RaceFace NEXT Riser Carbon Handlebar [Rider Review]

Our "Rider Review" article series features the honest reviews from verified purchasers of Worldwide Cyclery. They contain the photos, thoughts, feedback & overall review you are looking for. 

Your hands are one of the most important contacts on the mountain bike. When riding rocky trails, the handlebars will translate the harshness straight to the hands. The best way to mitigate this is with carbon bars. Our friend, Kassidy, has been running the Race Face Next bars. See what they think!

Overview

If you've come across this review, then you're probably on the fence about whether or not to buy these RaceFace NEXT Riser Carbon handlebars. So for those that don't like reading here's the short answer: BUY THEM! For those that need a little more convincing read on.

I am a cross-country racer on a budget, so finding places to cut weight, without shelling out $1,000+ for a set of carbon wheels, is the goal. These bars, uncut weigh 175 grams. I kid you not, these bars are so light you might as well be holding air. Even my local bike mechanic, who put these bars on for me, said they never knew handlebars could be so light. I don't know about your bike, but my Trek Supercaliber 9.6 came with stock bars that weighed 302 grams. So it was an absolute no-brainer for less than $200, to lighten my bike by 127 grams. If you wanted to go even narrower, or you're an absolute weight weenie, the bars are marked with cut lines at 12mm, 24mm, and 36mm that also show how many grams will be shaved off.

Hopefully, I've convinced you on the whole weight-saving thing, now for the most important part, how the bars feel on the trail. These are my first set of carbon bars ever, so up until now, I've been using alloy bars. The trail I most often ride has some very rooty sections, and after the end of my second 6-mile lap, I've often begun experiencing discomfort in my wrists and hands from the chatter and vibrations of the trail. With these bars, my hands and wrists felt so much better throughout the ride. These bars are stiff and do a great job of absorbing the bumpy roots, ultimately lessening the trail chatter.

Finally, as the saying goes, look good feel good. Well, the same goes for your bike, and let me tell you, these bars are true beauties. While I went for the black bars, they also come in red, blue, and green for a fun pop of accent color on your bike. And they will turn heads, the guys I ride with instantly noticed the brand new Race Face handlebars my bike was sporting.

Final Thoughts

So let's recap real quick why these bars, which I know are sitting in your WorldWide Cyclery cart, need to be ordered and put on your bike ASAP:

1. Cost-friendly way to upgrade your bike and cut weight. For under $200, you can save 100+ grams by replacing these bars with those alloy bars on your bike.

2. The quality of these bars is top-notch. Strong and stiff, your hands and wrists will be thanking you, as these bars will lessen the vibrations and chatter from any trail you take on.

3. Not that it genuinely matters but take that bike of yours that sitting at an 8 on looks, and elevate it to a 10 with these slick bars. With the color options, you can pick the right pop of color that will be turning all the heads at the next group ride or race.