SRAM has updated its cockpit offering with the new Atmos range.
The best mountain bike handlebars have been getting wider, a trend broadly welcomed, yet there is a case for some riders benefitting from narrower options. And SRAM’s Descendant range, at only 750mm of width, has been ideal for that requirement.
If you are a smaller rider, or someone who regularly rides in a very thickly forested trail with the risk of bashing a bar-end, the new Atmos range will appeal although it is a touch wider than the Descendant handlebars.
The Truvativ Atmos carbon flat bar is 760mm wide, although you can trim it down to 680mm, if you wish. Engineers at SRAM have created a carbon fiber lay-up that should make the new Atmos carbon flat bar a touch comfier to ride, with superior small-frequency vibration absorption.
Recommended retail for the Atmos carbon flat bar is $170, with a weight rating of 190g.
Alloy options and new grips
If your new mountain bike cockpit budget does not extend to the full pricing of a 760mm Atmos carbon flat bar, you can have the same dimensions in aluminum, at $70. The specification differences are 60g more weight on this alloy flat bar, which can also only be safely trimmed down to 700mm, if you do wish to cut it.
Although flat handlebars have their fans, many mountain bikers prefer something with a bit of rise. To satisfy that demand, Truvativ is also offering the Atmos aluminum 760mm handlebar with either 10- or 20mm of rise.
Complementing the new Atmos handlebar range are six new stems, sized in 10mm increments, from 40-90mm. The Truvativ 7K Atmos stem is priced at $75 and all its fastening bolts are similarly sized and conveniently adjustable with a T25 tool.
All mountain bikers know that you need the good grips to really finish that reconfigured cockpit for the spring riding season. SRAM’s new Truvativ Descendant grips fulfill that purpose and are available in six colorways, at $30 each, to mix and match for practically any colorway preference you could have.
