Easton Havoc Carbon handlebarEaston proudly proclaims that their Havoc Carbon bar is "
the strongest mountain bike bar Easton has ever built (aluminum or carbon)", and goes on to say that it performed better than any other bar that they have tested on their machines. Those are some big claims, but the DH oriented Havoc Carbon also comes to the fight with a relatively light weight, for a 750mm wide bar, of 235 grams. That's around 100 grams lighter than many other DH bars. Easton's use of carbon fiber is the main reason for the lack of heft, but the "TaperWall" construction method used to manufacture the Havoc Carbon likely also plays a major roll. In its simplest terms, TaperWall refers to Easton using more carbon where it's needed and less where it isn't. This is by no means a new idea - frames and other components, bars included, have been using this methodology for ages - but Easton looks to have quite a handle on the the process judging by their confidence in the Havoc Carbon bar. It is available in a single 750 width and 20mm rise option, with a 9° bend and 5° degree upsweep. The bar uses a matte, unidirectional carbon finish, as opposed to Easton using a purely cosmetic carbon weave that would add grams to the relatively light 235 gram weight. The Havoc Carbon bar retails for $160 USD.
www.eastoncycling.com |
| The Havoc Carbon bar doesn't come cheap, but it's both light and stiff. |
 | The Havoc Carbon bar not only felt like home for our hands as soon as we put it on, but more than one tester also claimed that he could feel an improvement in stiffness, despite coming straight off of a much heavier aluminum bar. Is the difference enough to actually improve the handling of your bike? The answer to that question likely depends on how aggressive you ride, but there is no doubt in our minds that there is certainly a rigidity gap between other aluminum bars we've used and the Havoc Carbon. It's comfortable, stiff and light, but it certainly isn't as idiot proof as a run of the mill aluminum bar. Easton recommends using both a torque wrench and a carbon friendly friction paste during installation, and it is well worth spending a few minutes to make sure that there are no burrs on any of the aluminum control's clamping surfaces. Our single complaint stems from having our brake levers rotate a little too easy when crashing, even when tightened down quite snug. Having them rotate from a crash isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the marks that the clamps left in the bar's clear coat certainly are, even if they weren't deep enough to compromise the bar in any way. Despite the slippery surface, the Havoc Carbon is still one of our favorite bars due to its light weight, high stiffness and great comfort. - Mike Levy |
Michelin tire leverWith a flat, wide shape and shallow bead hook that looks like it would be ineffective at helping in any way, Michelin's bright yellow tire levers look quite different from most offerings. The extremely thin levers are hard to come by these days, but can still be found in bike shops that are in-the-know, usually sold in packages of three. Michelin's tire levers retail for $5.00 USD.
www.michelin.com |
| Michelin's tire lever looks odd, but works very well. |
| Despite their flat, wide shape having us believing that they would be quite flexible, the bright yellow Michelin levers are surprisingly stiff and as flex free as other more substantial levers. The shallow hook at the end of the lever easily forced its way under even the most stubborn of tire beads, and their underside features a shape that helps to keep them from sliding in or out on the rim wall. That same shallow hook was also a great help when struggling to put on overly tight tubeless tires. Yes, we're well aware that every tubeless tire manufacturer loudly exclaims to not ever use a tire lever during install, but some rim and tire combos are nearly impossibly tight. It's in those times that the Michelin lever, with its shallow hook, can be used to lever the bead over the rim wall without worrying if the end of the hook is going to pierce the wheel's tubeless rim tape - it's short enough that it can't reach, unlike most other levers. Their only letdown is the lack of a proper hook opposite the business end that would allow you to fasten them to a spoke and free up a hand to work with another lever. Despite that omission, the Michelin levers have a permanent place in our bags and in the workshop. - Mike Levy |
Stan's rim tapeStan's yellow rim tape is an adhesive backed rim strip that comes as a roll, allowing you to use as much or as little as needed, and is applied to the rim well for air tight tubeless conversions. The tape is nearly stretch and tear proof, helping to keep it from sagging into the rim's eyelet holes and puncturing. It can be used in conjunction with Stan's rubber tubeless rim strips that have an air valve molded in place, or with one of Stan's standalone valves for a lighter weight setup. Gram counters should also take note that the yellow tape can also act as an extremely lightweight standard rim strip if you want to continue running tubes. Stan's rim tape is available in two different widths depending on the rims that you'll be taping, a 21mm version that is best for skinnier cross-country rims, and a wider, 25mm width that can be used with larger rims that are common on all-mountain, freeride and downhill bikes. A 10yd roll of 21mm tape retails for $11.25 USD, while the 25mm version goes for $13.50 USD.
www.notubes.com |
| Stan's rim tape is a must for proper tubeless conversions. |
| We've had great luck when using Stan's rim tape for both tubeless conversions and use as a standard rim strip. The adhesive backed tape is immune to shifting in the rim well and exposing a hole, something that will quickly cause a puncture. The yellow tape is also incredibly light, with our scale saying that a single rim's worth weighs just 7 grams (standard rim strips can weigh as much as 50 grams). While many readers won't care about the grams saved, you can think of the subtracted rotating weight as an added bonus to the other benefits. There is no arguing that it does take more effort to install than either a standard rim strip or Stan's rubber tubeless strips, requiring that you give the rim well a good cleaning prior to taping for best results. It also needs to be pulled quite snug while taping, helping to limit any air bubbles that may get trapped underneath. Many riders and mechanics get the best results from installing a tube over top of the freshly installed tape, helping to force it down and adhere better to the rim, before going completely tubeless. Yes, Stan's rim tape is more finicky to install, but the result is a lighter and more reliable system that we've taken to using on all of our personal bikes. - Mike Levy |
