REVIEW
With the advent of 31.8mm oversize handlebars the BMX racing world gained two things, well, arguably three things … stiffness, arguably strength, and weight, a significant amount of weight. Not only are the bars heavier, the oversize stems that hold them also gained weight. And to compound the issue, all that weight is up high, above the centre of gravity. Most people will shrug, but we weight parts haha … why add unnecessary weight.
The added stiffness is a huge benefit but how do you reduce this newly found weight? Materials is the obvious answer, but realistically, the only option to reduce the weight of oversize bars, for fully formed human use, is with the use of Titanium or Carbon … alloy would scare us! We’d also bet that carbon bars scare a lot of you out there, despite them being bulletproof when designed correctly. That leaves the exotic, and expensive option, TITANIUM! It’s light, stiff, and it’s still metal, so psychology strong enough for the wary.
And right on cue, Pride Racing launch the Titanium 373 Blanc Bars. Weighing in at a smidge under 550g for the 8” rise option, a lot lighter than their steel counterparts, which tip the scales in the regions of 990g.
As well as being lighter, the Titanium 373 Blanc bars are also a magnitude more beautiful and, let’s be honest, more desirable than chromoly … especially when you put Renaud Blanc’s name on them. Pride Racing have nailed the aesthetics here, the graphics are simple and subtle, the natural matt silver-grey finish looks luxurious, the welds are beautiful and the transition from the 31.8mm diameter to the thinner grip diameter is smooth … something that some other brands have been unable to achieve, opting instead, or maybe settling, for a somewhat bulbus look.
The bars geometry, as you would guess, is inspired by #373 … and if you are not used to very straight bars there is some adjusting time required. Our transition from 6° to 3° backsweep took some getting used to. The straight bars pull you a little further forward over the front wheel, it’s definitely a more aggressive position … but after a few of hours riding, we settled in and fell in love. The bars feel snappy out of the gate, great in the air and quick to turn when needed … although we have yet to unlock the Renaud Blanc manual ability setting, but we assume that will come …
Pride Racing claim that the material is better for vibration absorption leading to less arm fatigue, but we can’t say this has ever been an issue for us so we can’t verify this claim, maybe we just need to ride a lot more.
There is a lot to like here. A significant weight saving, potentially a snappier response from the flatter geometry, and the bars just look beautiful. To finish the aesthetic, we had to pair the bars with the Pride Racing FTL Stem, which was also developed with Renaud Blanc … obviously we had to add the titanium bolts to complete the look.
If you are thinking of upgrading your bars, and you have the €400 to spend, the Pride Racing Titanium 373 Blanc Bars should definitely be on your short list … they make us smile every time we go to the track.
If you have BMX product and you’re interested in a ‘Fifteen BMX’ fair and honest review please email us at info@15.ie … BMX since the 80’s with 25 years of real-world product design experience!
To advertise on Fifteen Email advertise@15.ie
Subscribe to Fifteen BMX HERE
