Syntace Vector low rise 16d Handlebar

I was pretty happy with my “Mary” bars and having good results with it, but two events occurred that prompted me to look into some different bars. One- I bought a new pair to put on the singlespeed and noticed a sticker that said “For urban use only-not intended for mountain bike use.” Indeed, they are listed under Origin 8’s “Urban” section, but heck they are modeled after the original On-One Mary bars that are meant for mountain use and a lot people including me are using them for mountain just fine, but I guess maybe they’ve had some break under mountain use and just wanted to cover their rear by putting that disclaimer on there. Two- a teammate started a discussion about bar sweep on the forum. To me his question was a bit mis-categorized. He was using a 3 degree flat bar and was wondering if he would notice the difference going to 5 degrees. To answer his question, no, you probably wouldn’t notice any difference. But he should’ve been asking whether he would notice the difference between 3 degrees and 9 or 10. A lot of manufacturers have caught on that more sweep is more ergonomic. One can find a lot of bars with 9-12 degrees of sweep these days. One problem with using a bar with more sweep is that you have to use a longer stem since the bar is brought closer to you. That, and people are habits of creature and the herd mentality. If pros are using flat bars and they’ve been using flat bars ever since they started riding, well then, a flat bar must the best thing to use. It’s too bad such people aren’t a little more open minded. But back on topic, that got me looking into more of these 12 degree sweep bars. I knew Syntace made some and my research on their products revealed that they even made a 16 degree bar. I ordered the first one I could find from my shop. I put it on Big Tex (the full suspension) about a week before the 12 hour race and spent a few days trying to find a longer stem that felt right. I found a used one at East Side Peddle Pushers for $12 that felt good. My calculations told me I would probably need to switch from a 110mm to a 130mm to account for the difference, but the one I ended up getting was about a 125mm, so I’d say anywhere from 10-20mm extra in stem length should do the trick. A 12 hour race is admittedly the worst race to try out a new setup, but I had faith in the product and wasn’t afraid to test it in the heat of battle. I ended up riding 8 of my 17 laps on this bike and am happy to report that the bars felt great. Since the first 9 laps were on the hardtail with the Mary bars, I could feel my wrists yearning for that extra 10 degrees of sweep, but at the same time the bars felt more like a mountain bike handlebar should. That was one phenomena I was never able to explain with the Mary bars. They always felt comfortable, but they didn’t always feel “racey”. This vector bar feels like a solid compromise. The aluminum version I bought weighs in at a respectable 268 grams and can be had for around $45 retail. They do make a carbon version at 190 grams and around $130 retail, but honestly, the aluminum feels just fine and is a great value. They come stock at a very wide 700mm, but they have convenient tick marks to cut them down to 580 if you like them narrow. I usually like a narrow bar, but their site recommended trying them wide and if you just don’t like it to move your grips in until you find a good width. Stop counting the grams on your parts and start enjoying better ergonomics. It’s ironic how a lighter part can actually make you slower if it impedes comfort or malfunctions during a race. Don’t be afraid to try new things, especially if your wrists/forearms hurt after a hard ride. Caveman rating

4 out of 5 overall

5 out of 5 for value