Jones H-bar Loop Carbon in 35.0mm clamp size is launched
The classic Jones H-Bar in carbon has been launched for 35mm stems and I think it tells you a little about where gravel and adventure geometry is heading.
What a pity it is that our own tester of weird handlebars has absented himself from the scene. Dave was long an outlier, with his outre Mary bars that were a continual source of sideways glances. Maybe Lee might fancy one for his bike packing rig?
Now, we reach something of an apotheosis of the genre with the carbon Jones H-Bar for 35mm stems.
Why is this significant – as in the cause of a raised eyebrow, rather than the start of a new handlebar trend for mountain bikers? Well, the whole point of 35mm stems is strength, particularly for wide 800mm handlebars, whereas the whole point of H-bars is bikepacking, touring and non-gravity focussed riding. Do you actually need extra strength for that sort of thing?
I would say that was arguable but I suppose it does point to the trend with gravel and adventure bikes to sport ever-longer top tubes with ever-shorter stems. Simply put, most short stems only seem to come in 35mm these days, so Jones is going where the market is. Mind you, the market must surely be small – if dedicated – these things retail at $350!
What you get for that outsize sum is a uni-directional carbon bar that follows classic H-bar lines, with the loop at the front and swept 45° bars offering multiple hand and mounting positions. They are actually wider than the H-bar norm at 710mm vs 660mm for the original H-bar.
That’s not a wide handlebar by MTB standards but is decently wide for gravel and adventure. It’s also a tried and tested width for Jones; they have several bars at that size but not at 35mm. I think you can assume more will follow.
Here’s a gratuitous shot of an H-bar (non-carbon, non-35mm) in it’s native habitat:
About the author
Matt is one of the founding Molefathers of the Muddymoles, and is the designer and main administrator of the website.
Having ridden a 2007 Orange Five for many years then a 2016 YT Industries Jeffsy 29er, he now rocks a Bird Aether 9 and a Pace RC-627.
An early On-One Inbred still lurks in the back of the stable as a reminder of how things have moved on. You can even find him on road bikes - currently a 2019 Cannondale Topstone 105 SE, a much-used 2011 Specialized Secteur and very niche belt drive Trek District 1.
If you've ever wondered how we got into mountain biking and how the MuddyMoles started, well wonder no more.
There are 7 comments on ‘Jones H-bar Loop Carbon in 35.0mm clamp size is launched’
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Elliot says:
Only benefit I can see is the bigger diameter for that hand position. Jones do the same handlebar in 31.8mm, but lighter. I’ve yet to ride a 35mm handlebar that isn’t so stiff it adversely affects comfort and control. #nota35mmfan
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Posted on January 25, 2021 at 6:43 pm
Matt says:
Yes, I agree about 35mm bars but I think that’s where the market has gone. If you want a short stem, that’s what’s available so that’s what even adventure bikes will be rocking.
The most comfortable bar I had was an old pink alloy bar on the Inbred – 700mm wide, 25.4mm diameter I think. Worked really well until I got nervous of its provenance – it came off Thomas’ UFO so had already done a days work before I got it.
I’ve only had one 35mm bar that feels OK – the Race Face carbon Next at 760mm. Actually not bad and not heavy…
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Posted on January 25, 2021 at 11:25 pm
Elliot says:
Hadn’t really looked at short stems much lately but CRC seem to have a good 31.8 30-50mm selection, even with current shortages.
I remember Specialized tried to bring back 25.4 about 10 years ago. Timing wasn’t great as that was about when wider bars started taking off.
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Posted on January 26, 2021 at 1:33 am
Tony Gordon says:
The 25.4mm bars on my Retro MTB look incredibly skinny especially in comparison to the 35mm bars on some of the other bikes. Although with FS / HT suspension bikes bar comfort seems a little less important that the days of rigid bikes
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Posted on January 28, 2021 at 4:54 pm
Matt says:
Good point Tony – flexy bars are only there to compensate for no/poor suspension. I guess it’s a system thing, it’s about the overall feel.
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Posted on January 29, 2021 at 1:45 pm
Elliot says:
It’s definitely a whole system thing. Which should also include overly stiff wheels. Having some flex or vibration damping from the bars is important, even with suspension. If you think back to those wretched Les Gets braking bumps, I found my hands would seize on to the grips from the vibration by the bottom. Spank Vibrocore bars sorted this, without feeling flexy.
The last 35mm aluminium bars I had felt like riding a jackhammer, and that was just locally or around Peaslake. I think James has said similar. Made me wrongly think the fork was toast and try fettling that. OneUp 35mm bars were better but still stiffer than 31.8.
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Posted on January 29, 2021 at 6:14 pm
Matt says:
I had the Race Face Aeffect alloy bar on the Jeffsy – now that is stiff!
RF Next R carbon bars exactly the same dimensions but quite different – if you have the bike upside down and push on them you can see them flex (in a nice way).
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Posted on January 29, 2021 at 6:33 pm