Simple Pleasures Bicycle Components, The Gnar Bar: Installed
Reviewed by Rowan Yerxa
For us here at Freehub Magazine where we spend long days on the bike, performance and comfort go a long way. Simple Pleasures Bicycle Components has offered a creative solution to the crippling effects of arm pump, which are often associated with those endless days of riding.
We installed and tested the Gnar Bar and found it created an agile / aggressive control platform during long XC rides. Although upon first glance the Gnar Bar looks a bit unique compared to your typical bar, the bent bar conforms perfectly to the palm of your hand adding to rider comfort. The Gnar Bar features “Control Curve Technology” that was designed around the idea of evenly distributing palm pressure, which results in a more comfortable and controlled ride.
Grabbing on:
After multiple rides, we found the significant downward bend of the bar relieves the callus creating pressure points that we all know too well. Our hands were situated comfortably on the ends of the bar, which created a more ergonomic braking platform and reduced arm fatigue. Although it takes a little time for proper adjustment to the ergonomic bends of the bar, we found that once adjusted to the product the ride was comfortable both up and down the mountain.
Navigating:
With hands comfortably situated on the Gnar Bar, hanging on is one less thing to worry about when the goin’ gets rough. It weighs in at 12.6 ounces, and has a 27.5” wingspan allowing more maneuverability and control throughout the bike. More importantly it’s about where the Gnar Bar positions your upper body and elbows, which helps enhance your ride and keep you comfortable. Perched nicely on the front of our Stumpjumper test bike, the Gnar Bar naturally situates the rider into an aggressive posture, creating a faster and flowier ride. We found that this bar results in better control and longer days of riding, due to its superior comfort and enhanced body position.
Conclusion:
The Gnar Bar creates a comfortable and pro-active platform for all mountain, cross country and enduro rides, but is not suggested by us for downhill use. We found downhill use with this bar isn’t as responsive as other bars on the market, due to its width, shape, and leverage ratio that you find on most modern DH bars. With its unique ergonomic bend, it is imperative to get lock on grips that are compatible with this bar, as this only enhances the experience even more. If you like to be comfortable on epic long distance rides, the Gnar Bar may be a good addition to your setup. We are excited to see what Simple Pleasures will come out with next.
MSRP: $89.99
