Beast Components Launch New Carbon Handlebars

Beast Components Launch New Carbon Handlebars

Beast Components Launch their new Flat Bar 2.0 and Riser Bar 2.0 Carbon Mountain Bike Handlebars. Beast Components is a company comprised of three companies. In addition to Beast Components, they also represent CarboLife Technologies and Realize Engineering. Beast Components are based in Germany.

PRODUCT LAUNCH: FLAT BAR [2.0] AND RISER BAR [2.0]

MTB handlebars made of carbon are very controversial. We at Beast Components understand the controversy and are eager to join the discussion because the handlebar is and remains one of the most safety-relevant components of the bike and it’s worth taking a closer look.

With pleasure, we would like to inform you that our proven MTB bars have received an upgrade, so you have the free choice of brakes without having to worry about unfavorable clamping. A tad heavier than before, but a lot more stable, this carbon handlebar withstands the toughest industry test in the world.

Beast Carbon Fibre Handlebars Technical Details

From 01.07.2021 the new Riser Bar 2.0 and Flat Bar 2.0 models will be available in UD-finish black and from 01.09.2021 in UD- and SQ-finish black, red and blue. The new models can already be preordered now.

WHY WE HAD TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS

Some new brakes and clamps on the market (including those from Shimano and SRAM) have a very unfavorable clamp design for carbon and lightweight handlebars. The clamps are not round, and the contact surface is minimal. Loads are thus no longer distributed evenly over the clamping area of the handlebars instead applied on point. This squeezing principle of the new brake clamps is pure poison for any carbon structure. You don‘t have to be an engineer to understand that loads acting like this on the handlebars cannot be distributed in an appropriate way.

Thanks to our close cooperation with Realize Engineering, a development service provider specialized in high-tech lightweight construction, it was no problem to take a closer look at the most common brakes on the market using finite element analysis. The results were alarming. Below you will find a few excerpts from the scientific study. If you have any questions, please feel free to send them to us via email.

Both SRAM and Shimano already show strong local pinching at tightening torque of 1.2 Nm. In particular, the strain for fiber composite handlebars, this type of damage already raises the prospect of a significant reduction in service life.

As expected, the damage is much stronger with increasing mounting force. With the SRAM brake body still no fiber breaks occur up to 4.0 Nm tightening torque. Unlike the Shimano XTR brake body. Here it comes in the second outer layer already to local fiber breaks.

That’s New

To achieve even greater safety and fatigue strength, we have once again looked at the structure of our handlebars in the clamping area of the brake levers. In addition to the new and even more sophisticated and load-oriented layer structure and a very elaborate fiber arrangement, we now use a special mesh made of polyester for our Riser and Flat Bars. This mesh has the following positive properties for us: It has a high strength and retardation and at the same time a low sliding friction and great durability against wear due to sliding action.

We used it exclusively in the clamping area of the brakes. Thus, point loads are absorbed much better and distributed evenly over the handlebars. Impressions of the clamps are reduced to a minimum and the carbon layers underneath are protected. It is a safety buffer to the pressure-sensitive carbon surface and allows the free selection of the desired brake and the use of a higher tightening torque. For example, brakes with an unfavorable clamping design can now be tightened with a maximum of 3 Nm, as instead with a maximum of 1,5 Nm as was previously the case. Brakes with advantageous clamping design even up to 6 Nm. Drag marks due to frequent loosening and reattachment of the brake as well as frequent twisting, e.g. as a result of a fall, are prevented.

Safety Comes First

The polyester prepreg mesh we use blends discreetly into the appearance of the handlebars, yet breaks through the fiber structure. If fittings and grips are installed, the new clamping area is hardly noticeable. We accepted the visual change and the extra weight of about 20 g compared to the old models, because it provides our and your customers with more safety. And that‘s what it should come down to.

To achieve this new level of safety we have established a more extensive test procedure. Thereby, the new Riser Bar 2.0 and Flar Bar 2.0 models must pass an extended and above all more realistic Multi-Load test than before. It includes, for example, twisting the brake clamps five times with a tightening torque of 1.5 Nm and tightening and loosening the brake clamps ten times with a tightening torque of 4Nm before the actual test starts.

Beast Handlebar Testing Process Video

So what do you think of the new handlebars from Beast Components’ new Carbon Handlebars launch? Would you choose the Beast Flat Bar 2.0 or Beast Riser Bar 2.0 and if so what rise would you choose?

What are your thoughts on Carbon Fibre handlebars? Are you a fan or do you stick with Aluminum for safety? What do you think about Beast Components’ in-depth and comprehensive testing? Does this make you feel more comfortable purchasing their bars?

We are hoping to get hold of a set to run our own testing as part of the One Track Mind Magazine reviews. 

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

To learn more about Beast Components and their Carbon Flat Bar 2.0 and Riser Bar 2.0 then click here: https://beast-components.de/en/

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