08/04/2024
J for Jaster Mereel
I’ve been using this custom corner bar by from Indonesia for over 3 years now, and I’m planning to stay with that geometry for a while. But lately I’ve been shaving as much weight from my bike to prepare for long distance bike packing/touring, and this existing bar + GT stem weighs almost 1 kilo 😳
I recently got an FSA carbon stem for a steal rm60, so decided to change to a lighter aftermarket alternative for the bar too. And that would be an aluminium corner bar from a Taiwan brand, Sagmit. Combined with the carbon stem, they only weigh around 500g. Thats more than 200g lighter than the original handle bar alone. (Swipe for reference photos) Not to mention the price difference too! It’s like SEVEN times cheaper…
So now the question of reliability and safety. Considering even the original Surly bar is manufactured in Taiwan, I think it’s worth to try Sagmit. From a material POV, I think of course this bar is going to be more ‘crunchy’ on the vibrations, because it’s now aluminium and not steel. Hence, the reason I chose the carbon stem, so I can add some flexing, if there’s gonna be any.
Since I’ve shaved over 400g now, the rides feel more nimble, also coz this bar is 40mm narrower that the old bar (on the hoods). The only downside is the ‘hood’ part is a bit shorter than the original or even the previous replica bar. Other than that, I am enjoying the s**t out of this new bar.
And I will continue building my bike this way. I don’t wanna go fast, I wanna go far. I’m not chasing brands, I’m wanna find sustainability.