Can these weird handlebars CURE HAND/ARM SORENESS?

Do the bendable, Fasst Flexx MTB handlebars actually help relieve hand/arm fatigue, otherwise known as "arm pump"? I put the bars up against the other heavy hitter in the category, the OneUp carbon handlebars and came out with some interesting findings.
Fasst Flexx Bars: bit.ly/fasstflex
OneUp Bars: bit.ly/OneUpLoam
Our Sponsors:
The incredible BIKES we ride: bit.ly/radbikz
Our WHEELS: bit.ly/blkbrdw...
Our ACTION CAMERAS: www.insta360.c...
Our ONLINE BIKE SHOP (affiliate): www.theinsidel...
Use code: LOAMRANGER for free shipping over $75USD
Our HYDRATION PACKS: bit.ly/CamelBakLR
Our SADDLES/ Droppers/ Grips: bit.ly/SDGseat...
Your next set of TIRES: bit.ly/Michelin...
Our SUSPENSION: bit.ly/ManitouSus
Our Technical MTB APPAREL: www.ridenf.com...
If you want to use the same rad gear we do and support the channel, use the affiliate links below:
For your CAR mtb RACK: eRack bit.ly/E-RACK
Use code LOAMRANGER to save $200 on any purchase.
Where we find music for all of our videos:
share.epidemics...
Our main action camera gimbal:
bit.ly/2WssiV3
Our other action camera gimbal:
Amazon: amzn.to/2vt1kom
B&H Photo: bhpho.to/2rtifEU
Our “big" camera:
Amazon: amzn.to/2vuU5ww
B&H Photo: bhpho.to/2C09Qen
Our on-camera microphone:
Amazon: amzn.to/2SFpvYL
B&H Photo: bhpho.to/2FbRU5j
The best memory cards ever:
Amazon: amzn.to/2SkZQFJ
B&H Photo: bhpho.to/2Fg1TGK
Our fancy motorized camera slider:
bhpho.to/2Y9DuIV
To find a curated list of our favorite video and photo gear:
amazon.com/shop/theloamranger
Instagram: / loam_ranger_mtb
Facebook: / theloamranger
Strava: / strava
Cheers!
#theloamranger #mtb

[@shreddingwithsean5452]

I’d love to see a GoPro mounted to the bars pointed at those flex points to see how much they move on the trails

[@nickrusso5058]

Agreed this would be very good

[@rickwalters2984]

I ran the fasst co flexx bars on quads and dirt bikes while racing GNCC and xc races for years and won't ride without them anymore, exciting to see them coming out with mtb bars

[@da12641]

Thanks, good to know. Was concern about the weak-points, the pins.

[@rickwalters2984]

@@da12641 fasst is top notch go check out a gncc event 90% of the pros and everyone runs them i wouldn't worry about them breaking.

[@shawnmiller5345]

Another pro to getting these bars is that the video stabilization is smoother as well!! Pretty noticeable if you switch between bar trials..

[@mannyfnsc29]

I'd be really interested to hear your thoughts on the difference in backsweep between the two bars. 12° vs 8° is a significant change, so it'd be helpful to get input on whether you felt this on the trail and which you preferred..

[@recklesstoboggan]

Arm pump is the Flying Spaghetti Monster's way of telling you you're holding on too tight.

[@andrewobrien3430]

not really i get arm pump at work at times if i am doing lots of drilling , i barley hold the drill i lightly rest my hands on it just enough so it doesnt spin out of control , its just something that happens when ur holding onto something that vibrates

[@beerenmusli8220]

That kind of arm pump comes from vibrations, not from muscle movement.

[@KPV_UK]

Reminds me of the old Girvin Flexstem - showing my age there :D

[@seanb6691]

Hello Mr. Loam Ranger, I just thought I'd let you know that in a scientific setting, your grip strength data would be invalid because you did the test in different positions (for example the first one you did squatting down with a bent elbow, the next couple you did were standing up with a more straight arm). The standardized position for the grip strength test is standing straight up with your elbow straight and down at your side. It may seem nit-picky but changing the position you're in can change the amount of force you're able to put into the handle since you're changing the arm position and even a different body position can have an effect on things like blood flow. Thanks for taking a look at this comment :) - sincerely, a 4th year kin student

[@saksittichompoo3583]

As someone who works with data acquisition, another addition method to quantify the vibration is to install an accelerometer at the bar's ends for both control bar and bar under test. Then analyse the vibration magnitude, and frequency spectrum against each other.

[@TheLoamRanger]

Good call! Thanks Sean. I didn’t realize that. 🍻

[@rw7269]

@@TheLoamRanger so does this mean another vid with the correct positions lol.

[@stoneybowmann]

Also, I would imagine that arm fatigue isn't linear... the longer you ride, strength diminishes on a curve... in other words. I don't know for sure, but it seems likely. I would suggest testing the second bar with a day of rest in-between, to eliminate just being tired.

[@Martas440]

@@stoneybowmann In the vid he stated there were 3 days in between the bars...

[@Ash-bx6kq]

OMG this is the EXACT comparison i wanted

[@MrCjrodriguez]

Very interesting. Really great video I didn’t expect such a significant difference.

[@PatricioEscobarDH]

You need to arm pump to beat "arm pump" ( my dad used to say) 😅

[@habanerat]

Your Pa was right. Popeye forearms like old school, rod deep sea fisherMen!

[@Blox117]

i pump my right arm 26 times a day. losers!

[@da12641]

choking the chicken, yanking the kite or smacking the cobra helps too

[@snakebiteparadise5504]

@@Blox117 sounds a bit sad, sure you aren't the loser?

[@BH-cy9tb]

If they work as well as the motocross version you will love them. I have been using them on my motocross bike since they came out. I don’t have the MTB version yet.

[@tonycisco5252]

Thanks for following up about those handlebars. I am disabled with a spine injury. I don't have full strength in my hands, arms or shoulders anymore. So I'll take any help I can get. I'm in the process of rebuilding a bike. I'm almost finished. But then out of nowhere these handlebars appear. It seems to never end! 😱 Thanks again for this great video!

[@robnestor3371]

Last winter my scapholunate ligament in my left wrist tore so I knew I needed to get a more compliant handlebar. When I found out about these handlebars, I instantly made an order.

[@masondorn9750]

I’d love to see you test the magnetic clip in petals!

[@ianmangham4570]

Flower petals

[@jimbopetrella]

Several companies already do that

[@urg0nnah8me]

I run the Magpeds on my hardtail and I love them. You feel clipped in, but getting in and out is much easier.

[@bsimz008]

I transformed my hardtail from having a mtb mid-rise hb to an mtb touring bike with a loop bar. Its a world of difference, no numbness whatsoever. Just don't feel right when I tried it out on a basic single track. I still need a lot of practice with it.

[@cheynemck]

You should try some rev grips. Helped me a lot with arm pump.

[@kayakutah]

My hands, arms, elbows, and shoulders are 68 years old. I got the alloy 12 degree backsweep FF's (yellow compression and red rebound) and went to Moab. About 10 minutes into the climb on Hymasa, I was completely sold.....yeah, on the climb! The next day down Bull Run I kept thinking, "I remember this being rougher"! Fasst Flexx has a 30 money back guarantee. They can have their bars back when they pry them out of my cold dead hands!

[@EpicRev1]

When you have arm pump or impinged shoulder issues or numbness in the hands you are willing to try anything. I tried different grips (Ergon and Rev grips), swept-back handlebars, compliant handlebars, biking fitting to fix my issues. Trust me I don't grip too tight, for the most part, my hands float on the handlebars. After 6 months of no results and decided it was time to get the body into shape and focus on fixing the problem with physical training. This is the solution that worked for me.....This meant I needed to step away from the bike and let the arms and shoulders calm down. Massage and ART work helped get me back to ground zero. After 3-4 weeks of breaking muscle adhesions, it was time to fix all my muscle imbalances. I have a home gym that includes a pullup bar, workout bench, adjustable dumbbells, and multiple resistance bands. I broke down my workout into groups, arms, chest, legs, back, and shoulders. 5 days a week I would work two of the groups (4-5 exercises 2-3 reps each). For the numbness in the hands I including nerve flossing (stretching the arms and shoulders) to help break up adhesions (this works almost immediately). After 4 weeks of working out, I started back riding and continued to work out. I now included specific exercises to help with shoulder impingement and hand/forearm exercises. It's been 18 months of zero pain and no numbness..

[@bonham4994sts9]

Man, you are flying down that trail. Kickass 🤘

[@da12641]

The best review of the Flexx bar MTB and I just bought one. Thanks to you lol. I did have to trim it down to 195mm. 810 ( DH version) was just too wide. by the way, your camera mounting angle is spot on. We're not staring at the ground or just the sky.

[@broeselhuber98]

Thumbs up for transparency, very honest review!

[@Hardcaslte]

Being from Central Florida, having a trail system like that near your house must be amazing.

[@jaycarneygiants]

I have had this bar for over a year now. To me, it's well worth the weight and money. I love having the extra cushion. I'll never go back to a regular bar. I don't care so much about his grip strength measurements as I do the OBVIOUS cushioning it provides that is immediately noticeable. There are 2 cons to these bars. One con is the price being about 3 times that of normal carbon bars. The other con is if you are using your bike to bunny hop around then the flex they provide does make it more difficult to pull on.

[@povteer]

very interesting bars! it'll be great for multiple day epic rides! great video! 🤙

[@rascal1234]

Maybe on a fully rigid CX or XC race rig. I like to feel the feedback from the front suspension.

[@Alanvictoryoung]

I feel the one up bar is pretty good but I still get hand fatigue on long steep rough runs. Im not sure I want the extra weight of fasst but you have me pondering it! Thanks for the interesting video!

[@dessy2222]

12 degree sweep would change your effective stem length, did you notice that? Quick calculation going from 9 degrees to 12 degress on a 780mm bar would be a 10-15mm change which is reasonably significant.

[@armourbl]

I've been use Fasst bars on my dirt bikes since 2004. I swear by them for that. Pretty cool to see them on mountain bikes now.

[@travelthenarrowtrail8660]

Any issues with the bars where the pivot bolts are? That seems kind of scary but of MX riders are using them...

[@FifeFlow]

Great review! I found these bars very helpful when my local mountain was Bootleg Canyon. These definitely improve the ride over fast chuck.

[@stayraddad4638]

Personally I think it’s a band aid instead of learning to loosen up, and really fine tune your bar rise reach and position . Might help with arm pump, but using these are going to teach to to lessen the death grip

[@digital.olimon]

About 20 odd years ago my friend had a suspension head set and handlebar stem. Was pretty funky to ride

[@garypostell5268]

Interesting indeed so looks like the New bars are working!

[@yzedf]

Commenting before the ride portion of this video; I own the OneUp bars and they don’t do squat for my arms/hands compared to either cheap Race Face bars or Renthal Fatbar 35. They do look cool though…

[@brandonlama2846]

I’d love to see if those bars are any good while doing jumps

[@Duncan23]

I'd love to see a comparison between the Faast mtb bars and the Spank vibrocore bars.

[@lukasbormann4830]

The vibracore feels similar to the one up carbons

[@maxwalker9990]

I haven’t tried the faast bars, but I can say vibrocore has eliminated arm pump for me!

[@DanTheMan_75]

I have the 777 vibrocore and haven’t done much for me and my carpel tunnel and since moving into a 50 lb ebike and ridding double or triple of mileage than before my hands are really crying for help, I guess is time to invest more money on this expensive hobby/sport that I love so much and helps me to stay sane.

[@travelthenarrowtrail8660]

Well, for starters, the Spank bars are about 3 times cheaper!

[@timtuckercom]

No contest. I have both and the Fasst bars are better. The other downside is Spank doesn't offer any vibrocore bars with more backsweep.

[@mtbboy1993]

They should definitely do more rises.24mm rise is too little for me. they should add 30-50 rise too, I recently switched to 38mm handlebar, from 20mm. to get proper fit, but with this bar I would not get proper fit. so until that happens these bars are a no-go.I had Race Face Sixc35 and they damped the vibrations and made the bunny hops and drops a lot softer. but I needed higher rise so I eventually managed to find 38mm Burgtec High rise bar, but they flexed a lot less, they are harsh. I hope it won't be too bad, but I hope it will help with the back issues, they fit me a lot better.

[@bowvalleyadventures1818]

what is the name of that trail?

[@cf6174]

It would be really cool to see these bars combined with the revgrips and a damping stem for ultimate cockpit suspension

[@timtuckercom]

Have the Fasst bars and Rev grips and really like the combination. Looked into the new XC Gear hammerhead stem, but it's about 5mm too wide to use in combination with the Fasst bars. (clamping area on the bars is 75mm wide for the DH version vs. 80mm needed for the stem)

[@awenduro]

Seriously seriously interesting. I ride enduro. I think you would need to do 100 tests. I get different arm pump depending my diet, weather, clothing, lines, time of day etc etc. I would love to know wether the connection between you and the ground is effected as your feeling you have when riding.

[@ToshJucker]

The real question is where did that frame wrap come from? I’m still on the V1 but hope to pick a V2 up as soon as I can! One of the sickest looking bikes I’ve seen (ibis for life)

[@travelthenarrowtrail8660]

He spoke about it in the previous video. I have a v2 since it came out and its amazing. BUT, the v1 is really not that far behind and because its so good, you might not notice too much a difference.

[@daverichardson6334]

DUDE!! You didn't even mention the Aluminum Fasst bar cost $350 dang dollars!! Holy crapola!!

[@travelthenarrowtrail8660]

Now take a look at the carbon ones... Response?

[@DrewBroadleyNZ]

As someone who gets itchy arms from vibrations on a MTB (yes it’s a thing, and many people suffer from it), I’d like to know if it improves on that. I don’t care about arm pump, but want less itchy arms!

[@matthornton44]

Fix your poor circulation and you won't get itchy arms.

[@Boxbeat666]

Do bar wrist curls with dumbbells and them coil clips ... get stronger forearms

[@brandonmelikian8842]

Coil fork, instantly cured any hand fatigue

[@bikedadmtb7253]

Great video! where is this trail at if I may ask? hoping to get that Jenson USA freebie someday 😁🤙

[@terekswildadventures26]

A lot of dirt bike riders have switched over to these, and they work great! Awesome to see them on an MTB

[@grr1972]

How do you think the one up bar compare to a standard aluminum bar like the Specialized DH, 7050 alloy? I've damaged biceps tendons both arms at the elbow riding a raceface carbon bar. Trying to recover, changed bikes and now considering upgrading aluminum bar to one up for vibration compliance.

[@DemonicVelocity]

A few days ago I lost my loved ergonomic grips due to a crash and installed the factory ones. Damned, I felt armpump the first time as I did a fast lap.

[@kookamunga2458]

If they act like leaf spring then you would get some energy return. This would mean getting a little air off jumps would be a little easier .

[@anerd6982]

I bought my mom the fasst bars as shes getting older and is having more problems with her wrists and arms, and she has been a lot more comfortable riding and wants to ride longer

[@partyongarth0]

I’d be worried they were going to snap on heavy landings

[@lordnox69]

They normally make dirtbike and quad bars so not the first model just new to mtb

[@partyongarth0]

LoRdNoX09 but surely those pins are a weak point

[@lordnox69]

@@partyongarth0 i agree 100% probably one of those replace the whole bars every season or less if you ride hard

[@andrewnorris5415]

They have enduro and DH versions of the bars. Not cheap, and heavy, so assume well made.

[@travelthenarrowtrail8660]

My same thoughts as well. Doing 4-5ft drops and hucks to flat, hmm, I don't know man. If they broke you're likely to break your jaw, teeth, nose, etc...

[@jasemaxable]

Great test. I use diety knuckle busters. A friend uses rev grips. Now they have a thicker grip available. Worth a crack

[@danishhaikal4624]

Seems like a modern day girvin flex stem. Except its a handlebar. Cool stuff

[@matt_metcalf]

I've been riding the flexx bars in southern Utah and absolute love them

[@JohnWoodman-oy3fr]

I see Manny below asked you about the 12 vs 8 degree handling and I am very interested in your response as I am looking to buy a set but wondering if I should go for the 12 degree over the 8 and what the advantages are - please respond....much appreciated!

[@baykkarl9541]

You should do the BASELINE mountain without a snow!

[@sethpage416]

It'd be interesting to see you do the same test with a set of Spank Vibrocore bars to see how they compare to the Fasst and OneUp bars.

[@Piperb7]

I've got vibrocores and fasst flex and they are a totally different experience. This video didn't mention it but you can swap the elastomers out for varying durometers. You can make the flex bars to the point of being too soft where they compress even under braking

[@sethpage416]

@@Piperb7 Thanks for the info. I'd love to see some grip strength numbers though... you know, for science.

[@travelthenarrowtrail8660]

Spank bars for starters are like 3 times cheaper in price too.

[@timtuckercom]

Have also tried both and would pick the Fasst bars any day of the week. Best setup I've come up with is stuffing the Fasst bars with 7/8" foam backer rod. The foam helps absorb some of the low speed rumble going over stuff like concrete similar to Vibrocore.

[@timtuckercom]

@@Piperb7 I use the soft elastomers, but consider compressing slightly under braking as a feature. To me it just feels like a natural extension of my suspension.

[@DonFather]

Loam Ranger, that is a SICK paint job you got on your frame! Did you get that done by Ibis?

[@sandymcarthur]

He explains in his previous video about the wrap

[@madeyourmark]

BMXer here interested in bike innovation. I was surprised when you said 8 degree backsweep is standard, in bmx 12 degree backsweep is the standard. Definitely does help with wrist strain on wider bars!

[@MonsterdonMTB]

I remember seeing these all over the internet when this video came out. Haven't seen any since 🤔

[@SadiqueEntity]

This was really helpful video.. curved handle bars is best

[@akhipatel8676]

more importantly where did you get those mud guards???

[@franckjaredd]

Flexbars on my xr650l made a HUGE difference with vibration

[@Runk3lsmcdougal]

I just bought the complete opposite of this, a renthal carbon fatbar 😂

[@fillfreakin2245]

So how would this compare to adding an extra 30mm of well tuned fork travel? I'd think they're both doing the same thing.

[@joelwenzel6044]

One up bars are intended to have built in compliance and be more flexible than a standard bar. I'd be curious how these compare to a notoriously stiff bar like an enve or renthal

[@orestisvas7277]

Hey i have a suggestion re make the video but also use the rev grips

[@reidavi9156]

Yo, i remember your channel with 10k subs whaaat! Congrats man

[@mi5veezee]

Im getting pair for my Dualtron Thunder next month. Thx

[@Bayplaces]

Seeing Kurt Refsnider use these on his bikepacking FKTs first piqued my interest in these

[@waterhouse235]

I have poor grip, through work, and these seem like a good idea!

[@gorishokgo5825]

Toothless idea :)))) lol

[@TheOlafmetal]

It seems like you should be able to get the same benefits at less of a weight penalty/cost from a suspension fork set up. Perhaps a coil fork or a hybrid air/coil like the DVOs?

[@user-xq5rp9fm1p]

These bars combined with Revolution Grips is a magic match made in heaven! 😉

[@rolandfletcher4973]

Would it make a difference if you wrapped a bar with rubber in the middle where the clamp is just a thought

[@julianw5692]

Honestly I think arm pump can be almost completely eliminated with good bike set up. If your suspension is set up well and your cockpit is adjusted for you then arm pump becomes much less prevalent.

[@Canucker4Life]

These bars come with different stiffness bushings. Red, yellow, blue. Which one did you test with?

[@TheLoamRanger]

They do! I’ve found that red top and bottom works best for me.

[@hananmcpherson4941]

I've literally been looking at getting these for an entire year but I had to buy a bike first then now I'm saving for a car

[@evanreilly595]

priorities lmao

[@MotterPotter]

Really practical idea though!!

[@mtbboy1993]

It would be interesting to see a test like this with these bars vs Revgrips and these bars with Revgrips on them.

[@timtuckercom]

I have them with the new ergo Rev grips and like the combination. Using softest elastomers for both and max tuning washers on the Rev grips.. Even with that combination, I also found a little difference in damping vibration on concrete stuffing them with 7/8" closed cell backer rod (similar to Vibrocore). Pretty cheap way of making a good thing even better.

[@thinktwice2x381]

Handlebars and saddle suspension is the future

[@SloaneDalmer]

Im surprised having that movement in the bars doesn't throw off the feeling of riding/control over the bike. Interesting! Also, I'd love to know the name of that trail if possible! Looks like a fun trail to possibly be able to rip up here in Alberta since BC riding may be closed off for us Albertans!

[@timtuckercom]

In practice I've found it feels like a pretty natural extension of your suspension, just a slightly different damping curve.

[@SemiSendy]

I'm not going to lie, the Fasst bars looked extremely gimmicky to me, but now...... I kind of want to try them.

[@weekendbikingwarrior360]

I was an early adopter over here in the UK, I had to personally import. Yep... I agree.. these darn expensive bars work....( only tested the carbon ones). Worth the weight penalty....

[@weekendbikingwarrior360]

I also run One Up bars on all my bikes, for massive Bike park days... Flexx Bars are the bomb,

[@pinchpeak5203]

I need these so badly, but $325 USD + shipping, just ain't gonna happen...

[@nathanweisser]

That's not a super terrible price imo

[@pinchpeak5203]

@@nathanweisser shipping is $42 USD to Canada. Convert all of that over to CAD and you're spending about $450 dollars.. For ALLOY handlebars.. Add another $100 USD for carbon! I bought a used dirt jumper for that price. No thanks!

[@jessejacobson2535]

@@nathanweisser lol shit dude, will you buy me a pair?

[@cartercarter3484]

@@nathanweisser your opinion is wrong

[@that44rdv4rk]

interesting.

[@markgregoryrugman7136]

I chest bought a fuji Nevada 3.0 mountain bike and I noticed that the front shock absorber is not moving at all. I think it's seased. I tried to adjust it at it still doesn't work.

[@downhillgroovy]

I played with this at Sedona MTB fest 2020 and wanted one but the price was enough to make me forget about it until now lol

[@harreson1968]

I would have loved to see the run timing data on all 4 runs, would be really interesting to see if the bars help you go any faster too?

[@mattgies]

Huh, does the plain handlebar also get to take credit for your hand strength being at its maximum before your first run? I'd like to see more data.

[@CaviDS]

what color elastomers were you running? I am currently running the yellows which I feel are the best for general trail riding. With jumping you might want the reds..... Actually what about a test video where you do try the different elastomers

[@TheLoamRanger]

I'm using the red, top and bottom. Those seem to be the best ones for me and my riding style (I tend to weight the front pretty hard).

[@ilionatroya7129]

We need to know the times for each ride. Then we will know if they improve speed as well!

[@biketothetop]

11:20 Raw data/test results. Nice method to get conclusions. Using hand grip Force as the parameter before and after the test runs is an interesting and convenient approach, but perhaps it's not as scientific as if the load was measured and logged real time in the hand grips during actual usage. Obviously having a measurement system to do this would be a major obstacle to getting some test results. Also there is a lot of variability between how somebody will do from run to run and day-to-day in the manner the data was acquired. Two runs in a given day is also not a statistically significant number. An individual's performance will vary on a given day as well as on a given run. There's quite a bit of spread in the 2 data points for each day. Hopefully no bike porn was watched before each test run... this could affect grip strength data :-)

[@bmaclaps]

I really want to try these but I'm not paying over $300 for some alloy bars. These things would sell more in the $200.00 range.

[@vanderho69]

Does anyone know why the edges of the video are so blurry? Usually LR videos are clear

[@pmacchirole]

The OneUp carbon bars are an 8 degree sweep, any recommendations on a carbon bar with a 12 degree sweep?

[@TheLoamRanger]

I hear SQ Labs have a 12 degree carbon bar

[@jayTmix89]

Awesome video!!!!

[@davidblackman3127]

I want to hear more about the 12 degree sweep

[@ss_whole]

$325 for the flex bars is insane

[@khattrimtb89]

How is that MRP SUSPENSION I FOUND MORE DIVED IN ON CORNERS... PLEASE SUGGEST ANY SETTING FOR THAT PROBLEM..🙏💐🇳🇵🇳🇵

[@SubmarinersDive]

What no discount code for the bars? 🙄 I want one but.... Great real world review! 🤙