Review: Race Face Next SL bars

When Race Face released its new Next SL bar at the start of this year it was targeted squarely at the cross country crowd. The carbon fibre bars are incredibly light at just 167 grams. They’re also narrow, at just 740mm wide.

Race Face claims that, but using selective reinforcing of the bars, the Next SL’s are not only light but also tuned to be vertically compliant and laterally stiff. After several months of riding, the Next SL’s have shown you can have light weights, and ride quality too.

Race Face Next SL bars

The Next SL are part of Race Face’s “super light” line of parts, designed to be the lightest weight possible while still being tough enough for a full season of abuse. Beyond their 167-gram weight, the carbon fibre handlebars have a 10-degree ride, five-degree up-sweep and eight-degree bend. As mentioned, they are 740mm wide, but can be cut down to 690mm. Race Face uses unidirectional carbon fibre, reinforced through the center of the bars, to keep the weight low and tune the ride quality. Minimalist black-on-carbon keeps the bars looking sharp.

The Next SL’s use the 35mm diameter standard, which Race Face says is crucial to hitting their best-in-category weight without losing strength. The reinforced center is intended to allow vertical compliance in order to reduce rider fatigue without letting the bars flex horizontally, which would make the steering feel vague. Basically, the Next SL’s attempt to use the 35mm standard to get the strength benefits of larger tubes at a lighter weight, but without the harshness that some 35mm bars have a reputation for.

Why so narrow?

While the industry trend is toward wider and wider bars, not everyone wants, or needs super-wide bars. Many cross country racers still prefer the narrower widths, and for good reason. They keep you in a proper position on an XC bike. They fit smaller riders better. And they also suit the speeds and terrain of a typical XC race. You don’t need the added stability of 800-mm wide bars if you’re not hurtling straight down a mountain. You do need to steer quickly through tight trees and stay on top of the front wheel when climbing tight, technical switchbacks. Narrower bars are better at the latter.

So the RF bars start at 740mm, and can be safely cut down to 690mm. Why not just buy longer bars and cut them to 690? Well, Race Face also put time into engineering the layup of the Next SL bars, so that they’re tuned to the needs of cross country riding. Cutting down wider bars would, they say, get in the way of that. You’d end up with bars that are far too stiff since wider bars stiffness is engineered around a specific range of widths. Cut them narrower and they would be, at best, far too stiff to be comfortable.

If you want bars wider than 740mm, Race Face has several options. The Next 35 are max 760-mm, and still weigh just 180 grams. The enduro-focused Next R 35 bars start at 800mm, but can be cut to 750mm, but are heavier at 215grams.

Do they work?

The short answer is yes. The Next SLs have seen time on several different bikes, from XC race bikes to trail hardtails. They ride the line between stiff and forgiving well. There’s enough vertical compliance to reduce trail noise. As a result, there’s less hand and wrist fatigue. At the same time, there’s no sense of vagueness in steering. You can still wrench on the bars and know that the wheel will go where you want it to go and hold that line for as long as you can.

Comparing them back-to-back with Canyon’s CP08 integrated bar-stem highlights the differences. The Next SL are not as stiff when standing and pulling on the bars to sprint or accelerate. But they also transfer far less trail noise up through the bars. Riding the Next SLs, I didn’t get any of the numbness in my hands that I did when riding the unforgivingly rigid CP08s on longer days in the saddle.

The Next SL’s have a feeling not dissimilar to comparable aluminum bars or similar 31.8mm bars, in a good way. They feel solid and strong, without being punishingly stiff. The difference is that the Next SLs get that same feeling at a ridiculously low weight. If you’re looking to shave every gram off a race bike, or want a 35mm bar that allows some damping, these are a good option.

Race Face Next SL: Conclusions

The Next SL bars are incredibly light without feeling like they compromise on stiffness, strength, or ride quality. Race Face’s claims that they reduce hand fatigue do pan out on trail, when compared to stiffer bars. If you’re looking for the absolute stiffest bars going, ones that won’t lose any effort to flex, that’s not the point of the Next SLs. If you want a bar that will add a bit of comfort, and cut a few grams, without compromising steering control, the Next SL are a great option.

Race Face designs the Next SL’s specifically for cross country racing but says they’re also strong enough for light trail riding. There might be some riders who prefer the wider stance of a 760mm bar, but for everyone looking for a very light 740mm (or 750mm, with RF’s owe Getta Grips) or narrower bar, the Next SL is a solid option.

Race Face is asking $220.00 for the carbon fibre bars. The Next SL’s are available online or through Race Face dealers.