Carbon Cycles eXotic Super Wide Full Carbon Handlebar 2019
Reviews / Handlebars
912
At a Glance
The eXotic Super Wide Full Carbon Riser is a fairly self-explanatory set of bars. It is indeed full carbon, and the Super Wide part refers to the options for the bar which go up to a whopping 840mm in 20mm jumps from 780mm. The options for four widths is where is ends, as each bar has the same 25mm rise, 8-degrees back and 5-degree upsweep with the clamp being 31.8 throughout.
Buy Handlebars on
The bars, as mentioned are full carbon and finished with a clear coat so the fibres are visible. Having a website printed on the bar looks incongruous, but they hit the scales at 200g for my 780mm width and hit the wallet at only £58.29. Exotic they may not be, but wide, good value and light they certainly are.
- Width- 780mm (tested), 800,820,840mm
- Rise- 25mm
- Sweep- 5 degree up 8 degree back
- Clamp- 31.8mm
- Weight- 200g
- Material- Carbon
On The Trail
Carbon products that offer great value often come associated with some form of doubt. This is usually the 'light, inexpensive and strong' conundrum suggesting that strength could be the issue here. I can, however, confirm that I have no reason to doubt the capability of these bars, and despite attaching them to an ebike and throwing said bike down a hill (unintentionally) they remained unscathed (unlike the rider). Further testing showed them to be more than capable for what I needed, and for general enduro duties they were perfect.
The shape of the bar is good, and although there are no options for different rises, the 25mm suited me well and with a few stem spacer swaps, the height is easily adjusted. Testing the 780mm I obviously can't comment on the super wide aspect, but it's safe to say these are one of the few options for a 840mm bar in carbon.
The sweep numbers feel familiar and offer a comfortable shape to please most riders. The feedback through the trail is good and offer a stiff feel with the added carbon advantage of ironing out the small vibrations. At 200g, they certainly offer a quick and affordable way of shaving some weight from your bike without sacrificing confidence in your bars.
Overall
Light, good value and strong, It turns out it is possible after all. The eXotic bars offer an affordable way to gain the advantages of carbon and save more than a few grams off your bike in the process.
For more information visit Carbon Cycles Related
By Ewen Turner
Ewen Turner is a self-confessed bike geek from Kendal in the Lake District of England. He runs a coaching and guiding business up there and has a plethora of knowledge about bikes with an analytical approach to testing. His passion for bicycles is infectious, and he’s a ripper on the trails who prefers to fit his working life around his time on the bike.
