Carbon is a material that is slowly making its way into the world of trial. This is so due to the “impossibility” of lowering the weight of bicycles with aluminum components without diminishing their durability. First of all, it must be taken into account that brands in this sport live off amateur riders and what they are looking for are bikes and lightweight components that guarantee both a considerable time of use and a plus of safety.
It’s been a long time since Koxx dared to bring out the first carbon component , surprising with a handlebar that soon became popular among professionals and amateurs. This was followed by hairpins and even bikes such as Monty’s M5. Realistically, only these two brands have innovated in both manufacturing and daring. We all remember that when Koxx dared to bring out the first carbon Nowar, many well-known and lesser-known brands “copied” this design and brought it to market…
Before continuing, it is important to make it clear that what we value in a brand, in addition to the quality of its products, is innovation. Doing what is done and putting another sticker on it and even putting it at the same price or more expensive will get us nowhere in a sport that, and even more so in these times of crisis, is making high-end products totally inaccessible. We are of the opinion that if I pay for an exclusive product it is precisely because of that, because it is exclusive, that is, there is no other brand that manufactures it and has a development and research behind it.
Little by little we have become more “fans” of carbon, and what seemed like a “chimera” has turned out to last longer than aluminum, giving better performance. For this reason, we decided to contact Trialtech, one of the brands that today offers a high quality of development and materials, in order to test its new carbon handlebar.
The first thing you’ll notice if you own this component is its excellent presentation in a box specially designed for it. On it you can read the brand’s logo and SL (Super Light), which are the acronyms that characterize it.
component, Trialtech has put a lot of work and enthusiasm into developing this component. To do this, they focused on not releasing something that was already on sale, but a totally new product both in materials, design and measurements, which they have undoubtedly achieved. This handlebar is a “pure” double height. Always, and I’m talking about us as testers, we’ve been one of those who preferred the double-height “all our lives”. With the latest ranges of handlebars, the angulations had been significantly reduced, we don’t know if it was due to durability/weight or due to a change in geometries in general, but Trialtech has developed the first double-height carbon handlebar as such.
Its construction has been carried out with unidirectional carbon fiber with a matte finish. It has silver graphics with the letters SL and placeholders (stickers) that you can use to take note of your favorite poses. The details don’t end there. The area that goes into the stem is granulated to prevent movement of it after tightening the screws that fix the handlebar, an area that at the same time, has been marked with stripes to know the angulation that we have used in order not to lose the reference in future changes of components.
It features a larger cross-sectional area in the curvature of the handlebars to increase strength and stiffness. As for the thickness, it is not the same in all areas , and varies depending on the needs of each one, since safety has been sought but at the same time to lose weight. To finish with its technical characteristics, it has a diameter of 31.8 so it is suitable for all current powers, its length is 730 mm. And to be comfortable, you don’t need to cut it, although it can be done without any problem. The elevation is 10º, the setback is another 10º and the maximum height will be 95mm. All this makes up probably the most exclusive handlebar on the market with a final weight of 205.9 grams.
As for its use, the truth is that it is a component that gives safety and not only because the brand that manufactures it is known, but because as we said before, carbon, at least on handlebars, has lasted and lasts. At the same time, the appearance is unbeatable so you will have total confidence as soon as you put it on and you will forget possible fears in a few seconds. When it comes to placing it, especially in stems with two screws, it will be necessary to open this piece quite a lot, since being double height it will pass worse until it enters its place.
Once in place, it’s incredibly comfortable. Although we have always worn narrower handlebars, we have not been forced to cut it, since from the first moment it has been really comfortable for us. Like all double heights, if you lean it
further forward you will have less ease to lift the bike with your arms and vice versa. It’s easy to find the right position and the wrists don’t suffer at all. It’s amazing how easily we adapted to a handlebar that had little to do with the previous one we had tried.
CONCLUSIONS
Trialtech has achieved a component that goes beyond a simple handlebar. We can and dare to say that it is probably the best handlebar in the world, at least as far as personal opinion is concerned. What is clear is that we are happy to see a brand that comes out with something at the height of the best that existed but without being a copy. Aesthetically elegant, it is a component that will delight all those who choose it and if you are a “lover” of double-height handlebars, don’t even think about it. On the other hand, we can assure you that it is a handlebar with high durability and not only because of our test but also because of the words of some riders who use it and have helped its development such as Kenny Belaey or Rick Koekoek.
As the only con… the price. But here you can use the phrase “if you want something, it costs you” because as we told you during the test, it is not a normal handlebar. If you decide on this component you will pay for something exclusive, durable and with a lot of quality and this, as usual, is paid: 163 euros.
To conclude, we would like to thank Trialtech for their attention and great availability when carrying out this test.
Text: Álvaro López / Photos: David Quer & Trialtech
