Following in the footsteps of last year’s redesigned Era & Turbine handlebars’ improved compliance and comfort, the new Race Face Era 55 adds more rise for even more comfort and control.
They say it’s the first high-rise carbon handlebar with intentional flex and fatigue-reducing compliance vibration damping designed into it. And high-rise it is, with a whopping 55mm rise.
Why so high?
High-rise bars are becoming more popular. Race Face says their 40mm rise is outselling the 20mm rise now. And so they tried something taller and found that going a little higher has extra benefits.
Counterintuitively, they say it helps you feel more “in” the bike than “on” it, despite giving you a more upright riding position for long-term comfort. And it provides more control on the descents, allowing you to have more elbow bend to absorb impacts.
It gets the same GL “Goldilocks” tune, with a round shape that provides more consistent flex in a wider range of mounting angles, just like the lower-rise options introduced last year. Check out that story for all the tech details, but the short of it is this:
Flex bars with ovalized sections work great, but because of the ovalization they have a much narrower range of adjustment. Race Face’s round design delivers flex in a wider range, so you have more leeway to rotate your bars how you like them without diminishing the benefits.
Specs & Pricing
Era 55 handlebar specs are:
- 55mm rise
- 60mm clamp
- 780mm and 800 mm widths
- Trimmable to 760mm
- 230g (800mm)
- Six color options
- eMTB approved
- MSRP $169 USD / $210 CAD / €170 EU / $249 AUD
Between the Era (carbon) and Turbine (aluminum) handlebar lines, you now have 14 width, rise, and material options to fine-tune your cockpit.
