Caleb: Yo, what’s up? Would you be cool to review that Easton Haven handlebar for this issue?
Leif: You mean the Easton Havoc?
Caleb: Oh, yeah. It would be dope if you could.
Leif: How do you review a set of bars?
Caleb: Huh… um… I have no idea, that’s why I figured it’s better if you do it.
Leif: Great, thanks.
Caleb: Why did you get them in the first place?
Leif: Well, I had been running 710 mm wide bars for a while and wanted to try something a little wider. The Havocs are 750 mm wide.
Caleb: Mint.
Leif: Plus, I was keen to save a little weight if possible. Every gram counts, and the Havocs are one of only a few extra-wide bars available in carbon.
Caleb: Word. What do they weigh in at?
Leif: Only 235 grams. That’s almost 100 grams lighter than some aluminium bars of equivalent width.
Caleb: Off the chain!
Leif: What? Um, okay. Yeah, they seem pretty bulletproof too. They’re intended for downhill, so they should be sweet on all-mountain and trail bikes.
Caleb: Are you happy with them?
Leif: Yeah, they’re comfortable, look sweet, and I like the extra width—most of the time. I find I have to be a little mindful on some of the tighter tree-lined trails around Welly though. Trails like Rata Ridge.
Caleb: They look the shiz!
Leif: Yeah, there’s something about that carbon weave eh? Light, wide, strong and good-looking; they’ve got it goin’on! LEIF ROY
VIDEO | How Santa Cruz Designs Full Suspension Bikes
Janet Kan November 21, 2022
Kiran MacKinnon is a human dyno. When Santa Cruz Bicycles needs to test, experiment and validate suspension then Kiran is the one of the main people we call on to do that work. Not only is he an extremely talented bike rider and incredibly knowledgeable about suspension, but he can actually interpret and translate what he’s feeling in a way that he can communicate to the rest of the engineering team. This enables them to cross-reference the data they’ve collected with real life, on-trail experience to build better bikes and provide the right setup for our riders. We’re constantly refining our VPP™ suspension as well as the damping tunes shocks we spec on our bikes in order to make sure our bikes ride really, really good.
