nameless

I'm choosing between handlebar materials.

I'll be riding a rigid mountain bike, mostly off-road over a long period of time.

I don't care about handlebar makes or models, shape, size or weight.

Between aluminum, steel and titanium, which handlebar material would serve me best?

And why?

Thanks!

Chuckie J.

I use titanium for my off-road touring, pretty much the only touring I do. Supposedly it absorbs the shocks a little but I have NO IDEA if its really doing anything. Its a Seven flat bar and got it when I ordered the bike. Its light! Not sure if there are riser bars in titanium but I wanted flat (with bar ends).

Steel, I feel, would be overkill in the strength department. I had one of those Surly 1x1 Torsion bars and they were crazy heavy but obviously really strong.

Aluminum is cheap and plentiful. Any shape you like.

cyccommute 

Quality steel handlebars are hard to find (cheap heavy gas pipe ones aren't) and overly heavy. Titanium is expensive and not all that easy to find. Aluminum is readily available, about as flexy as you'll ever need (the bars have a smaller diameter than frame tubes), cheap, durable and light. I'd just go with aluminum.

LeeG

since you don't say what matters and size/weight don't matter it really doesn't matter what you get. But I'm guessing there are issues about durability and shock absorption given the description of off road riding for a long time. I'd get a heavy aluminum one and the biggest tires that will fit on the front fork and a GOOD pump that makes frequent changes in tire pressure easy. Heavy because it'll probably be strong and you won't waste money paying for something light that is more likely to bend or suffer bending where bar ends are attached. Curious to hear others experience on bar bending.

fietsbob

Available are Nitto 'Albatross' in Chromoly, they fit Bar end shifters or reverse levers.

I like Trekking bars , ITM and Modolo in Europe make nice ones, use thick wall aluminum
then heat treat it after bending to return the aluminum to a stress free temper.

late

https://www.bikeman.com/HB2341.html

cyccommute 

The Albatross is not a good choice for off-road riding. When riding on a surface where your front wheel can be bounced around a lot, you don't want a handlebar that sweeps back towards you. It's good way of ending up with bruises in odd and painful places. The bruises would be about an inch in diameter. There is a reason that mountain bikes use bars with very little rearward sweep

positron

That's too bad, because these are all that matter... not material

gregw

+1

fuzz2050

When it comes to handlebars, I almost always pick a shape that I like, and then go from there. Doing it any other way seems backwards.

The most shock absorbing handlebars in the world would be horribly uncomfortable if you don't like the hand positions offered.

2manybikes

Agreed, the material is not an important thing. I will say that my ti MTB bars do absorb a small amount of shock. And they do take a beating in stride. I don't think the shape would be good for touring. For long rides I prefer roadie drop bars.

fietsbob

I'm a gravel road rider , single track , straight bars are probably OK . Maybe add bar ends.
I wouldnt want to tour on them trekking bars are 7/8" tube so the controls
stuff on the straight bars slide right on.

Road bars are bigger diameter so you have shifter changes and
V brake short travel brake lever issues , etc.

twobadfish

Why not carbon?

sstorkel

They tend to be expensive, have no discernible advantage over aluminum, and may be more likely to fail catastrophically during a crash.