Reeses

New bars came in the mail today. They weigh 198g, claimed weight is 199g for the EC90 SLX3s. After installing, I tried the flex-test and noticed considerable flex on the bars (more than my FSA Wing Pro compacts); my friend they're supposed to be as stiff as Nitto B123 steel track drops - mine are no where close.

I got these off ebay for $56+shipping, used, from a seller in the U.S. The most troubling thing is the serial label on the inside of the right bar end. It says:
EA-DD- [a Chinese character] 37
10091072

Jed19

Well, if it was a genuine Easton bar, it won't have the chinese characters.

dkoernert

https://www.bikeradar.com/gear/catego...rgo-bars-18061

Bikeradar claims they are "softer" which I assume means more flexy. I have them and I definitely notice some flex. They have some thing called "intelligent flex". I'm not even going to begin to pretend I know what that means, but I just assumed it meant they were going to flex a little more. Post a pic.

rangerdavid

yeah, post pics up, and the label with the chinese characters too

rpenmanparker 

What is "the flex test"?

rpenmanparker 

This competitive thread suggests Easton is made in Taiwan: https://forums.mtbr.com/cannondale/ha...sa-449920.html

Reeses

The flex test? Oh I just stood over my bike, and pushed down on the bars in the drops. Is that dumb? lol my friend suspected that they were fake (because I got them for so cheap) so he told me to do it. However, when I sprinted out of the saddle while test riding around the neighborhood, I did notice a bit more flex.

I couldn't get a very good shot but here is the label:

and the front of the bars look identical:

rpenmanparker 

These are among the lightest bars available. Not quite but close. OP, what did you expect?

Reeses

I expected good bars at a good price. Since it was an auction, I didn't think that these could be replicas.

rpenmanparker 

Terrific. That is exactly what you got. You should be both happy with the bars and ecstatic about the price. You could hardly have made a better deal. I ;assure you they are not replicas. Easton's are made in Taiwan. Flex comes with the territory. If they had been 40's, I would have offered to take them off your hands. Too bad. But if you want to sell them for what you paid, I doubt you will have any difficulty.

Reeses

Whew. That's great. Guess I'll just have to get used to the flex.

Also, how tight should I tighten my levers on the bars? I've never used carbon bars and would like to not crack them.

TrojanHorse

Tighten them until just before you hear a cracking sound.

Your stem should have a torque spec, go with that. I'm thinking 5-7 in.lb. but I could be wrong and I'm too lazy to look it up.

Brian Ratliff

As with anything carbon, tighten only up to the point where things stop moving and no further; basically minimal torque to get the job done. The torque spec on the stem has nothing to do with the bar (I mean, how would the stem know what kind of bar you have, right?).

cerealkilla

4 or 5nm max. I us 4nm on cockpit, 5nm on seatpost clamp and 10nm on seat clamp.

pdedes

I have them. They are fantastic bars.

Bob Dopolina 

The Chinese character is Mainland Chinese (simplified), not Taiwanese (traditional). It means, "bend" and must be describing the shape of the bar.

This bar is from China which means it may of may not be authentic. I don't know where Easton makes their bars but I do know they do do some work there so who knows.

The earlier link provided regarding Easton bars is from 2008 which is like 20 years in industry terms...

Ridelots24

it happens to all of us sooner or later.....

Reeses

Do yours have noticeable flex too?
If they're replicas, are they safe to ride on (paved roads only)?

dalava

Actually I think both simplified and traditional Chinese character for "bend" is the same 弯. The other character you are thinking of may be 彎 which is not exactly the same.

pdedes

They’re not track bars, and flex but not disconcertingly so in a sprint. They’re more comfortable overall and the oversized bar diameter is welcome. The bars, like my Easton forks are made in China.

rpenmanparker 

OP be very,very careful with the torque wrench. As already said, the stem recommedation cod be all wrong for your bars. I have a similar Kestrel bar and cracked the first one at 4Nm. On the replacement I only use 2Nm. Plenty tight enough to prevent movement. An LBS I frequent says torque recommendations are way too high. I agree.

cerealkilla

I've personally never seen a stem/bar combo lower than 4Nm. I've built a fair few bikes in my time, never broke anything. 4 and 5Nm is nothing much, the bars must have either been faulty or poor quality, or you didn't tighten the 4 bolts in a cross configuration.

JTGraphics

This is what mine look like they are real!

I <3 Robots

I doubt they are bootleg.

JT's bars have the older graphics.

Easton site: TaperWall™ technology and Intelligent Flexibility™ team up to deliver a perfectly tuned bar that weighs just 195 grams.

I had a pair of SLX3 bars a couple years ago...and if you twisted the bars while standing over the top tube...you can see alot of movement.

I wouldn't worry too much about the flex you're getting...unless you twist your bars the same way when you ride the bike.

JTGraphics

I would agree with you most likely not fake I do know graphics has changed since I got my bars.