Bar widths are getting wider and wider these days. Guest writer, Josh Rhea has been riding with the all-new Truvativ Holzfeller 730mm bar and stem combo on his Ibis Mojo HD and likes the results.
Truvativ Holzfeller Riser Bar Features:
- Material: Butted AL-7050 TV
- Weight: 290 grams
- Width: 730mm
- Rise: 20 (tested), 30, 40 or 50mm
- Sweep: 9 degree back, 5 degree up
- Colors: Black Anodized (tested), Snow White
- MSRP: $64
Truvativ Holzfeller Stem Features:
- Material: Forged AL-66, Clamp: AL-66
- Weight: 190g (40mm)
- Lengths: 40mm / 55mm / 60mm (tested)
- Finish: Black Anodized (tested), BoXXer Red
- MSRP: $62 (60mm)
Truvativ Holzfeller Stem and Riser Bars Review
Swing a leg over your rig, grab a handful of grip, and get ready to rip. Because the first thing you feel when locking onto Truvativ’s gravity pro-level Holzfeller cockpit is overwhelming confidence. The reason for that confidence is fat: the handlebar’s oversized diameter extends out much further than other bars from the stem clamping area before tapering to the grips, giving you a sense of absolute burl under your control. But that burl doesn’t equate to excessive weight—I had the 60 mm stem and 730-mm wide bars mounted on my all-mountain bike, an Ibis Mojo HD — and didn’t feel handicapped by weight in the least.
The 730 mm Holzfeller bar width is fairly standard for modern all-mountain bikes; it provides excellent leverage when cornering, but is narrow enough to maneuver between tighter trees and rocks without being overly concerned with snagging a bar or breaking your pinky finger. The stem/bar combo is incredibly stiff, too.
I used this combo for one of the fastest, most technical Super D races in the country: the Moab Ho-Down. That course requires well over 20 minutes of high-speed jack-hammering through rock gardens, ledges and drops. Nothing phased this setup. The 60 mm stem was a fraction too short for me on racecourse climbs, but provided absolute precision on the descents.
One note on setup: Truvativ has an ingenious, simple white mark on both the bars and stem that allows you to center the bars perfectly on the stem. I’ve used plenty of bar/stem combos that have guides with varying degrees of adjustment, but never one that had such a precise little mark to get them centered up with such ease. Brilliantly simple.
Good Holzfeller
- Confidence to go big without a big weight penalty
- Comfortable, transparent feel at the bars—just install and ride
- Steering precision
- Intuitive, easy setup
- Quality feels much better than some older Truvativ products
Bad Holzfeller
- Could be overkill for an all-mountain bike
Bottom Line: 2012 Truvativ Holzfeller Stem and Handlebars
The new Truvativ Holzfeller stem and bar combo has felt comfortable from day-one — just slap these on and ride. The easy set-up and improved steering precision makes these a worthy addition at a reasonable price and respectable weight.
Buy Now: Truvativ Bars at JensonUSA
