Era SL 35mm Handlebar

What Our Gearhead® Experts Are Saying:

"What makes the Era SL technically interesting is how the flippable rise works without changing the sweep geometry — most flippable bars shift the bend angle when you flip them, which means your hand position changes. Race Face engineered a single 9.4-degree bend that reads as 8-degree backsweep and 5-degree upsweep in either orientation, so the fit is genuinely consistent across both positions. Combined with GL Tune compliance that sits between stiff race bars and trail-oriented bars, it's the right choice for riders who need precise steering under power and don't want to pay for it in fatigue on long, rough descents."

Carbon handlebar performance is determined by three variables: weight, compliance characteristics, and how precisely the geometry can be dialed to a rider's position. The Race Face Era SL Handlebar addresses all three with engineering choices that make it genuinely distinct in the 35mm carbon category.

At 170g, the Era SL is the lightest 35mm handlebar in Race Face's lineup — a weight achieved through UD carbon construction and a layup optimized for the loading patterns of XC racing and Downcountry riding rather than gravity applications. Carbon weight reduction at the handlebar is meaningful in two ways: it contributes to overall bike weight, and it reduces rotational mass at a point that affects how quickly the bike responds to steering input. The GL Tune carbon layup is Race Face's term for a specific compliance profile engineered to sit between the rigidity of a pure race bar and the softness of a trail-oriented bar. Under power on climbs and flat sections, the bar transmits input efficiently; on rough, punchy descents where high-frequency vibration builds over time, the compliance characteristic absorbs enough chatter to meaningfully reduce hand and forearm fatigue across long efforts.

The flippable +/-6mm rise is the most distinctive engineering feature. Most flippable bars change the effective sweep angles when the rise orientation changes, meaning the rider's hand position shifts between configurations. Race Face solved this with a single 9.4-degree bend that, when installed and rolled to riding position in either orientation, replicates the feel of a fixed 8-degree backsweep and 5-degree upsweep bar. The result is a bar where cockpit height can be adjusted by 12mm total without any change in fit — a meaningful setup tool for riders dialing position across different bikes or after component changes. Paired with the Turbine SL stem, total cockpit height adjustability extends to 24mm, covering a range that would otherwise require multiple stem purchases or riser spacers. The 760mm width trims to 720mm with onboard cut marks, and the 35mm clamp works with standard stems only — the Era SL is not compatible with direct mount stems, which is worth confirming before building around it.