For those who may not be familiar with Kore, the mountain bike component company has been around since 1988. I still remember my first serious, full-suspension Cannondale Super V 2000 that I tricked out with a Kore stem and bar. Of course times change and so do product lines – these days Kore offers an extensive component line including wheelsets, cranks, bars, stems, pedals and a super cool I-Beam saddle and seatpost.

KORE’s products are very extensive and I urge you to take a peek at the website since I didn’t have time to take photos of all their products at Interbike last week. The photo above shows some of the bars that will be available in 2011. The 800mm Torsion bar is definitely a wide bar but it can be cut down to 680mm which should cover nearly everyone’s preference for bar width. The Torsion is offered in two models: the Race (made from 2014 series aluminum) and a 6061 series aluminum bar. The weight difference between the two is about 40 grams.

All the Kore wheel sets are handbuilt and the photo above shows just two examples. The Torsion wheel on the right is 32mm wide, made from 6066 AL and tough as nails. Featuring Sandvik spokes and 14-gauge spokes, these wheels are built for the big hits.

Kore’s T-Rail (TRT) saddle is very unique in the way it attaches to the Kore seatpost shown above. What I personally love about this post and saddle is the strength and range of adjustment it offers. There is a full 55mm of fore and aft movement and it takes literally seconds to adjust and hold firm.

Check out KORE’s website when you can for the rest of the product line and to see all the other cool colors that are available. Look for a few reviews of these products in the coming year…

http://www.kore-usa.com/

After seeing more than one set of super wide 800mm bars at Interbike, element22 and I were having a conversation that went something like this:

element22: Wow, 800mm bars – that’s gotta be as wide as it gets.
trek7k: I dunno, next thing you know someone will come out with 820mm so they’re just a little wider than everyone else. It’s an arms race.

Fast forward to later in the day and our meeting with Sean from Ritchey / Syncros. Strolling around the booth I literally knocked a set of bars off the display and immediately element22 recognized the gag: 1000mm handlebars (1 meter or 39.37 inches for those who aren’t up on the metric system). Sean assured us the bars were created just as a conversation piece but I’m not so sure. Apparently the feedback from some younger riders was that they’d be interested in giving the 1000mm bars a try. Add to that the fact that the bar was produced with thicker walls for added strength – at the very least someone will be riding with these babies to see how they feel on the bike. What do you think – how wide is too wide for mountain bike handlebars?

Aside from the gag bars, Syncros unveiled a totally innovative (and patented) mountain bike stem called the FRIC. The “Intelligent Clamp” design wraps 260-degrees around the bar (unlike traditional 180-degree stem clamps) to reduce bar stress and increase fatigue strength. Reduced bar stress is a great thing for anyone who runs carbon bars but is wary of over-torquing things. Of course this means most bars will need to be threaded through the stem on installation but that’s a small price to pay. The stem also sports a centered steer tube slot which means improved bolt clearance. The whole package weighs just 124 grams – sweet.

Stems and bars are certainly interesting but what really caught my eye was the new 29er fork from Syncros. From a distance the rigid carbon fork looks like a standard suspension fork – but one that’s been blacked out for stealth early-product testing. Most of the rigid, carbon mountain bike forks I’ve seen look like they belong on a road bike but this one definitely fits the scene. I’m hoping to get a few test rides in on one of these in the near future – stay tuned for more…

The company also showed off updated wheels (including 29er hoops), pedals, and hubs. Honestly we could have spent all day drooling over the latest stuff at the Ritchey / Syncros booth.

Ritchey / Syncros has a great reputation for innovative design and solid products and the line-up for 2011 certainly doesn’t disappoint. Where will the company push the boundaries next?

Today’s fastest MTB racers are choosing increasingly wider handlebars in an effort to improve leverage and control. Gravity racers are also demanding low rise or flat bars which allow the rider to get into a low, powerful position. Syncros understands this and offers the FR 31 bar for extreme riders looking for maximum width and minimum rise.

If you look around the pits at a DH race, you’ll find that most racers run bars 710-785mm wide with 0-1” of rise. These days most DH race bikes are equipped with either the Chromag Fubar OSX, Raceface Atlas, Sunline V1 or Truvative BooBar handlebars bolted to the front end. Syncros aims take some market share from these 4 companies with the FR 31 handlebar. At 315 grams these bars are around 10% heavier than the competition but at just $66.95 MSRP, the FR 31 is $20-50 less expensive than the others.

Looking at the bars, the first thing that strikes you is the width. At 790mm (31 inches), this is the widest bar on the market which translates into unparalleled leverage and control. Every rider I talk to who has switched to wide bars likes the extra control and refuses to go back to narrower bars. Of course if you just can’t get used to that much leverage or if you regularly ride trails with really closely spaced trees, you can always cut the bars to size.

The Ride

There’s a reason why all the top racers are running wide bars like these. It took me about an hour of ride time to get used to the FR 31 bars but after that I was launching jumps higher, pinning corners faster, pumping rollers better, pedaling harder, and rolling through rough terrain more easily.

No matter the terrain, your bike will feel more stable with these ultra wide bars. The width, rise, and sweep combine to put your hands in an ideal riding position which allows you to exert more power on the bars. In particular, the low rise puts you into a streamlined, race-ready position. I tested in black/grunge black bar, which drew some compliments, especially when paired with the matching Crux pedals.

The Verdict

The Syncros FR 31 bars are a perfect choice if you are a new school rider looking for more control overall and I wholeheartedly recommend them.

Similar Products Tested:

- Sunline V1
- Truvative Team DH/XC
- Truvative Holzfeller
- Truvative Hussefelt
- 2007 Raceface DH

Thanks to Syncros for supplying the FR 31 bar for testing

About Syncros

Syncros started operating out of a Vancouver bike shop in the 1980’s, producing parts that could withstand the pounding dished out by riders on the nearby North Shore Mountains. Syncros was bought by Ritchey in 2003 and today produces high end components built tough enough to withstand the most difficult trails while maintaining competitive weights and prices.

In between test rides on Tuesday I got a chance to scope out some really cool Race Face products that will grace your LBS some time very soon. Chris Heynen, Senior Design Engineer at Race Face, walked me through all the new, up and coming products.

First off, Race Face is introducing several new products aimed the longer travel bikes, 5- 7”. I’m sure most of you who like to check out the MTB magazines are aware of the Next carbon crank. But are you aware that Race Face also just introduced a new line called the SIXC? Essentially Race Face has created a carbon crank that is lightweight yet very strong – perfect for the longer travel bikes. The SIXC crank has has 3mm of adjustment which facilitates installing a bash guard on bikes with less-than-perfect chain lines. The crank is sold in two configurations: a triple or a double with bash guard.

Along with the crank the SIXC line includes a full-width carbon bar with matching graphics. A SIXC stem and seatpost may be in the works to round out the line – we’ll keep you posted!

Race Face has another new product line that will be introduced this year called the Respond. The Respond will feature fresh graphics and new designs on the crank and stem. A full width bar and a burly seat post will also be included in the Respond group. Handlebars and cranks will be offered in both black and white color schemes.

Also from Race Face: new Turbine rings that have been developed for the Deus and Next SL cranks. These rings boast more ramps that will aid in shifting. Enjoy all the pics!

The Atlas and Atlas FR goes bling in a big way with great colors.

Here is the new entry level Respond that looks great up close both in black and white.

The entire Race Face Evolve gets a face lift with fresh graphics.

The Deus is treated the new Turbine rings and improved Bottom bracket.

The anticipated Next SL crank that is Uber light.

Well folks thats it for now from Race Face but hopefully soon I will have a few full on reviews on these for you.

Cheers..