Test: The steering center plays a special role in the handling of a bike. It often determines the position of the rider over the bike. For this reason, the decision regarding a new handlebar-stem combination should not be taken lightly.
With the Gap we have been using a combination from Gravity, the subsidiary of FSA, for the past few weeks and have put it through its paces in a familiar environment.
Both the handlebars and the stem come in a simple black and convince with a great shiny surface finish. White decals only reveal which house the two components come from and so you do without ornate decorations.
The stem is 60 millimeters long and has an eight-degree rise. Leaning stems can have their advantages. Depending on your preferences, you can ride it with a negative or positive inclination and thus adjust the pressure on the handlebars and, above all, the pressure on the front wheel, or decide what works best for you. The transition from the head tube clamp to the handlebar clamp is particularly well done in an optically pleasantly simple way. A slim, milled neck leads to the 31,8 millimeter thick handlebar clamp, in which the handlebar is supposed to be held in place.
The handlebar makes a solid impression. With a height of 25 millimeters and a backsweep of nine degrees, no big experiments were made. The width of the handlebar limits its intended use somewhat. At just 710 millimeters, this is quite narrow, but should still fit perfectly with an enduro bike and provide the necessary handling. Manufactured from durable, butted 6061/T6 aluminum it is designed to withstand even the toughest loads.
The simple design is also reflected in the functionality of the Gap combination. While other manufacturers try to design very independent clamps, Gravity remains true to the tried and tested method and uses four screws and a rather massive front cover. What is noticeable when mounting is the missing corrugation on the handlebars. The smooth surface tends to let the handlebars slip and so you have to tighten the stem extremely tight to hold everything together. The same goes for the handles.
For our test we decided to mount the stem upside down so that the front is a little lower and there is more pressure on the front wheel. The shape of the handlebars and stem harmonize perfectly. At 336 grams, the handlebar is undoubtedly not one of the lightest, but it still convinces with very good stability and little flex. Despite the relatively narrow width of 710 millimeters, the driver gets good handling.
Conclusion
The Gravity Gap combination has its strengths in the price-performance ratio. For a small budget you get solid components that not only look chic but are also very durable. However, this is reflected in the weight and therefore neither the handlebars nor the stem are lightweight. In use, the combination convinces us, but we would like the handlebars to be a few centimeters wider.
product Highlights
- plain optics
- comfortable crank
- Handlebar quite narrow
price and web
- 29,90 euros – handlebars
- 35,90 euros – stem
- www.ridegravity.com