A 780mm wide strong and tough aluminium handlebar.

Price: £99

What they say: 780mm wide, 12mm of rise, 6° of backsweep and 4° of upsweep. Built using 7050 Aluminum alloy for strength and long life. 65mm wide clamping area to fit our Direct Mount stem, giving you the most torsional stiffness of any bar/stem combination. 31.8 center section is absolutely straight over a width of 90mm.

What it is: Handlebars are getting wider all the time, and the Thomson Downhill bar is bang on-trend (if you follow trends) at 780mm wide. If you want narrower, Thomson offer the Trail version in 750mm using the same construction as this handlebar, and there’s nothing to stop you trimming the ends – Thomson provide a range of cutting marks for just that purpose.

The handlebar has 12mm rise, 6° of back sweep and 4° of up sweep. The back sweep is less than a lot of similar width handlebars (Easton use 9° back sweep on their bars), and it probably won’t appeal to everyone, you’ll probably either love or hate it. Me? After one ride I really got on well with it – the straighter shape does noticeably pull you forward on the bike a little, which is a bit of a bonus on a bike with a really slack head angle.

Thomson construct the handlebar from 7050 aluminium, using a CNC bending process, and it is internally butted and tapered to shed weight and increase strength. The torsional stiffness of the handlebar is very impressive. The centre section is 31.8mm diameter with a wide 65mm clamping area.

On the sales they’re a whisker under 300g, which is a decent weight for the width and strength on offer here. They’re undoubtedly a stiff handlebar with no discernable flex, and they’re robust too – they’ve been in a few crashes and have come out the other side completely unscatched.

Who it’s good for: Expensive for an aluminium handlebar (you can get a carbon bar for the same money) but undoubtedly strong and durable if you’re not a fan of carbon, or crash a lot. A good option for anyone wanting a wider handlebar from a highly regarded company like Thomson

Contact: www.i-ride.co.uk