# $50 235g Chiner Alternative to Syncros Hixon Integrated Bars



## sissypants (Sep 7, 2016)

If the $330 290g Syncros Hixon SL IC bar flips your trigger, consider spending 660% less on a $50 and even lighter 235g factory-direct version.








*
Link: *AliExpress (multiple listings)
*Weight:* 235g (80mm stem, 680mm width)
*Effective Stem Length:* 80/90/100/110mm
*Rise:* -17-degree*
Width:* 660/680/700/720/740/760/780/800mm
*Backsweep:* -9[SUP]o[/SUP]
*Stack:* 40mm
*Material*: Toray 800
*Color:* 3K weave in glossy or matte, or custom paint

I mounted this bar in 80mm/680mm to my hardtail 29er and will be testing it throughout the season. It looks awesome and first ride impressions are all good!

The finish is very sleek. I went for the glossy 3K offering and have no regrets.









The weight is about as light as can be expected from the Chiner market. 235g for my 80mm/680mm bar rivals the equivalent 140g BXT 680mm carbon handlebar and 90g 80mm Kalloy stem combo I also ride.

If you're going integrated with this bar you'll have to be comfortable with -17-degree rise. There also are no integrated Chiner bars with short effective stem lengths like the Syncros Hixon, but conversely you can get much longer stem lengths than other integrated offerings on the market.

Going integrated can be scary, since you're eliminating bar roll (and effective backsweep) and won't be able to swap out different stem lengths. I have always ridden a -17-degree rise 80mm stem combo, so I knew this was something that would work for me. I overlaid my -17[SUP]o[/SUP] 90mm Kalloy Uno stem with a cut 700mm (~680mm) Tideace carbon bar with -6[SUP]o[/SUP] backsweep. There is a clear difference in backsweep, 9[SUP]o[/SUP] as advertised looks correct. This angle feels noticeably different, but in a good way. For me, it reduces thumb fatigue by allowing my thumbs to wrap around the bar at a more natural angle.









There are two bolts for attaching a front GPS mount, but I haven't used these (and don't plan to) since I go OTB often enough that I don't want to destroy my precious GPS.









A short-term solution for mounting my GPS was to install the base on the limited amount of straight tube near the brake levers, but in the long-term I'll mount the GPS onto the top cap.









The stack height of the stem is 40mm, by my best measurement, almost exactly the same height as my Kalloy Uno stem. The beefy construction at the steerer tube clamp means you'll need to tighten the bolts a little more than your average stem to achieve the same clamp strength.









As a huge disclaimer, I can't find any evidence that these bars have been tested to safety standards. Based on my experience, however I can say is that these bars are rock solid and very stiff. I have owned nearly a full dozen Chiner bars from different brands and cracked three, but this one is about as stiff as I have ever had, and I mean that in a good way as it still offers a comfortable ride. That said, this isn't a Syncros or a Syntace bar, and there is no manufacturer warranty offered, but you're also paying much, much less.









*Pros:*


Lightweight and stiff construction
Affordable price tag
Dialed geometry

*Cons:*


Integration means no bar roll
No long straight tubes for mounting stuff
Not offered in effective stem lengths <80mm


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## life behind bars (May 24, 2014)

Excuse the stupid question, would flipping the bar for a + rise result in wonky bar angles? I'ts impossible to discern from the limited number of photos. TIA.


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## sissypants (Sep 7, 2016)

life behind bars said:


> Excuse the stupid question, would flipping the bar for a + rise result in wonky bar angles? I'ts impossible to discern from the limited number of photos. TIA.


No, you can't flip this bar. First off it would look strange, but more importantly the sweep would go off at a funky angle and the resulting position would be weird.


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## Harryman (Jun 14, 2011)

Aside from the novelty aspect, what's the advantage over your other setup which weighs the same, but if far more configurable? Just for giggles? Not busting on you, but if it doesn't save a bunch of weight, I don't see the point beyond a different aesthetic. Not that there's anything wrong with that.....


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## jestep (Jul 23, 2004)

WTF does "factory-direct" mean?

Personally if they can't properly spell size (siez) in their listing, that's a deal breaker for me, full stop.


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## sissypants (Sep 7, 2016)

Harryman said:


> Aside from the novelty aspect, what's the advantage over your other setup which weighs the same, but if far more configurable? Just for giggles? Not busting on you, but if it doesn't save a bunch of weight, I don't see the point beyond a different aesthetic. Not that there's anything wrong with that.....


No loose stem/handlebar bolts ever, no bar roll, cleaner looks. I like it, it's a looker. Admittedly it's a conversation-starter, for those that like attention  That's for giggles, I guess.


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## sissypants (Sep 7, 2016)

jestep said:


> WTF does "factory-direct" mean?
> 
> Personally if they can't properly spell size (siez) in their listing, that's a deal breaker for me, full stop.


It means that the product is shipping to you from the manufacturing facility, or somewhere in the immediate vicinity of the site of production.

If English isn't your first language, I'm not going to criticize you for a typo. A lot of these folks are working on razor-thin profits and have no resources to hire professional translators or proofreaders. I'd rather pay them $50 than waste my money sponsoring Syncros's marketing team, unless I'm supporting local and happen to have disposable income.


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

People still use 80mm+ stems? Other than on road bikes?


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## life behind bars (May 24, 2014)

mikesee said:


> People still use 80mm+ stems? Other than on road bikes?


Yes, I find no need to replace a perfectly functional 9 y.o. mountain bike just to run a short stem to be stylish.


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## sissypants (Sep 7, 2016)

mikesee said:


> People still use 80mm+ stems? Other than on road bikes?


Longer stems increase reach, a crucial determinant of proper bike fit. Riders with short inseams and long torsos need long stems. Riders on short bikes may want long stems.


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## Le Duke (Mar 23, 2009)

Wish this had a lower stack and larger negative angle. 

Based on your pictures I don’t think I’d be able to get the bars low enough to match my current position (77mm Syntace FlatForce with 740mm flat bar).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

life behind bars said:


> Yes, I find no need to replace a perfectly functional 9 y.o. mountain bike just to run a short stem to be stylish.


Has nothing to do with style and everything to do with comfort. But I think having that conversation with people whom want a -17* stem with 80mm+ extension might be fruitless.

Carry on.


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

sissypants said:


> Longer stems increase reach, a crucial determinant of proper bike fit. Riders with short inseams and long torsos need long stems. Riders on short bikes may want long stems.


Well aware of what and why. Also aware that bikes can be designed so that the handling isn't all mucked up with a long stem.

And also aware that many people haven't gotten this memo, and prefer their mountain bikes to feel like their road bikes.

Which is their prerogative. And also lunacy.

Carry on.


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## sissypants (Sep 7, 2016)

mikesee said:


> Well aware of what and why. Also aware that bikes can be designed so that the handling isn't all mucked up with a long stem.
> 
> And also aware that many people haven't gotten this memo, and prefer their mountain bikes to feel like their road bikes.
> 
> ...


Neither will a bike company take prerogative to design frames in dozens of sizes that fit everyone's geometry. That would be financial lunacy.

But I digress. Either this bar is for you or not for you, I just presented the facts for those who may be interested.


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

sissypants said:


> But I digress. Either this bar is for you or not for you, I just presented the facts for those who may be interested.


The digression was mine. When I wrote 'carry on', what I meant was "I'll stop mucking up your thread now...".


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## Iowagriz (Jan 14, 2008)

These might be a great replacement for my carbon Beargrease. I was thinking of moving from alloy to carbon for cold weather improvements. The stock stem is also short and heavy. If I get drop the weight, gain carbon bars and for a low prices, seems like a good application for these bars. It's not like I'm rallying the Beargrease hard in the winter anyways. Likely a safe substitute.


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## sissypants (Sep 7, 2016)

Iowagriz said:


> These might be a great replacement for my carbon Beargrease. I was thinking of moving from alloy to carbon for cold weather improvements. The stock stem is also short and heavy. If I get drop the weight, gain carbon bars and for a low prices, seems like a good application for these bars. It's not like I'm rallying the Beargrease hard in the winter anyways. Likely a safe substitute.


Yeah as long as you like this kind of geometry on a fat bike that you aren't rallying hard on. Typically a -17 degree stem would be something on a race bike, while a fat bike I might even personally run 7 degree rise. I'd also consider Kalloy stems on eBay and your bar of choice from the budget weight weenies thread. That would drop just as much weight at the same cost.


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## Iowagriz (Jan 14, 2008)

sissypants said:


> Yeah as long as you like this kind of geometry on a fat bike that you aren't rallying hard on. Typically a -17 degree stem would be something on a race bike, while a fat bike I might even personally run 7 degree rise. I'd also consider Kalloy stems on eBay and your bar of choice from the budget weight weenies thread. That would drop just as much weight at the same cost.


So much for my reading comprehension....  I quickly scanned this morning after reading it yesterday. Was thinking this was a small positive rise. I should have slowed down as it is obvious in photos


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## Lelandjt (Feb 22, 2008)

life behind bars said:


> Yes, I find no need to replace a perfectly functional 9 y.o. mountain bike just to run a short stem to be stylish.


You'd go OTB less often.


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## life behind bars (May 24, 2014)

Lelandjt said:


> You'd go OTB less often.


If I went otb all that often I'd agree, but.....


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## GammaDriver (Nov 27, 2005)

Thank you.


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

What is a "chiner"?


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## Ryandurepo (Nov 29, 2012)

View attachment 1241839
[/QUOTE]

Not busting your setup, bar is definitely sweet! But what is with the difference in lever angle? it looks as if the non drive side is pointing almost straight down?? Ride on bro!


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## the-one1 (Aug 2, 2008)

Jayem said:


> What is a "chiner"?


^ 
Came in to type this


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## sissypants (Sep 7, 2016)

Ryandurepo said:


> Not busting your setup, bar is definitely sweet! But what is with the difference in lever angle? it looks as if the non drive side is pointing almost straight down?? Ride on bro!


Haha, optical illusion  The picture was taken at a pretty strange angle but that lever does look pretty steep  I'm pretty sure I've moved it up a few mm since, but I do like them low. I also dislike the GPS mount on the bars, so getting a top cap mount.


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## sissypants (Sep 7, 2016)

the-one1 said:


> ^
> Came in to type this


It's the word my LBS mechanic uses to describe my bikes. He pronounces it with a condescending drawl: "CHyyyy-ner"


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## the-one1 (Aug 2, 2008)

Oh, you mean a *****. I used to hear that thrown at me when I was younger. Not so much anymore. Never heard Chiner though. Does he call dark skinned people from the continent of Africa ******?


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## Le Duke (Mar 23, 2009)

the-one1 said:


> Oh, you mean a *****. I used to hear that thrown at me when I was younger. Not so much anymore. Never heard Chiner though. Does he call dark skinned people from the continent of Africa ******?


I believe it specifically refers to Chinese twenty-niner.

Meaning, an unbranded bike of Chinese origin.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## the-one1 (Aug 2, 2008)

Le Duke said:


> I believe it specifically refers to Chinese twenty-niner.
> 
> Meaning, an unbranded bike of Chinese origin.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Ahh, your explanation makes more sense.


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## Lelandjt (Feb 22, 2008)

life behind bars said:


> If I went otb all that often I'd agree, but.....


Sorry, thought you were the OP. He mentioned going OTB often and not minding the 80mm length.


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## Lelandjt (Feb 22, 2008)

the-one1 said:


> Oh, you mean a *****. I used to hear that thrown at me when I was younger. Not so much anymore. Never heard Chiner though. Does he call dark skinned people from the continent of Africa ******?


I think it's a shortening of "China carbon". Used when speaking about a no name carbon part bought online. I just say "China carbon".


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

sissypants said:


> It's the word my LBS mechanic uses to describe my bikes. He pronounces it with a condescending drawl: "CHyyyy-ner"


Ah, so it's a derogatory term...


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## wfl3 (Dec 30, 2003)

Le Duke said:


> I believe it specifically refers to Chinese twenty-niner.
> 
> Meaning, an unbranded bike of Chinese origin.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


That's how I see it used most commonly. Not as an ethnic slur.

The site chinertown is a great resource for such parts as are plenty of threads here.


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## RS VR6 (Mar 29, 2007)

Lol...this thread completely went off the rails.:ciappa:


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

wfl3 said:


> That's how I see it used most commonly. Not as an ethnic slur.
> 
> The site chinertown is a great resource for such parts as are plenty of threads here.


Well, if all China made was 29ers, maybe, would still be a stretch IMO.


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

mikesee said:


> People still use 80mm+ stems? Other than on road bikes?


And 680mm bars! haha! There is no way in hell I'd go back to bars so narrow...that's at least 10 years ago for me, maybe more. I know, I'm an idiot for buying a Hixon SL, but I had to replace a stem and a bar, so I figured what the heck. At 780mm, they are wide enough for modern bikes.


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## GammaDriver (Nov 27, 2005)

Jayem said:


> And 680mm bars! haha! There is no way in hell I'd go back to bars so narrow...that's at least 10 years ago for me, maybe more. I know, I'm an idiot for buying a Hixon SL, but I had to replace a stem and a bar, so I figured what the heck. At 780mm, they are wide enough for modern bikes.


Just where are you guys riding that has that wide of trails? The chief complaint of the newer bike owners I've ridden with is that they have all crashed from getting a wide bar smacked by a tree on either side.

One would hope trail builders aren't destroying the woods merely to accommodate a screwed-up idea in mountain biking. Destroying tight tracks to accommodate an industry-marketing-push that made no sense... actually, that sounds exactly what the modern era of 'mountain bikers' would expect.


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## sissypants (Sep 7, 2016)

GammaDriver said:


> Just where are you guys riding that has that wide of trails? The chief complaint of the newer bike owners I've ridden with is that they have all crashed from getting a wide bar smacked by a tree on either side.
> 
> One would hope trail builders aren't destroying the woods merely to accommodate a screwed-up idea in mountain biking. Destroying tight tracks to accommodate an industry-marketing-push that made no sense... actually, that sounds exactly what the modern era of 'mountain bikers' would expect.


You know, these are forums loaded with keyboard warriors, just ride what works for you.

Narrow bars work for me. I ran 720mm last summer and had a bad injury because I just barely clipped my bars on a tree and stabbed myself in the ribcage as I fell dead weight on my handlebar planted in the ground. I'm not looking for a repeat performance, and I do clip bars on trees often (and shoulders). Riding in Kansas might be different.


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## MattMay (Dec 24, 2013)

mikesee said:


> People still use 80mm+ stems? Other than on road bikes?


I believe Nino's is 90mm extension on his Syncros setup, and he does fairly well on a mountain bike. 
https://reviews.mtbr.com/nino-schurter-riding-new-syncros-fraser-ic-sl-cockpit


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

GammaDriver said:


> Just where are you guys riding that has that wide of trails?


Places with trees?

This was just a few weeks ago on a work trip (non accelerated video). On my weight weenie bike doing the Return of the Jedi speeder thing...:






Several places on this trail have trees narrower than 780mm, especially near the 4:20 mark:






This one's significantly narrower than 780:






We got plenty of tight moves where you get to weave your way through. Fun as heck. I think the wide bars thing is somewhat like exposure for some people, they fear it, thinking they are going to fall when there is plenty of trail, or that they'll tag a tree when their hands will pass with plenty of clearance. Your brain knows where your hands are, so hands at the edges of 780 bars allows your brain to calculate, vs. sticking your hands inside of the end of the bar. If you haven't tried modern-width bars, you owe it to yourself. This is where I don't sacrifice everything for weight-weenie-ism, bike needs to work like a modern bike, not like a 1995 model.


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## GammaDriver (Nov 27, 2005)

Jayem said:


> Places with trees?
> 
> This was just a few weeks ago on a work trip (non accelerated video). On my weight weenie bike doing the Return of the Jedi speeder thing...:
> 
> ...


You do realize that:

That was not a tight trail?
That the mountain bike genre, and many of us, went through the wide bars phase to get to the narrower bars phase? It isn't fear, it's riding actual woods, and experience, that led us to run what we ran.

Feel great about what you ride I guess.


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

GammaDriver said:


> You do realize that:
> 
> That was not a tight trail?
> That the mountain bike genre, and many of us, went through the wide bars phase to get to the narrower bars phase? It isn't fear, it's riding actual woods, and experience, that led us to run what we ran.
> ...


You do realize that I posted more than one vid, right?

I will say that our winter trails vary considerably in terms of speed, depending on conditions, but the tight trees keep it interesting. Lots of weaving through and such, tons of fun in my mind. You can weave wider bars through the trees was my point. If you are truly riding trails that only have 2 feet of lateral clearance from the trail surface to 6 feet in the air, I'd love to see the videos.


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## Jason Liske (Feb 28, 2015)

"It's stiff and awesome"

Negative, it's not that stiff. Looks cool, but not that stiff.


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## sissypants (Sep 7, 2016)

Jason Liske said:


> "It's stiff and awesome"
> 
> Negative, it's not that stiff. Looks cool, but not that stiff.


Have you tried it? I'd be curious what evidence you have to support your criticism. I cannot get this to flex noticeably no matter how hard I push or pull on it. It's stiff almost to a fault, with sore wrists wishing for more flex at times.

No, it's not steel, but for any carbon bar this thing is stiff.

I'm saying this after nearly 500 miles of singletrack on this handlebar. Still absolutely zero complaints, other than that -9-degree backsweep might be a little bit much for me.


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## Jason Liske (Feb 28, 2015)

Maybe it’s racing elite, or my 200# forces, or maybe the niner bars I am comparing to but certainly more flexy. Don’t get me wrong it’s not a bad setup, def throwing it on the kids bikes. Mine was 260gr by the way, but I only did matte finish.


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## sissypants (Sep 7, 2016)

Jason Liske said:


> Maybe it's racing elite, or my 200# forces, or maybe the niner bars I am comparing to but certainly more flexy. Don't get me wrong it's not a bad setup, def throwing it on the kids bikes. Mine was 260gr by the way, but I only did matte finish.


Ah, so you do own one! Sorry if I was overly critical. Multiple rider opinions are great to have.

I'm just 170lbs kitted, but have recently taken highly competitive singletrack KOMs on this thing without any bar problems. I'll be moving it from bike to bike for the foreseeable future.


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## Davide (Jan 29, 2004)

nm nm


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## Davide (Jan 29, 2004)

sissypants said:


> If the $330 290g Syncros Hixon SL IC bar flips your trigger, consider spending 660% less on a $50 and even lighter 235g factory-direct version.


If you compare apples with apples, that is XC bar against XC bar, Syncros is actually lighter. The Fraser IC SL at 740 width and 70 mm equivalent stem comes in at 220 grams. The Hixon targets all mountain/enduro.

View attachment 1252444









And as usual weight claims should come with measurements ... it would be nice to see the actual weight of this "factory-direct" offering.


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

Davide said:


> If you compare apples with apples, that is XC bar against XC bar, Syncros is actually lighter. The Fraser IC SL at 740 width and 70 mm equivalent stem comes in at 220 grams. The Hixon targets all mountain/enduro.
> 
> And as usual weight claims should come with measurements ... it would be nice to see the actual weight of this "factory-direct" offering.


Yep, and 273g is what I got for the Hixon SL, 785mm bar. I was previously running a Ritchey WCS stem at 96g with a Next SL 720 bar, total weight for that combo was 281g, so although I didn't drop much weight, I DID drop some weight and I actually have a normal modern setup now, which is so much nicer to ride.

The Hixon is Enduro, as you say. Although enduro is overkill for my bike, this being such a critical connection, I wanted it to be adequately strong for how I push my bike AND I wanted it to be normal width for current bike geometry. Dropping a couple grams was some icing on the cake.


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## ecl2k (Apr 21, 2008)

The syncros fraser xc bars seem to be sold out everywhere, so I am seriously considering this bar.


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## sissypants (Sep 7, 2016)

Davide said:


> If you compare apples with apples, that is XC bar against XC bar, Syncros is actually lighter. The Fraser IC SL at 740 width and 70 mm equivalent stem comes in at 220 grams. The Hixon targets all mountain/enduro.
> 
> And as usual weight claims should come with measurements ... it would be nice to see the actual weight of this "factory-direct" offering.


My scale measured 235g for 80mm stem, 680mm width. You are correct, that would put it in behind the Fraser IC SL in terms of weight. Yet, the weight penalty is a small price to pay to save big. I'm a fan of simplicity, so just really loving it!


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## BillyBicycle (Jul 4, 2016)

I will probably pick up a couple to test, assuming these go on sale quarterly or bi-annually like most of the chiner stuff on Ali-express does. I've been pretty happy with my chiner bars and chiner stems, but would try this just for the integrated look.


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## m1muiz (Jul 2, 2020)

No way... He didnt get the memo I guess about long stems and short bars? 🤣



MattMay said:


> I believe Nino's is 90mm extension on his Syncros setup, and he does fairly well on a mountain bike.
> Nino Schurter riding new Syncros Fraser iC SL cockpit


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## Suns_PSD (Dec 13, 2013)

The complaint in reviews for the Hixon is that it's TOO STIFF. I want bars to flex.

Although I won't run bars like this, I've considered them for my wife and daughter who are much lighter and just do chill XC rides, so am curious about the flex characteristics and especially long term durability.


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