Fashion seems to be rather cyclical and mountain biking is no exception.
Handlebar rise hasn't escaped the clutches of Gucci God, and our bar heights have gone from negative drops to flat, to super-tall, back to flat, and now back to an upward, increasing-rise trend.
Even yours truly hasn't escaped the tides of being on trend.
In my youth, I rode 24Seven's Dark Angel handlebars, made from five welded sections of steel with an enormously high 60mm rise.
As bikes changed – and so did the fashion – I swapped to Reverse Components' Fli XXL 760mm-wide bar. This was available with a 0mm (0in), 17.78mm (0.5in) or 38.1mm (1.5in) rise.
I had the moderate 0.5in model, although plenty of friends had the 0in-rise version.
But now the pendulum is swinging back the other way; bar rises are increasing.
World Cup downhill riders such as Dakotah Norton and ex-racer Josh Bryceland have brought the craze back.
Dak's results speak for themselves, proving the 50mm-plus rise is a performance enhancer, while Josh's effortless style – while not entirely down to the high-rise bar – is certainly not hindered by it.
But it's definitely Norton's results that have caused the industry's ears to prick up.
Rat Boy's (Josh Bryceland's nickname) signature 50mm-rise Burgtec Ride High bar, and Olly Wilkins and DMR's Odub 50mm rise will be great for those looking to lose some stem stackers on their steerer tube, but it's Renthal that's pushing the boundaries.
Arguably the biggest name in handlebars, the UK brand has launched the new high-rise Fatbar35 with more than just the standard 50mm rise.
Two bigger rises – arguably the biggest in the industry this side of BMX – are also available; massive 60mm and 70mm versions can be specced.
The higher rises are only available on the alloy Fatbar35, so if you’re hoping for carbon fibre construction or a 31.8mm clamp diameter, you’re out of luck.
You do get a choice of two colours, though – Renthal’s signature AluGold or plain black.
The bars are made from 7050-T6 aluminium, with variable wall thicknesses used to keep weight down to a claimed 345-405g (depending on size).
The 50mm sample floating around the office is slightly lighter, at 343g.
In terms of shape, the new bars differ slightly from the standard Fatbar35, with a little extra backsweep – nine degrees, compared to the standard eight – and 20mm of extra width.
Cut marks should make it easy to hack them down from 820mm to your preferred measurement.
There’s the usual five degrees of upsweep. Renthal say the bars are aimed at e-bikers wanting a more relaxed position, dirt jumpers, jibbers and downhillers riding steep trails, plus taller riders needing a bigger bar to suit their proportions.
Bars with this kind of rise make total sense for plenty of people.
Whether that's on bikes with low stack heights (think the Yeti SB165's 630mm for the large) to bring the front end up, or if you've transferred your fork from an old bike to a new one but the steerer tube is too short to get your bars high enough, it should work perfectly.
Tall people are also going to love them. I'm assured by my 185cm-plus friends that their bars are never high enough, so maybe Renthal's new 70mm version will finally quench that appetite.
But even shorter (or more average-height) riders – Dak is 180cm tall – can benefit.
Norton's race results prove their performance, so it's clear that form is dictating fashion, rather than the other way around.
As it happens, I've been slowly lifting up the bar on my bike by 5mm at a time using stem stackers; maybe it's time I ditch those spacers in favour of a 70mm-rise bar.
Keep tuned for a test soon.
- Renthal Fatbar35 high-rise: £84.95 / $94.95 / €96.95
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