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Race Face Deus XC handlebar review

With the Deus line, Race Face has stepped up and introduced a bunch of high quality components that are reasonably priced. Taken as a group, the Deus XC cranks, bar, and stem would not look out of place on the bikes of any of the top cross country racers.

On its own the Deus XC LR handlebar is a top performer and a recommended upgraded for competitive riders looking to shave weight or replace an aging handlebar.

For this review, the Race Face Deus XC LR bar was paired with a Thomson Elite stem and mounted on a Giant Rainier. The bar under review measured in at the standard 25.6mm diameter and featured a one inch rise with a 5 degree upsweep.

First impressions

When I first picked up the Deus XC bar I was expecting something a little, well, heavier. I knew that the bar was reasonably light but I didn’t expect it to weigh in at 195 grams. For you counters out there, that’s 20 grams heavier than the Race Face Next carbon bar.

I decided to leave the bar in its stock length for the test so I mounted my shifters, brake levers, and grips on the bar, bolted it into my stem, and took my bike off to the trails.

Performance

Handlebars are one of those things that you don’t really want to notice when you’re on the trail and, fortunately, the Deus XC LR falls into that category. Combined with the Thomson stem, the bar was stiff and sure and I was never concerned about it failing in any way.

That being said, the Deus XC remains a cross country component. While I did hit some small drops that were a part of the trails I ride regularly, I wouldn’t put these bars on any bike that was set up for ‘all mountain’ riding. Basically, I’d feel like a fool for breaking a solid cross country bar on something for which it wasn’t intended.

Durability

The Deus XC held up admirably to some pretty unseemly conditions. There were no issues that hampered performance and the laser etching remains as it was the day the bar was removed from its packaging.

Pricing

With an MSRP of about $65usd or $100cad, the Deus XC LR is competively priced in its category. Still, it remains a relatively expensive upgrade for riders on a tight budget, who might be better suited to the more affordably priced Race Face Evolve XC or the Easton EA50.

Wild card

The Deus XC bar weighs in at a respectable 195 grams. That puts it in between the Easton EA70 (250 grams) and the Truvativ Team Riser (165 grams).

Race Face has attached a 3 year warranty to its product which, again, is very respectable. Easton offers a 5 year warranty on the EA70 and Truvativ offers a 1 year warranty on its Team Riser.

Summary

The Race Face Deus XC LR handlebar is a worthy upgrade for competitive cyclists looking to replace an existing bar that has reached the end of its life cycle or to shave some weight from a heavier bar.

The bar has a warranty that should cover the effective life of the part and is priced competively, although riders on a tight budget might want to sacrifice a little weight gain for a more affordable option (like the Evolve XC or Easton EA 50).

Manufacturer website: www.raceface.com

MSRP: $65 (usd) | $100 (cad)

Table 1: Ratings for Race Face Deus XC LR handlebar

Category	Rating (?)
First impressions	9 / 10
Performance	37 / 40
Durability	17 / 20
Pricing	16 / 20
Wild card	8 / 10
Overall	87 / 100

This entry was posted on Monday, May 9th, 2005 at 9:14 am and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.