I think perhaps my comments being nest-egged under (and somewhat supportive of) Lynx's are perhaps giving them a more critical tone than I intended. So I think it's worthwhile for me to take a step back and then do a deeper dive here with the whole "there should be more info" type statement.
Raceface has released multiple bars at multiple widths, with multiple rises, made out of multiple materials, and each with a different flex profile within those other factors. They did so at a time when industry leaders like Trek have John Burke coming out and saying that in a time of industry contraction, Trek is going to reduce their SKU count by 40% over two years. Hell, they're about to full-on nuke (or already did, I can't keep track) Bontrager apparel.
Meanwhile, Raceface releases these things which turns a relatively tight SKU list into a ticker-tape parade. It is clear that Raceface thought this, and all of the increased development, distribution, and retail costs, was worth it. They aren't even particularly more expensive, it appears to be coming out of Raceface (or, not knowing the markup, the retailer's) margin.
Raceface has a reputation in the industry that lends a certain level of credibility with the enthusiast level MTB consumer. They're earned it. They also must have done an amount of internal testing before releasing these things. So when they do something like this, there simply must be something to it.
This is an industry leading, novel release. That really doesn't happen that often. They had the opportunity to accompany it with a second industry leading, novel release by creating something akin to Norco's Ride Aligned, but instead of for bike setup, for bar selection. If there's a spectrum where material choice, width, and stiffness can all be optimized for rider height, weight, and riding style, they could release information that would help guide consumers in a particular direction. Do they need to full-on make a tool like Ride Aligned? They'd have to make that assessment internally, but if such optimizations are possible, I'd love to see them embrace that aspect of it in some regard.
So to answer "what will I do with that info"? Pick the bar that's best for me. Of course I'll be relying on what they tell me. The last few times I set up a Norco for myself I jumped on Ride Aligned and it was like 90% there every time. And I was relying on Norco to get me to that 90%. So maybe I'm not after specific measurability but some guidance along the spectrum they've created. Because cutting these things is still possible, and cutting the wider bar down to the same length as a narrower bar is going to yield a different profile. Maybe they could take it one step further and help us out with who that other profile is for.
Instead we're left with goldilocks. If the 'spectrum' as described above is true, them goldilocks doesn't cut it*. And hey, maybe the truth is actually closer to goldilocks. Maybe their internal testing revealed that at a given width and material, a certain flex characteristic will work best for pretty much everybody independent of rider weight and riding style. Pick up your preferred width and material and have at it. If that's the case, tell us about it! Don't just call it a 'goldilocks' bar and move on! Tell us what you did and the conclusion that was reached. Because this _is_ novel, you have us egg-head type consumer nerds desiring more. This is genuinely interesting and there's an opportunity here to take it to the next level.
*there's a joke here about how they made goldilocks tunes to avoid cutting bars.
Take me for example. I'm 210 lbs, 6' 2", pretty aggressive, and run 760mm bars on every single flat bar bike. Let's say I'm picking up either the Era or Turbine, in 40mm rise, for my Instinct. I'd like some guidance from Raceface on whether I, preferring a stock size they make, should grab the 760mm bars, or being big and strong I should cut one of the 780s or 800s down to size. How do I know that I'm not going to have an objectively worse experience by grabbing the 800 and cutting it? Is a cut 780 the double goldilocks?? Or is the stock 760 just better all round? Help me out here Raceface!
July 9, 2024, 12:19 p.m. - Jotegir
I think perhaps my comments being nest-egged under (and somewhat supportive of) Lynx's are perhaps giving them a more critical tone than I intended. So I think it's worthwhile for me to take a step back and then do a deeper dive here with the whole "there should be more info" type statement. Raceface has released multiple bars at multiple widths, with multiple rises, made out of multiple materials, and each with a different flex profile within those other factors. They did so at a time when industry leaders like Trek have John Burke coming out and saying that in a time of industry contraction, Trek is going to reduce their SKU count by 40% over two years. Hell, they're about to full-on nuke (or already did, I can't keep track) Bontrager apparel. Meanwhile, Raceface releases these things which turns a relatively tight SKU list into a ticker-tape parade. It is clear that Raceface thought this, and all of the increased development, distribution, and retail costs, was worth it. They aren't even particularly more expensive, it appears to be coming out of Raceface (or, not knowing the markup, the retailer's) margin. Raceface has a reputation in the industry that lends a certain level of credibility with the enthusiast level MTB consumer. They're earned it. They also must have done an amount of internal testing before releasing these things. So when they do something like this, there simply must be something to it. This is an industry leading, novel release. That really doesn't happen that often. They had the opportunity to accompany it with a second industry leading, novel release by creating something akin to Norco's Ride Aligned, but instead of for bike setup, for bar selection. If there's a spectrum where material choice, width, and stiffness can all be optimized for rider height, weight, and riding style, they could release information that would help guide consumers in a particular direction. Do they need to full-on make a tool like Ride Aligned? They'd have to make that assessment internally, but if such optimizations are possible, I'd love to see them embrace that aspect of it in some regard. So to answer "what will I do with that info"? Pick the bar that's best for me. Of course I'll be relying on what they tell me. The last few times I set up a Norco for myself I jumped on Ride Aligned and it was like 90% there every time. And I was relying on Norco to get me to that 90%. So maybe I'm not after specific measurability but some guidance along the spectrum they've created. Because cutting these things is still possible, and cutting the wider bar down to the same length as a narrower bar is going to yield a different profile. Maybe they could take it one step further and help us out with who that other profile is for. Instead we're left with goldilocks. If the 'spectrum' as described above is true, them goldilocks doesn't cut it*. And hey, maybe the truth is actually closer to goldilocks. Maybe their internal testing revealed that at a given width and material, a certain flex characteristic will work best for pretty much everybody independent of rider weight and riding style. Pick up your preferred width and material and have at it. If that's the case, tell us about it! Don't just call it a 'goldilocks' bar and move on! Tell us what you did and the conclusion that was reached. Because this _is_ novel, you have us egg-head type consumer nerds desiring more. This is genuinely interesting and there's an opportunity here to take it to the next level. *there's a joke here about how they made goldilocks tunes to avoid cutting bars. Take me for example. I'm 210 lbs, 6' 2", pretty aggressive, and run 760mm bars on every single flat bar bike. Let's say I'm picking up either the Era or Turbine, in 40mm rise, for my Instinct. I'd like some guidance from Raceface on whether I, preferring a stock size they make, should grab the 760mm bars, or being big and strong I should cut one of the 780s or 800s down to size. How do I know that I'm not going to have an objectively worse experience by grabbing the 800 and cutting it? Is a cut 780 the double goldilocks?? Or is the stock 760 just better all round? Help me out here Raceface!