ENVE Composites DH Riser Bar 800mm
The latest addition to the Enve mountain bike handlebar range, the Carbon DH riserbar gives mammoth strength and width in a featherweight package. With an impressive reputation for engineering some of the highest quality carbon fiber handlebars, stems, seatposts and rims on the market, Enve Composites back up their lightweight components with impressive strength thanks to meticulous construction and top shelf materials. While many brands choose carbon fiber for weight savings, Enve have always worked with composites for their strength and durability to produce quality components that are designed for the real world, not just the scales.

With just 3 handlebars on offer, it's easy to choose the right option with Enve Composites. The DH bar is quite obviously, a Downhill handlebar, though with it's low weight and ability to trim down the width, it is also an excellent option for aggressive All Mountain riders looking for that magical blend of strength and weight. Sure the Enve bars aren't cheap, but as Keith Bontrager said back in the day; "Strong, Light, Cheap - Pick any two". The massive 800mm width on the DH bar is about as wide as mountain bike bars get, but an increasing number of World Cup level racers are moving towards 30+ inch bars for improved stability and high speed control that a wider bar offers. Like the standard Riser bar, the DH model gets a low 23mm of rise that seems to balance downhill confidence with front-wheel weight distribution, and is becoming the norm in the wake of the flat DH bar trend. Heavily reinforced carbon layups are used around both the stem clamp and controls clamping areas for maximum durability, and while incredibly light at just 225 grams, the carbon DH bar is actually many times stronger than an aluminum equivalent. Unlike alloy, carbon doesn't fatigue so you'll likely get many more seasons out of the Enve Carbon DH bar, making it a cheaper option in the long term. While it may seem odd to emphasise a 100-200 gram weight saving, downhillers are waking up to the importance of saving weight from key areas of their bike to achieve a lower overall bike weight that is going to be faster and more responsive. Handlebars are also quite high up on the bike, and along with your saddle, seatpost, stem and controls, goes quite a way to increasing your bikes centre of gravity. By lowering weight from your cockpit, you are not only reducing overall weight, you are also decreasing your bikes centre of gravity and improving its ability to change direction quickly - all important factors when you're chasing down milliseconds on the race course.


From ENVE:

"Our mountain bars: Riser, Sweep and now DH (New for 2011), were designed on the trail.  Our experiences, thoughts, and ideas turned into angles and shapes, that place your hands in natural and confident positions. The goal was to achieve the perfect balance of strength, comfort, and durability in a lightweight package.  Rider feedback confirms that the extra width and flexibility of our mountain bars provides comfort and control for any trail condition. So when you get the chance to upgrade to this product, know that you are in for the best experience a bar can offer."


The Enve Sweep Carbon Handlebars feature:

• Material: Enve Hi-Mod Carbon Fibre
• Weight: 225 grams
• Width: 800mm
• Rise: 23mm
• Clamp diameter: 31.8mm
• Backsweep: 9 degree
• Upsweep: 5 degree
• Finish: UniDirectional Carbon