Wide handlebars are currently popular with mountain bikers, as the extra width offers increased control, easier breathing and better balance. Sometimes, however, riders decide that their bars are too wide, and cut them back – an action that's irreversible once it's been done. Ibis Cycles' new adjustable-width bars offer an alternative.
Available in high- and low-rise models (known as the Hi-Fi and Lo-Fi), the carbon fiber bars are 750mm wide on their own, but come with two 25mm-wide aluminum inserts that can be threaded into aluminum sleeves on either end.
This allows riders to bump the total bar width up to a total of 800 mm if they want, but revert back to 750 if they decide they liked it better. Additionally, if users want something between 750 and 800, they can cut the inserts to the desired size – should they later regret doing so, a set of new inserts can be purchased for US$15.
Both the Hi-Fi and Lo-Fi are designed for use with a 31.8-mm clamp, and tip the scales at 249 and 238 grams respectively.
Ibis is currently including them as standard equipment on its higher-end-build mountain bikes, and offering them as an upgrade on others. The bars will be available as an aftermarket product starting this fall (Northern Hemisphere), priced at $170.
Source: Ibis Cycles via BikeRadar