Truvativ BlackBox Handlebar Reviewed
Danny Hart may look a bit bulbous at first, but once you get him in your hand, he feels just right. Of course, handlebar selection is a truly personal thing: all the colours of the anodized rainbow are available to make your bike stand out – in both good ways and bad. But, in reality, width and bend should be dictating your choice first and foremost. When you find the perfect combination of colour and bend… well that is a beautiful thing indeed.
Earlier this year I was faced with a colour clash dilemma. Mark Matthews called me out on the NSMB Team trip: my fresh Chris King hubs were from a different colour spectrum than my trusted purple Chromag bar. I knew this already. Pete had the whole Captain America thing going with his S-Works and here I was dressed like a colourblind teenager. I needed inspiration, a precedent…
I knew there was an ideal out there, and then it hit me: Colin McRae and the 1998 World Rally Championship. Here it was, solidly embedded in my brain from countless hours of watching WRC and playing Gran Turismo. I was fiending for a gold bar like Yukon Cornelius.
Now, back to that thing about handlebar selection: previously, I would not consider a Truvativ Boobar. The 7×5º sweep just doesn’t jive with my wrists. Enter the Danny Hart bar. Shaped like a Boobar, but gets a sweepy 9×5º bend to accompany its 780mm width – and comes in one colour only: GOLD. Perfect.
The Danny Hart bar is part of the Truvativ BlackBox athlete series of handlebars. You might not like Danny, but maybe Jerome Clementz is your style – and after Stevie Smith’s killer season, I’m sure lots of people will be after his hardware. My only recommendation is to find the shape that works for you first, and then choose the colour. Function must always be present, but don’t forget about fashion; mountain biking is serious business – just ask Mark Matthews.
Are you as picky as Morgan about colour matching, or do you go buckwild with the anodized clash?
Comments
Midas
10 years, 5 months ago
The gold of the Kashima doesn't match the gold of the bar? I need a bar that matches my Kashima, any suggestions?
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Morgan Taylor
10 years, 5 months ago
Yeah dude, you need the RaceFace Kash Money collection.
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cam
10 years, 5 months ago
Thanks for the feedback spotter. Clamp size is something we shouldn't have missed. Morgan's 'first world problem' was intended to be tongue-in-cheek but I can see how that could be missed. Cheers and please keep on feeding it back!
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semaj
10 years, 5 months ago
My Devinci Wilson is rocking a Stevie bar like it should 😉
The Stevie bar has the same specs as a Boobar, 7×5, but that works fine for me.
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Steve
10 years, 5 months ago
This is a review???
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cam
10 years, 5 months ago
Do you have some feedback for us spotter? Is there something you feel Morgan missed? We love feedback. Thanks
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Steve
10 years, 5 months ago
I just felt like it was more telling a story about the testers first world plight of not his parts not matching. Maybe it's just a different format of review and I'm not used to it, but it just felt empty.
Also clamp size should have been listed.
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boomforeal
10 years, 5 months ago
its a handlebar. looks good, feels good, hasn't broken yet, here are the specs. what else is there to say - seriously?
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Uncle Duke
10 years, 5 months ago
ever since i started working on bikes i see things i didn't see before. nice effing bike tho…
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Uncle Duke
10 years, 5 months ago
that front brake cable is pretty short..
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Morgan Taylor
10 years, 5 months ago
It's truly terrible, hey? The line was all twisted as well, and had to be completely taken apart to be remedied. Fixed now, and shortened.
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C.Lee
10 years, 5 months ago
now you can't do x-ups through those stanchions with shorter hose =(
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rasheed
10 years, 5 months ago
31.8 according to the website.
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leverfingers
10 years, 5 months ago
What size? 31.8 or 35? With all these new standards, you gotta know so that you can get the right stem for it.
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