There are many things that make a great bike pump, including efficient design, high quality materials, and user-friendliness. A well-designed...
Best Mountain Bike Handlebars of 2023
- Updated June 15, 2022
-
By Annabelle Ritter
Home > Reviews > Components > Handlebars and Stems > Best Mountain Bike Handlebars of 2023
Unlike many other online retailers, we don’t accept free products from manufacturers. To ensure that our editors independently research and test the best items on offer in order to help you make an informed decision about your purchase – without any bias or judgment!
When it comes to mountain biking, having the right handlebars can make all the difference. Whether you’re competing in a race or just enjoying some casual trail riding, the handlebars need to provide stability and control while also being comfortable and easy to maneuver. There are many different kinds of handlebars available, each with their own unique advantages and disadvantages. Some mountain bikers favor flat, wide bars that give them more leverage over their bike, while others prefer narrower bars that allow for sharper turns.
Ultimately, what matters most is finding the bars that best suits your individual style and preferences. So if you want to take your biking to the next level, be sure to invest in a set of high-quality handlebars that will help you reach your full riding potential.
Universally regarded as maybe the very best of the best performance focused handlebars money can buy right now, particularly for those that do not want to have to spend a small fortune on their new handlebars, the performance that these options offer is right up there with handlebar options that cost two or three times as much.
The bars have just the right amount of back sweep to help keep elbows tucked in, making it easier to lean and control mtb bikes in the middle of tight turns at high speeds.
They are a little bit on the wider side of things and a bit heavier than most other options on the market today, but the 9° sweep makes them feel quite a bit smaller and the extra weight adds a lot more strength and stability to these handlebars than what you get with thinner options.
This company has been responsible for turning out some of the most impressive mountain bike racing accessories and aftermarket components, and these Atlas FR handlebars are no exception.
Manufactured entirely out of 100% cold drawn air alloy metals and materials – seamless materials – these handlebars are ridiculously strong, lightweight, and feature new ultralow and ultra wide Riser geometry.
This helps to lock off-road racers into the correct position by reducing cockpit height, but it also works to lower the overall front end of off-road racing bicycles as well for improved performance and stability. These are some of the best designed and most comfortable to use aftermarket handlebars on the market today, handlebars used by professionals and amateurs looking to get the most performance out of their mountain bike as humanly possible.
Plenty of people swap these MTB handlebars out to every new bike they own and for good reason.
UPANBIKE Mountain Bike Road Bike Handlebar
While these mountain bike handlebars aren’t going to win any performance awards anytime soon they do help you to maintain a better commuting posture on mountain bikes that otherwise do not have that kind of positioning.
Very inexpensive but still well-made, these mountain bike handlebars can be installed on pretty much any mountain bike made in the last 20 years without any headache or hassle whatsoever. The positioning you’ll have when these handlebars have been put in place is very much more upright than what the best mountain bike racers would expect, but it is an ideal position for those that are going to be using their mountain bike for commutes more often than not.
The best thing about these bars is that they are made out of a single piece of aluminum alloy material which makes them ridiculously lightweight. They definitely made riding your bike more comfortable, especially during your commute.
For 100% carbon fiber handlebars the price on these upgrades is almost too good to be true, and when you combine that with the dramatic improvement in performance you’ll see by switching to these carbon fiber handlebars this becomes a no-brainer kind of upgrade.
A Riser style handlebar that repositions your overall posture on the bike, helping you to get into a more race and performance focused position compared to the often very upright commuter style position most mountain bikes come with right out-of-the-box, you’ll be amazed at the dramatic weight reduction of this 100% carbon fiber set up and how it improves the way your bike feels and responds.
A hot-swap with your handlebars is possible, though some folks find the tapered end to be a little bit difficult for handlebar components for your bicycle that have oversized grips. That may be something that you want to look into before you pull the trigger on these upgrades.
These handlebars are very affordable for what they bring to the table, featuring a 100% aluminum alloy construction that also has hard anodizing to protect them for years and years to come.
Comfortable and lightweight, these handlebars feature an ergonomic design that is not going to change your overall riding position too much – though it is done in a rising style that will have you slightly shift to a more forward and performance focused position.
The positioning and posture change not as severe or as pronounced with other performance-focused Riser handlebars, however, so you shouldn’t feel too out of place on your bicycle after you make the switch to these handlebars.
These handlebars are about as close to a multipurpose/Swiss Army knife-style as you are going to find on the market today. They fit mountain bikes, road bikes, and long-distance Mountain travel bikes without any headache or hassle.
Those looking to almost totally change the way that they are postured on their racing focused mountain bike are going to find everything they could ever want from a set of handlebars and then some with these particular options.
A lot of mountain bike racers that previously felt they were to hunched over and overreaching with their stock set up are going to find everything right where it should be with these Riser style bars, bars that allow performance focused racers to shift a lot of the weight that used to be put on their wrists and hands back into their core for dramatically improved performance almost immediately.
A 10° slant works with almost all racers, and because they are available in both 40 mm and 60 mm sizes dialing in just the right amount of rising and just the right amount of cant becomes almost effortless.
Those that not only want to improve the way that their mountain bike looks but also the way that it performs – whether racing or not – are going to find a lot to fall in love with in these particular handlebars.
Made out of aluminum alloy 7005 compared to the more traditional 6061, you’re going to get dramatic improvements in strength to weight ratio as well as overall stability with these handlebars. On top of that, the construction process to produce these handlebars revolves around DB tube drawing technology that makes sure the thickness of the handlebar wall is evenly distributed where the forces applied to it are going to be strongest.
Suitable really only for XC/AM/FR mountain bikes there may be some adaptability issues that you bump into should you choose to go in this direction, but if you have those style bikes that can accommodate these handlebars you’d have to be a little crazy not to at least consider them.
Table of Contents
When it comes to mountain biking, having the right handlebars can make all the difference. Whether you’re competing in a...
If you’re like most people, your bike is an important part of your life. It’s a great way to stay...
There are a lot of different factors to consider when choosing the best road bike. The type of terrain you’ll...
It’s no secret that BMX riders love doing tricks. From big air stunts to technical manuals, there’s a trick for...
At the heart of any great bike light is a high-quality design that produces a bright, clear beam. While there...
There’s a lot to consider when picking out the best cycling shorts for you. Some factors include the type of...
We all know that riding your bike can be a great way to get exercise and enjoy the outdoors, but...
Biking is a great way to stay healthy and have fun outside. If you’re cycling, then you’ll need the right...
