Bike Build Story: The basic structure of our XC racing file is now in place. frame, Gabel, Drive, wheels, tyres and Brakes we have already presented in detail. Today we are devoting ourselves to an often extremely underestimated area of the bike - the cockpit. It's not just weight and appearance that count here, but above all ergonomics. We rely on a combination of Haero Carbon and Hope.
The path to the right bike is often rocky and long. Everyone probably knows the problems: After a few hours in the saddle, you feel a pinch, your back hurts, your fingers go numb or your wrists feel like a worn-out pepper mill from grandma's attic. Sure, many problems can be solved with appropriately targeted training, but often the key to a suitable seat and grip position is also or primarily in the cockpit.
Several factors come into play here - on the one hand, the general handlebar or stem height, which is partly specified by the frame, but can still be corrected accordingly using spacers under the stem. Then of course stem length and inclination, handlebar width, as well as backsweep and rise. Last but not least, the handles can also make a difference. So many factors – the whole thing becomes even more complicated because the individual values influence each other.
So it's incredibly difficult to give general tips here or to evaluate the ergonomics of individual components, since this of course also depends very much on the frame, the seating position and the individual anatomy. Of course, experience helps here on the one hand, and on the other hand testing different setups doesn't hurt to really feel the differences first-hand. A bike fitting is certainly money well spent for ambitious riders.
The handlebar: Haero Carbon H.125 XC SL
100% Made in Germany - where else can you find that in the bicycle sector today? But that's exactly what the noble Haero Carbon H.125 XC SL handlebars are all about. From product development through production to the very last finishing touch, every step takes place in-house on German soil. Haero Carbon is a subsidiary of Swabian Alfred Härer Werkzeugbau GmbH, which has been producing high-quality molds and tools for the automotive industry for decades. Thanks to this know-how and the corresponding technical equipment, it is possible to produce the products yourself, from the first draft to the finished component.
In view of this frame history, the price of €199 for the handlebars we have selected is extremely fair, not to say inexpensive. Other manufacturers charge similar prices for mass-produced carbon products in the Far East. Those who can do without "Made in Germany" will find a handlebar that is largely identical in construction with the Haero Carbon H.125 XC, which is made in Asia and weighs a few grams more, a cheaper alternative in the Swabian range.
Low weight and maximum stability?
In our case, the 740mm wide handlebar weighed exactly 130g and was therefore only two grams above the manufacturer's specification of 128g - great. But if you get a stomach ache and doubts about stability with such a light handlebar, you can rest easy: Haero Carbon even approves the handlebar for tough enduro use - even if its dimensions are probably out of place there and enduro riders are better off with the H .175 ED SL resort.
With a width of 740mm, the handlebar should be pretty much in the range of what is standard on most XC and marathon bikes these days. But if you prefer it a little shorter, you can easily shorten the handlebars yourself thanks to the integrated sawing aids and thus even save a few grams.
Weight: 130g
clamping size: 31,8 mm
Width: 740 mm
Rise: 0 mm
backsweep: Inline
Price: € 199
However, the handlebar width is not even half the truth: Backsweep and rise are at least as important. Let's start at the back: We decided on a classic flat bar without risers for our fast race bike. This is also a matter of taste and is not seen as dogmatically even in the World Cup circus as it was ten years ago, when a riser handlebar on an XC bike was almost unthinkable. But the low handlebars definitely have their advantages – of course, they lower the entire cockpit and put the rider in a sporty, stretched-out seating position with a decent saddle elevation. This is good for the aerodynamics and you also put a lot of pressure on the pedals.
The backsweep of a handlebar is often wrongly swept under the table: This means the bend backwards that almost all modern handlebars can show. How come? This mainly has to do with the hand position while driving. In the best case, the forearms form a straight line up to the hands - this prevents numbness in the fingers. A completely straight handlebar would, in most cases, cause the hands to bend outwards. With an 8° backsweep, the HC is in the standard range and should hit the sweet spot for most drivers.
[accordions type=”toggle” handle=”arrows” space=”no” icon_color=”#” icon_current_color=”#”]The stem: Haero Carbon ST.110
The stem also comes from Haero Carbon, which, contrary to the manufacturer's name, is not made of carbon but of aluminum. This is not too surprising, because although carbon handlebars are now de rigueur from a certain price or weight range, carbon MTB stems are still exotic and extremely expensive. This is mainly due to the complex demands that MTB use places on the component: The clamps on the head tube and handlebars should be gentle and strong at the same time, rigidity in all directions is extremely important for driving behavior and one thing is clear: stability is still a must be before the highest maxim. In order to fulfill these specifications with a carbon stem, extremely complex processes and high-quality material are required - with manageable weight savings. That's why aluminum is still the building material of choice here.
The Haero Carbon ST.110 shows that such good weights can be achieved: In the 90mm length we chose, the scales stopped at just 112g. Aluminum doesn't get any easier than that - and at €69, the stem doesn't make a big dent in your wallet. The clamps do not require any exotic new designs and are rather traditional in design: two screws on the shaft face four on the handlebars.
The grips: Hope Lock On SL
The handles on our racing plane come from England: Like all Hope products, the Hope Lock On SL are made entirely in Great Britain and look quite inconspicuous at first glance. The round shape should suit many riders because it is much more neutral than preformed "ergo grips", which cause more problems for many riders than they solve.
But Hope wouldn't be Hope if you hadn't considered a few special features when it came to the handles. This starts with the effectively usable width of 135mm - on paper many other grips are just as wide, but in practice it looks different, since the grip area itself only extends from lockring to lockring. It's different with Hope: Here the clamping rings are under the rubber compound - clever! Speaking of compound: This is nice and soft, very handy, almost sticky, but overall it is quite thin - so if you are looking for a sofa handle, you will have to look elsewhere.
Our white pair weighed 97 grams and is therefore slightly above the manufacturer's specification, but is still one of the light lock-on grips. A gram or two could be saved with push-on handles, but experience has shown that, especially when racing, where you can't choose the weather and it can sometimes get really wet, push-on handles tend to get twisted and pose a real safety risk. For us personally, the 40 or 50 grams of extra weight in the clamping rings is well spent extra weight. The Hope grips cost €32,50 in stores.