy and carbon Stash Bars that work as a system with their Stash Stem *below. The bars are drilled in the center and just a little inside of the grip area to keep everything tidy.
The Stash Stem is pretty unique in its own right. Sure it also has Di2 porting for exiting the Di2 wiring from inside the bars to outside the stem, but the top cover and adjustable lower adjusting nut are what really stands out. The lower nut replaces the headset spacers while also setting the bearing compression between the fork, stem and frame. The top cover… is just a cover. They’ve claimed to not have any problems with it coming loose so we’re curious to get this in our hands to try out.
Also new are Fouriers new *round narrow-wide rings that are compatible with SRAM direct mount and both of Shimano’s XTR M9000 & XT M8000 cranksets. They also have oval rings for the two Shimano standards and have a SRAM direct mount in the works.
Those bars really interest me, but it wouldn’t appear you could cut them down without destroying the bend. The bars are 760mm/30in; I ride 650mm/25.5in. I’d essentially be cutting off the entire bend. Any word if they plan to offer multiple widths?
Interesting. Hand fatigue is a constant battle. I would love to test the bars (on someone else’s bike).
Hey Ryan, Yes we have a 680mm version, and I would say trimming 10mm off each end would not be terrible. From the bend in the center of the grip area to the end of the bar, you have about 60mm to play with.
Sully @ Fouriers NW
Stop by Pine Mountain Sports in Bend, we always have demo bars (some on bikes) available.
“those that are so simple that you wonder why it took so long for somebody to try it. ”
I don’t wonder why it took so long – it didn’t. Haro had a similar product in 1991 (no one used it except OEM Haro bikes because it had a then-propitiatory 31.8mm bar clamp and only fit their stems). Pretty sure I’ve seen at least one other company, probably mentioned on here even, that’s tried it.
These days, the 2 big issues are obviously you can’t really cut them down, and you can’t use lock on grips. The latter part is a deal-killer for me.
The stem is awesome. It would be great to get rid of the spacers and having the star nut etc.
Those bars are nothing new, it was done 20+ years ago
Taken straight from Powerlite BMX handlebars.
Powerlite started making bmx bars with those bends in the early 80s. I believe they went out of business in the early 90s. They were the best bmx bars IMO.
Hey cool those Di2 cable routing holes are incredible. Amazing the way tech is moving forward at staggering pace these days.
I had Powerlite bars back in the day! Probably 1986’ish. After using those, straight bars felt so weird.
Yup i. Haros Wingbars had his bend in the early 90s, along with an oversize clamp diameter.
True, a handlebar with a bend seems destined to be a niche product despite the fact that it may be better than ‘normal’ bars. I’d love to see this as OEM but it’s too risky for product managers
I have a Simple Pleasures Gnar Bar on one of my bikes. Same deal as this bar, but I think Simple Pleasures went out of business… if that tells us anything about curved bars.
Yep, had those similar bends on my Powerlite pro bars. I agree with others, best bars I ever had. It must have been around 1984 or 1985 when I had them.
Eh, those bars look exactly like the “wrist breaker” position I refer to some bars as having. They may feel great on the palms, but what about the wrist?
That headset preload collar is a really interesting idea for carbon steerer tubes.
That stem and bar are just Taiwanese copies of the PRO Tharsis components. Not new and definitely not unique. Better try the original PRO one that has been tested for some years now
http://www.pro-bikegear.com/en-gb/tharsis-xc-tharsis-trail/
I had some Roox bars with a bend about 15 years ago and remember loving them. Surprised it’s not been tried again until now.
http://crev.vo.llnwd.net/o42/mtbreview/images/products/product_351967.jpg
Powerlite bars were the best, I’m glad that someone is bringing the concept to mtb bars.
These are the newest versions of the Gnar Bars.
… And if your wrists are bent all crazy, while riding, your body geometry is screwy and you need to adjust yourself. These bars are designed to keep your wrists straight’ish from your elbows to your fingertips on the brake levers. And actually poise your elbows out so you can absorb impact better.
… And yes, big thanks to Powerlite, absolutely the inspiration.