Best known for its high-end wheelsets for all types of cycling, the German brand Newmen just dropped a complete lineup of brand-new carbon mountain bike handlebars. Newmen’s new Phase handlebars cover all the disciplines from XC to DH, with multiple rise, width, and clamp diameter options, and weights starting as low as 166 grams.
Newmen breaks the mold with its Phase handlebars featuring a unique geometry with steeper-than-average 8° upsweep, which it claims provides a more natural wrist position. Perhaps even more interesting is the optional VariGrip System (VGS), a threaded design that allows for 50mm of cut-free width adjustment, as many times as you want.
Newmen Phase Handlebars Details
Newmen’s new Phase lineup includes carbon handlebars designed for all disciplines, from cross-country to downhill. Weights reportedly start as low as 166 grams (760mm wide, 10mm rise, 31.8mm clamp), which is competitive with similar options like the Race Face Era SL at a claimed 170 grams. Claimed weights go up from there but stay relatively light, topping out at 209 grams (760-810mm VGS, 40mm rise, 35mm clamp).
The XC-Trail-oriented version comes in a fixed 760mm or the adjustable 710-760mm VGS width, in 10mm or 25mm rise. The Enduro-DH-oriented version comes in a fixed 800mm or adjustable 760-810mm VGS width with 25mm or 40mm rise. All of the variants are available in 31.8mm and 35mm clamp diameters. Unlike some lightweight carbon handlebars, the Phase bars do not have a system weight limit, and Newmen says they’ve been tested in-house to their own standards, which exceed official specifications.
Tech Specs
- Intended use: XC to DH
- Material: Carbon
- Clamp diameter: 31.8 mm / 35 mm
- Weight: Starting at 166 g
- Width: 760 mm (XC-Trail) / 800 mm (Enduro-DH)
- Width with VGS: 710–760 mm (XC-Trail) / 760–810 mm (Enduro-DH)
- Rise: 10, 25 or 40 mm
- Backsweep / upsweep: 8° / 8°
- Maximum system weight: No limit
8° Upsweep
Newmen says it has equipped the new Phase handlebars with its “proven handlebar geometry” with 8° back sweep and 8° upsweep. The standout number here is the 8° upsweep, which is about 3° steeper than is typical on most mountain bike handlebars. Newmen says this extra-upsweep geometry achieves a more natural wrist position, allowing for “aggressive descending positions without unnatural wrist angles, while maintaining enhanced comfort in more neutral positions.”
VariGrip System
Newmen’s patented VariGrip System (VGS) is an option when purchasing Phase handlebars. We’ve seen adjustable-width handlebars before from other brands, including the Ibis LoFi and HiFi, but Newmen’s VGS appears to be well executed and quite light. The VGS bars come in two widths, 710- 760 mm and 760- 810 mm, both of which offer 50mm of width adjustment without cutting the bar.
The VariGrip System uses threaded inserts at the ends of the handlebars and matching threaded components in the grip. To adjust the length, you simply loosen the grip’s lockring, screw the grip in or out to the desired width using the measurement markings on the handlebar, then tighten the lockring back down. You can adjust the width down to the millimeter within its range as many times as you want.
The VariGrip System requires the use of Newmen grips designed to interface with the threaded inserts in the handlebar. The brand has developed three grips for the system: Resia, Slat, and Blok, with different diameters, patterns, profiles, compounds, and colors to suit varying needs and preferences. According to the Newmen website, the VGS grips all weigh in the neighborhood of 110 grams a pair, which may add a bit of weight to the system.
Pricing and Availability
Newmen’s new Phase handlebars are priced at €160 for the XC-Trail version and €165 for the Enduro-DH versions. Interestingly, the bars are priced the same with or without the VariGrip System. All of the VGS-compatible grips are listed at €22. Check it all out on the Newmen website.
