It’s important to know the ins and outs of BMX handlebars, be it for a new set of bars or you’re wanting to make sure the handlebars on a complete bike that you’re looking at getting will suit you.
Let’s run through all the things you need to take into account when buying a new set of bars.
HANDLEBAR RISE
The rise is the first thing I would look at, it will eliminate some options straight away and fine tune your choices. Thankfully some handlebars do offer variable rise options incase you have your heart set on a particular brand. Currently the most popular size rise handlebar is around 9.5”
UPSWEEP & BACK SWEEP
You can see from the diagram below how both these specs are measured. You’ll find that these measurements don’t stray too far from the standard spec of 12 back & 2 up and for good reason, it feels great!
MATERIAL
You’ll generally find bars made from either CrMo or Hi-Tensile steel. When you’re buying aftermarket handlebars they’re most likely built from CrMo as they’re stronger and lighter than Hi-Ten. Hi-Ten bars are usually found on a good amount of complete bikes as they’re still strong enough to take a hit but also helps keep the costs down on bikes.
When browsing handlebars that are made from CrMo there are a few extra things to look out for. Heat treatment is a process done to CrMo steel which in turns makes the material even stronger than regular straight guage CrMo.
You may also read “multi butted” when it comes to CrMo bars, multi butted CrMo is when the walls are thicker in the areas of handlebars that take the most amount of load from riding & thinner in the areas that don't take much load. For example thicker in the bends & clamp area. Thinner in the areas of where there is straight tubing. All this in turn makes them lighter and stronger.
We've created this table below of some of the most popular bars so that you can compare quicklly to narrow down your search for your next set of bars.
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2PC OR 4PC?
2pc bars are the popular choice of most riders these days because of their more tradition look and they’re also stronger than 4pc as they’re are less welds. Most people that run 4pc bars ride street and honestly I think it’s purely for aesthetics (I run 4pc bars).
Please note: There are a handful of bars that also come with the option of an oversized clamping area (25.4mm) these bars will only fit stems that are an oversized clamped stem so just make sure you don’t pick this option if you don’t have the correct stem for them. There’s only a handful of bars and stems with this option but it’s good to know about.
Check out the full range of handlebars that we stock here.
Here's a helpful video on how to fit handle bars in case you need some extra help.
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