Race Face Next Product Review
In looking for a pair of affordable but strong carbon bars race face next risers always seems to show up at the top of my list. I could have gone OEM Bontrager Thompson etc...but they IMO are overpriced in comparison to what you get from race face. Furthermore these bad boys come in some nice but not so flashy colors to match the paint jobs on the bikes...oh and don't forget the cool race face stickers they always include for your fridge truck or in my case my sons stryder bike.
In terms of background - I have two sets of these: one on a 2016 Trek Procaliber Carbon XC Hardtail and the other on a Road/Fitness Carbon Specialized Sirrus (flat bar used to pull the kids).
Trek XC: The bike came with alloy bars that I found way too narrow and also did not absorb the trail chatter very well. I figured with the modest price jump to RaceFace the added weight savings and the cut to length option they would be a great upgrade. I tend to ride hard on these and love to run break neck speeds down trails and fire roads and the race face bars have held up great. Additionally I find they help with some of the super high frequency chatter you get on ribbed dirt roads and gravel trails...even on top of the front suspension.
Sirrus Flat Bar Fitness: The race face next bars are great on the frame especially with the rigid front fork. They really absorb the road chatter while saving a few pounds in the process.
I tend to prefer riser type bars as I find them easier on the hands from a natural grip perspective but also they offer the up/down flexibility based on the geometry of the bike. For both of my bikes I am getting older and can't sit any crazy aero position so these offer my back some needed releif. Now everyone could argue you get the same benefits with other brands but the race face next bars offer carbon performance at near alloy costs. There are lighter and flashier bars out there for sure but these just work and don't look overly crazy especially for the MTB geared crowd. Overall they are my go to bars for any reasonably priced carbon bar upgrade.
Pros/Cons
+ Great/affordable price
+ Fairly light especially for Carbon
+ Come in multiple lengths and you can easily cut these down with the provided guides. The typical 725 length should be long enough for most and they are easier to trim down with tape and a hacksaw (cut mine down to 715)
+ Good at absorbing bumps and road/trail chatter
+ Not overly flashy so they can be used on flat bar road bikes as well as trail bikes
- Color range and flashiness is very limited may not be cool enough or trendy enough for some folks
- Wish they had better guides near the handlebar section especially with my non circular ergon grips - the little dot pattern is impossible to line up the grips to the same vertical/horizontal alignment;
