Mechanics Choice: Easton Monkey Lite EC70 Bar
February 27th, 2008 by ArleighThe Bike Lab is about upgrading your bike and building your dream rig. To that end, these are some of our top recommended upgrades. Most are things we actually use on our own rigs, or would feel comfortable recommending to our best friends. They are classic parts, smart designs, and in some cases new and revolutionary bits.
The list was compiled by Guitar Ted and Arleigh Jenkins, two real life bicycle mechanics and passionate cyclists. This is solely their considered opinions on what is a “Top Upgrade”. In the future, look for more “Top Upgrade” parts that will be getting reviewed here on the Bike Lab.
What It Is: A carbon mountain bike bar that is very well known and used across the mountain bike industry. It is available in various diameter and rises which is key now that so many different width, rises and sweeps are desired.
Why Is It A Mechanics Choice: This bar was one of the first carbon mountain bars that shops stocked on their walls. The sweep was very natural and comfortable without looking outlandish to the consumer. Carbon obsurbs vibration very well and you can get a decent amount of flex on the riser bar, nothing crazy but if you are looking for it you can feel it.
The Mechanic Says: There is a 25.4 Monkey Lite in my arsenal that is one of those parts that have moved from multiple (dozen) bikes and keeps ticking. There is no show of clear coat cracking, even after using it many “learning rides” it keeps on rocking. The 25.4 standard is being fazed out more and more but I love the bar so I won’t give it up until it gives up on me.
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I just broke down and bought one of these last week after a month of hand/wrist/elbow Pain riding dirt drops on my commuter, OMG, Thank God that it doesn’t have red hair and an hour-glass figure, I might get in trouble.
Wow! Now that’s a quality comment.
sorry, just trying to bring a lil humor
No worries Quinn, I found it rather funny!
“…so I won’t give it up until it gives up on me.”
Hopefully you give it up just prior to it giving up on you. It is the only carbon bar that I have ever, or ever wanted to use on my mountain bike. Good choice. Long live 25.4…
“Long live 25.4…”?
Carbon bars are the very reason that the 25.4mm standard should become obsolete. Much as fork, headset and frame lives improved dramatically with oversize headsets (while weights went down), we’ll be seeing the same with 31.8 bars. Finally, there’s no chance of using the ‘wrong’ stem (a road 26.0 stem on a 25.4 bar or vice versa), and a larger diameter tube requires less clamping force than a smaller one to stay put- this is kinder to both carbon and aluminum bars. Sadly, bigger typically means stiffer, and some of the ‘twang’ that made riser bars so comfortable is being lost. That said, Salsa’s Pro Moto Carbon riser (made by Alpha Q) is nice and comfy (with more sweep than Easton offer) and Syntace’s Vector Carbon riser, at 175g, has a 12deg sweep and is certified to the German downhill standard and is approved for 4-bolt stems (which Easton warn against- be careful Thomson fans). Don’t get me wrong- Easton makes a good bar (I’ve owned Monkeylites on a number of bikes), but they shouldn’t be the only folks that people look to. As far as 25.4 goes- does anyone want some stems? I’ve made the change completely (2 road, 2 mountain, 1 girlfriend bike).
Marc - I agree with almost everything you have said.
31.8 carbon bars are wonderful. 31.8 aluminum bars are not. Salsa’s new carbon riser is on my must have list for a new bike I am building. I love the industry standard for 31.8 but I’m not going out to buy a new $80+ bar to get all my bikes on board. BUT I think my Easton is the last 25.4 I own.. as I said I love the thing.
I have discovered one thing about carbon (?) bars, They dont work all that well with Problem Solver spacers/adaptors 25.4-31.8, i tried on a few different stems and the bars kept rotating on me.