Handlebars

USE release new 710mm Atom Wide Flattie carbon handlebar

West Sussex-based Ultimate Sports Engineering (USE) have just sent us their brand new Wide Flattie handlebar.

With the increased height at the front of 29ers, a flat bar preferable to keep the front from getting too lofty. There’s also definitely a trend towards going wider as well, with many cottoning onto the handlebar benefits a wider/shorter cockpit bring. This is most noticeable on 29ers, where the front is already high, so a wide and flat bar is the perfect choice.

USE have opted for a conservative 710mm, which will suit the needs of most endurance and cross-country folk. It’s made from 3k carbon and costing £125, the new bar is said by the company to be “great for 29er use.”

USE’s new offering comes in 31.8mm stem clamp size only, with aluminium inserts at the bar tips so you can safely clamp down a set of lock-on grips without fear of squishing the carbon. 5mm incremental cut marks let you narrow the bar down to 650mm, if you prefer a narrower bar.

And the weight? 166g on the office post scales.

While we’re testing this new bar, we took the opportunity to test the long-running stem and seatpost USE produces. The Sumo Carbon seat post (£94.99) uses a one-bolt aluminium clamp, allowing for easy and quick saddle setup, atop a carbon tube. There’s 10mm offset and it takes 7mm saddle rails as standard. It’s available in a generous 400mm length and with four diameters to choose from.

To complete the package we’ve got our hands on the lovely CNC-machined and forged 7075 aluminium stem, with a four bolt clamp. Lengths range from 80mm through to 130mm in 10mm increments, with a 31.8mm clamp size.