Riding 80-100 miles in a day on a dirt bike takes a toll on your body and your bike. I have found there are ways to make the journey a little easier and more forgiving on your body. The last dual sport that I attended after the first day of over 100 miles my body was feeling it, especially my left wrist. I didn’t wreck and hurt my wrist it was just the constant jarring while riding and holding up my weight on down hills. Needless to say, the second day of riding was a little painful and not so smooth.
I figure I have a few options in order to address this issue. One is exercise and build up my wrist which has helped in the past but that doesn’t eliminate the constant pounding that my wrists are taking while riding. So my other choice was to try out Flexx Handlebars which have a built in dampener that allows the handle bars to flex which absorbs the force of you pushing down on them instead of your wrist. When I first got on my bike to try out the the new bars I could tell something was different but couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was. Then I realized that the vibrations in my hands were greatly reduced . This was added bonus to the rest of the day of riding and trying out the new bars. The property that I rode that day has both a motocross track and woods trail. On the motocross track I could tell that the bars were flexing on the landings which helped the in-pact to my upper body and wrist, but I ride about 99% in the woods so seeing a big change on jumps was not going to happen due to my inexperience with jumps. The most noticeable difference for me was on some single track in the woods. When going over rocks and roots it was like you had another suspension on the front end. The bars would flex just enough to absorb the force placed on them from the bouncing of your body weight, and the pushing up of the bike but not so much that it would throw you off balance. You couldn’t tell that they were flexing or moving at all but you could tell they were taking the pounding out of the terrain. I now wish that I had these bars a few weeks prior, and my second day of the Baby Burr could have been as fun as the first. Other advantages the bars offer, that I would call bonuses besides the lower vibration, is the fact that the bars I have are around 1 inch narrowerso no need to cut down, but they have more room to mount items like Roll Chart and mirrors.
Although I haven’t had the chance to try out these bars on a dual sport or race yet, I can see how they can help with fatigue and abuse. For riders that have been hurt in the past I can see how these bars would help reduce impact and allow for longer, more comfortable ride. The aspect that I didn’t talk much about so far but that is worth mentioning, is the ergonomic improvements these bars made; specifically the attack position on the bike and the over all feel of the bike. Ergonomic concern is something that I know exist in dirt bike riding but how the sweep and bend of bars can help or hurt is no way my area of expertise. Cole Townsend from Fasst Company explained it to me, and helped me pick out the correct bars for my riding style, height, and current bars I’m using and hit a home run with getting me the correct set up. I understand these bars are not cheap, but what is when it comes to rider comfort and gaining that competitive edge over other riders. If you have any question on which bar will suit you best contact the guys at Fasst Company at 877-306-1801 or visit them on the web at www.fasstco.com. They will help you choose the right set of bars to match your riding style while helping to improve the ergonomics of your bike.
Update-After completing a full season using Flexx Handlebars I found that the stress on my upper body was reduced, and the second day of riding was more comfortable since my wrist were not hurting. The other advantage I found was in tight single track due to the shorter width of the bars. Its amazing how 1 inch narrower bars can make that much of a difference. In all I’m very pleased with these bars, and every bike I own will have a set from here on out.
Disclosure
*I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample for review purposes. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.*
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