New-Old-Stock 3TTT (3T or TTT) MTB Risers..the LEX Bars

This offering is for a very nice new-old-stock set of 3TTT MTB riser bars...called the "LEX" bars. We believe this to be one of 3TTT's better quality riser bars from years past.

The following is what 3TTT had to say about these riser bars...

"The technical characteristics and qualities of the LEX DOWNHILL bars make for an ideal product for MTB downhill use. This bar was developed with the cooperation of Ross Shafer, the California founder of Salsa Cycles, and the 3TTT development team. It features 7075 light aluminum alloy tubing that is T6 heat treated and has a uniform thickness of 2.5 mm, which grants an extraordinary amount of strength. The use of the central bridge (or brace), during downhill use, further increases the strength of the bars, because the brace shares the curving stresses, otherwise loaded primarily on the stem. The particular bending makes the LEX DOWNHILL bars ideal for the positioning needed for high speed downhill use. It allows the racer a more upright position for better downhill weight distribution.

"The LEX DOWNHILL bars are a product of the 3TTT PRO MOUNTAIN BIKE line, conceived for MTB professional use."

We do realize that some of what 3TTT has said above is nothing more than marketing...but there is some useful information noted, and it would appear to indicate these riser bars are very good quality. We also realize 3TTT's comments are fairly consistent for these bars relative to the GO BARS...so we will try to do a little compare and contrast here...to distinguish between the two bar sets.

They are one of the shorter riser bars we have with 50 mm of rise (measured as the vertical distance from the center of the stem clamp area to the center of the bar-ends). They are also 620 mm in length and have a 25.4 mm stem clamp area (so fairly common dimensions for a MTB riser bar). We would also estimate the sweep (back towards the saddle) to be about 3^ (degrees)...which is less than the GO BAR sweep, and this is visibly evident...and the outside diameter of the bar-ends is in the 22.2 mm range, which we believe is compatible with most MTB grips on the market. As alluded to above, these bars do come with a bolt-on brace and most of these parts are also made from an aluminum alloy (except for the chromed chromoly steel allen bolts).

These bars weigh-in at about 280 grams (without the brace) and about 350 grams (with the brace). These bars actually weigh a little less than the GO BAR, because they use a shorter brace. The LEX bars are able to use a shorter brace, because their upward bends start much sooner from the center clamp area. Additionally, the second bend that extends the tubing out to the bar ends results in a slightly steeper angle (but we are talking about only a degree or two). In other words, the GO BAR has a flatter grip area that is closer to parallel with the ground with a little more of a back sweep towards the saddle...whereas the LEX bars have a slightly steeper angled grip area with less back sweep towards the saddle. These differences are subtle and only noticeable when you set the bars next to each other...but we thought the differences were still worth noting...as most everything else about the bars (i.e., tubing, materials, length, clamp size, etc.) is very similar.

The one other feature of these bars is the build-up of the stem clamp area is not the normal bulge (from the expansion of the 22.2 mm bar tubing), but is achieved through the use of an aluminum alloy shim...so...as noted above...the 22.2 mm bar tubing has not been altered, other than the bends to achieve the rise and sweep. Some would argue this makes for stronger bars, because the tubing has not been expanded at the center. We realize there are manufacturing techniques to offset a weakend "bulge" section (i.e., using butted tubing or tapered tubing), but all things being equal, this design...with use of the shim and brace...probably makes for a fairly durable offering (with minimal flex) in an aluminum riser bar.

In terms of condition, these bars are new and unused...although they were bulk-packed in plastic bags. As a result, these bars have a few scratches and scuffs relative to some of the 3TTT boxed sets we have available (although we do not have any 3TTT boxed sets available in the LEX bars).

A Few Notes on Flat vs. Riser Bars...
We have come to learn there is some merit to both flat bars and riser bars. There does not appear to be a consensus on any one point, but it appears that flat bars are more often associated with XC (cross country) bikes then they are with DH (down hill) bikes. We have also been told that all things being equal, a flat bar will typically put the rider in a more forward/aggressive position that also results in slightly more responsive steering (but there appears to be differing views on this latter point). I guess the one area where there appears to be some agreement is the flat bar may be preferable when climbing. Riser bars, on the other hand, are usually a little wider, sit the rider in a more upright position and appear to be the clear choice for DH (down hill) setups. We do not have a lot of experience here, but our guess is the slightly higher positioning and wider grip probably helps with stability on descents. FR (free ride...or off trail) setups appear to use both types of bars...with maybe an edge to the riser bar, but this is just a guess.

In the end, the above discussion may be moot, since spacers and/or stem changes will probably achieve the same positioning differences as would be realized when deciding between flat or riser bars. Still, we thought some might find the above comment as helpful when considering the different types of MTB bars. We do not mean for any of the above points to be 100% conclusive, but we still wanted to share some of our thoughts/opinions that are the result of our limited personal experience, some general research, and the thoughts of trusted colleagues. Also (and as is the case with any of our listings), please do not hesitate to email us with comments...as we really do have the best of intentions when it comes to these added "discussions" in that we want to provide helpful/practical information to each prospective customer.

Please view our other items in our Ebay store, The New-Old-Stock "NOS" Bicycle Shop, for more great deals on frames, components, accessories and technical clothing, among other things (refer to link above). Also remember that we are very fair regarding shipping charges, and only ask you to pay what a third party carrier charges us to ship your item(s). We will always combine items for shipping purposes whenever possible and we never charge a "packaging" or "handling" fee.

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  Also (and as noted under our shipping terms and conditions), please keep in mind the USPS will not insure packages shipped Global Airmail Letter Post, so if you would like your international package insured (and this includes packages to Canada), then we will need to ship your package using the Global Airmail Parcel Post service. I am not sure why the USPS enforces this insurance restriction, but this is what we have been told by our local Postmaster.

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