Dozens of bikes are reviewed by the BikeRadar and MBUK tech teams in a given year.
From budget-friendly entry-level models to superbikes costing the same as a house deposit, we get a chance to test them all.
While time on the trail is the only way to know truly if a bike is any good, there are a number of spec mistakes that all too many brands continue to make.
Some spec options will offer – at best – questionable performance advantages while harming ride quality in other areas.
Some will opt for attention-grabbing parts that look appealing in a catalogue, but will leave you short-changed where it matters.
These are four of the most common spec missteps that make our expert testers roll their eyes each and every time. Rob Weaver: 35mm handlebars, the standard we never really needed
The shift to 35mm mountain bike handlebars happened a number of years ago (though not by every brand, it should be noted), yet still baffles me to this day.While 35mm bars (up from 31.8mm) come with some claimed benefits, they’re not necessarily ones I was ever desperate for.To start, while both alloy and carbon 35mm bars offer a slight weight saving compared to their skinnier brethren, we’re talking just tens of grams here – not exactly life-changing.And of all the places you would look to save weight, is the handlebar the place you would start? I expect not.Additionally, 35mm bars tend to feel stiffer than a 31.8mm bar of equivalent width.This is great if […]
Continue reading the original article at: www.bikeradar.com