Alternative or “Alt” handlebars have been ridden by mountain bikers for many years. A lot of riders have turned to these handlebars because of their greater sweep angle. The more backward sweep (meaning the handlebar ends point more back at the rider) offers some riders a more comfortable riding position by allowing the wrists to be positioned at a more neutral angle.
Of course some handlebar designers have not stopped there and created many other versions of alternative mountain bike handlebars featuring multiple hand positions and even road style drop handlebars.
In this article I’ve tried to round up all of the “Alt” bars I could find for easy reference. I’ve divided the article into handlebars made in the USA and those made abroad. I’ll continue to add to this article as I find more handlebars. Add a comment if you know of any bars that I’ve missed.
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Price Comparison Tool
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Made In The USA
Black Sheep Bikes – BlackSheepBikes.com
- Fully custom Titanium – contact them for more information
Groovy Cycleworks – GroovyCycleworks.com
Luv Handles
- Material: 4130 Steel or 3/2.5 Titanium
- Width: 26″
- Sweep: 21.5deg
- Rise: 4deg or 1″
- Clamp: 25.4mm
- Claimed Weight: 380g for steel or 275 for Titanium
- Color: lots of options, check their website
Ti Cyles – TiCycles.com
Halo Handlebar
- Material: 3/2.5 Titanium
- Width: 680mm
- Sweep: 30deg
- Clamp: 25.4mm or 31.8mm
- Claimed Weight: 400g
- Color: Raw Titanium
Double S 15° Bend Handlebar
- Material: 3/2.5 Titanium
- Width: 675mm
- Sweep: 15deg
- Clamp: 25.4mm or 31.8mm
- Claimed Weight: 174g
- Color: Raw Titanium
Double S 30° Bend Handlebar
- Material: 3/2.5 Titanium
- Width: 680mm
- Sweep: 30deg
- Clamp: 25.4mm or 31.8mm
- Claimed Weight: 340g
- Color: Raw Titanium
Watson Cycles – WatsonCycles.com
Parkarino
- Material: Titanium
- Width: 720mm
- Sweep: 31deg
- Clamp: 25.4mm
- Color: raw Titanium
Revelation
- Material: Titanium
- Width: 680mm
- Sweep: 32deg
- Clamp: 25.4mm
- Color: raw Titanium
Watts
- Material: Titanium
- Sweep: 26deg
- Clamp: 25.4mm
- Color: raw Titanium
Foreign Made
Answer Products – AnswerProducts.com
Carbon 720 Enduro 20/20
- Material: Carbon fiber with unidirectional 12 outer layer
- Width: 720mm
- Sweep: 20deg
- Rise: 20mm
- Clamp: 31.8mm
- Claimed Weight: 220g
- Color: Black
Bontrager – Bontrager.com
Crivitz
- Material: 7075-T6 Aluminum
- Width: 690mm
- Sweep: 25deg
- Clamp: 31.8mm
- Claimed Weight: 270g
- Color: Black
Carver Bikes – CarverBikes.com
MyTi
- Material: 3/2.5 Titanium
- Width: 710mm
- Sweep: 29deg
- Clamp: 25.4mm or 31.8mm
- Color: Raw Titanium
Jones Bikes – JonesBikes.com
Loop H-bar
- Material: Aluminum or Titanium
- Width: 667mm
- Sweep: 45deg
- Rise: 13mm
- Clamp: 31.8mm
- Claimed Weight: Ti is 485g and Alum is 502g
- Color: Black, Silver, hand brushed Titanium
Cut H-bar
- Material: Aluminum or Titanium
- Width: 590mm
- Sweep: 45deg
- Rise: 13mm
- Clamp: 31.8mm
- Claimed Weight: Ti is 400g and Alum is 430g
- Color: Black, Silver, hand brushed Titanium
Misfit Psycles – MisfitPsycles.com
FUBar
- Material:6061 Aluminum
- Width: 635mm
- Sweep: 33deg
- Rise: 26mm
- Clamp: 25.4mm
- Claimed Weight: 378g
- Color: Black or Silver
FU2Bar
- Material:6061 Aluminum
- Width: 600mm
- Sweep: 37deg
- Rise: 26mm
- Clamp: 25.4mm
- Claimed Weight: 351g
- Color: Black or Silver
FMEBar
- Material: 6061 Aluminum
- Width: 640mm
- Sweep: 42deg
- Drop: 66mm
- Clamp: 25.4mm
- Claimed Weight: 378g
- Color: Black or Silver
Nashbar – Nashbar.com
Comfort Handlebar
- Material: Aluminum
- Width: 720mm
- Sweep: 30deg
- Rise: 23mm
- Clamp: 31.8mm
- Color: Black
Trekking Handlebar
- Material:6061 Aluminum
- Width: 580mm
- Clamp: 25.4mm
- Claimed Weight: 506g
- Color: Black
Nitto
Bullmoose
- Material: CroMo steel
- Stem Extension: 150mm
- Color: Silver or custom painted – contact Rivendell for more info
Purchase – https://www.rivbike.com/product-p/hb4.htm
Nordeast B206-1
- Material: CroMo steel
- Width: 525mm
- Sweep: 20deg
- Rise: 15mm
- Clamp: 25.4mm
- Claimed Weight: 386g
- Color: Silver
On One – On-One.CO.UK
Fleegle Pro
- Material: 2014 T-6 Aluminum
- Width: 660mm
- Sweep: 15 deg
- Clamp: 25.4mm or 31.8mm
- Claimed Weight: 241g
- Colors: Polished black, White, Hi Polished silver, Anodized blue, Anodized red, Anodized gold, Anodized titanium
Mary Bar
- Material: Aluminum
- Width: 645mm
- Sweep: 70mm on 25.4mm or 85mm on 31.8mm
- Rise: 37mm
- Clamp: 25.4mm or 31.8mm
- Claimed Weight: 25.4mm is 306g or 31.8mm is 289g
- Colors: Silver, Blue, Gold, Black, White, Red
Midge
- Material: 6061 Aluminum
- Width: 554mm
- Drop: 112mm
- Reach: 64.5mm
- Flare: 113deg
- Clamp: 25.4mm or 31.8mm
- Claimed Weight: 25.4mm is 277g or 31.8mm is 299g
- Colors: Black
Origin 8 – Origin-8.com
Adventure Tour
- Material:6061 Aluminum
- Width: 580mm
- Sweep: 18deg
- Clamp: 25.4mm
- Claimed Weight: 348g
- Color: Black
Bullnose Combo Bar
- Material:6061 Aluminum
- Width: 660mm
- Sweep: 3odeg
- Rise: 12deg
- Stem Extension: 150mm
- Color: Black
Pro Pulsion Alloy Gary-2
- Material: 6061-T6 alloy
- Width: 530mm
- Reach: 135mm
- Drop: 80mm
- Flare: 15deg
- Clamp: 25.4mm
- Color: Black
Space Carbon UL8 Off Road
- Material: High Modulus 3K Carbon Fiber
- Width: 685mm
- Sweep: 25deg
- Clamp: 31.8mm
- Claimed Weight: 170g
- Color: Black
Space Off Road II
- Material: 6061-T6 Aluminum
- Width: 655mm
- Sweep: 40 deg
- Clamp: 31.8mm or 25.4mm
- Claimed Weight: 340g
- Color: Black
Ragley Bikes – RagleyBikes.com
Luxy Offroad Drop Bar
- Material: 7050-T76 alloy
- Width: 420mm
- Drop: 85mm
- Flare: 25 deg
- Clamp: 31.8mm
- Color: Black or Silver
Salsa Cycles – SalsaCycles.com
Bend 2
- Material: 7050-T76 alloy
- Width: 710mm
- Sweep: 17deg or 23 deg
- Upsweep: 5deg
- Clamp: 31.8mm
- Claimed Weight: 297g for 17deg or 309g for 23deg
- Color: Black
Woodchipper
- Material: 7075 T6 Aluminum
- Width: 42cm or 46cm
- Drop: 110mm
- Reach: 80mm
- Drop Angle: 38deg
- Flare Angle: 26deg
- Clamp: 31.8mm
- Claimed Weight: 46mm is 332g
- Color: Black
Soma Fabrications – SomaFab.com
Clarence Bar
- Material: 6061 T6 Aluminum
- Width: 660mm – 25.4mm clamp | 670mm 31.8mm clamp
- Sweep: 40 deg
- Rise: 37mm
- Clamp: 25.4mm or 31.8mm
- Color: Black 31.8mm or White 25.4mm
Junebug Bar – check Soma’s site for more drop bars for MTB’s
- Material: 6061 T6 Aluminum
- Width: 56cm
- Drop: 112mm
- Reach: 65mm
- Clamp: 31.8mm
- Claimed Weight: 300g
- Color: Black or White
Odin Bar
- Material: Tange Aluminum
- Width: 715mm
- Sweep: 15 deg
- Clamp: 25.4mm
- Claimed Weight: 370g
- Color: Black
Surly – SurlyBikes.com
Open Bar
- Material: 4130 Cromoly Steel
- Width: 666mm
- Sweep: 53deg
- Rise: 0mm or 40mm
- Clamp: 25.4mm
- Color: Black
Hi J.A.
Viva “made in the USA”! You missed the Gnar Bar Handlebars, featuring the Control Curve in the handgrip area. The 1st (currently available) generation are 6069 aluminum, made in Portland.
The Control Curve is designed to function like an arch support for the palm of your hands, allowing you better control and comfort without bulk, and arm pump. In addition, the down & forward bend at the end of the bars allow for much better leverage as you jump, rail berms, or descend at speed.
Chris,
Thanks for the mention. I’ll get them added in the article.
Great list J.A. I’m was hoping to grab a pair of the polished On-One Fleegle bars for my wife’s new commuter – of course when I finally went to buy them they were out of stock. Hopefully something from this list will be available and suitable.
Bummer. I hate it when that happens. Hopefully you’ll find something suitable instead from the list.
I have a set of barely used fleegle’s if someone is interested? I went with the Surly Open bar instead because of the extra sweep. Thanks for posting this!
What about:
the original Nitto Dirt Drops (not as wide, very deep drop, flare angle not as much as WTB)
or the WTB Dirt Drops (comparable to the Salsa Woodchipper)
I was looking for bars for my commuter bike and found your post. It is absolutely excellent! You found possible bars I hadn’t heard of. Now I just have to make a decision! Thanks for a great resource!
also 2 nice alternatives to the Mary bars to avoid all that shipping cost – both essentially the same shape and narrower widths – Aherne MAP bars available in 615mm and 575mm; and, Nitto B2522 Jitensa Touring bar 580mm
I still refer back to this post years later. It’s really useful. Unfortunately, Misfit Psycles is no more. Their FUbars and FU2bars were great.
When I got this UPANBIKE mountain bike extra long handlebar, I was amazed by its stylish design that mixed well with my bike’s structure. This handler is constructed out of Aluminum Alloy 6061, ensuring superb durability. Every side comes with a durable anodizing feature numerically controlled to give off accurate bending and shockproof feature and compatible with most bikes.
Anyone try PNW Range? It has rise and nice back sweep.