ABOUT THE RACE FACE ERA CARBON HANDLEBARS
For their new Era and Turbine handlebars, Race Face wanted to approach their construction with comfort and confidence in mind. Rather than just making a compliant bar at 800mm, Race Face went a step further. They developed their Goldilocks stiffness value – termed GL Tune – which they then applied to handlebars in multiple width and rise values. By offering bars in different width options, the increase in stiffness that results from cutting a bar down (which can be up to 24% when cutting a bar from 800mm to 760mm) is eliminated.
Race Face manufactures their Era carbon bar from UD (uni-directional) Carbon fiber, with 96 tuned plies used to obtain the stiffness characteristics they desired. These Category 4 (enduro and eMTB) bars are claimed to have the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any bars Race Face tested – an impressive claim.
The Race Face Era Carbon handlebar features an 8° backsweep and 5° upsweep – familiar numbers for many, and they use a 35mm stem clamp. By using a 60mm maximum clamp width, Race Face was able to optimize the structure of the bar to give a more efficient flex, but it means the Era Carbon bar is not compatible with many direct mount stems
Race Face offers the Era Carbon bar in a choice of 10mm rise and 760mm wide; 20mm in 760mm, 780mm or 800mm wide; or 40mm rise with 780mm or 800mm width. Each of these are offered in a choice of six colors, with a retail price of $169 / £139.94 / €149.
THE DIRT
I began my testing on a set of the Race Face Era Carbon handlebars with 780mm width and 40mm rise at the media camp Fox and Race Face held for their new products hitting the market in 2024. Since then, they’ve been mounted to the front of my Starling Mega Murmur long term test bike, directly replacing the OneUp Carbon bars. With OneUp representing the gold standard in the carbon handlebar market for many, it would be an interesting test to compare the two.
Race Face’s markings on the Era bar are discreet, but adequate to allow for fairly quick setup. The shape of the bars was intuitive, with a sweep that felt comfortable when rolled slightly in either direction of my “perfect” spot – they were not a bar that demands an exact angle in order to avoid feeling uncomfortable.
On the trail, the Era Carbon bar went about its business quietly, blending into the background. Going from the OneUp (at 800mm) to the 780mm Race Face bar, there wasn’t a significant change in ride quality for most of the riding. However, upon replacing the Race Face bar with a Funn Carbon Bar, the small chatter vibrations were suddenly amplified in my hands. So then, both Race Face and OneUp are onto something with their bar philosophies. Steering precision was adequate, though there were a few occasions where the Race Face Era bar felt a little “soft” for my 220lbs mass. On the occasional harsh twisting compressions with the front end getting fully loaded, there was appreciable flex, but as part of the front-end system with the fork and wheel/tire, it wasn’t an issue.
Race Face’s rationale that their circular (as opposed to oval) shape gives more consistent flex and comfort across roll angles and impact directions makes reasonable sense. That said, as a rider who typically runs his bars close to matching the head angle of the bike, it’s likely less of a benefit for me. If you’re typically setting your bars up to be aggressively rolled forward or backwards, then Race Face’s bar may give you the edge in comfort over OneUp.
Important to note is the Race Face Era bar states a maximum clamp width of 60mm, which is narrower than the Burgtec Direct Mount stem I spent the majority of test time using. Don’t make the same mistake, since it could present a safety issue! There’s a good chance that the flex characteristics could have been slightly impacted by the wider clamp diameter, so the Race Face Era bar could potentially be even more compliant than perceived.
To comment on Race Face’s decision to make tuned stiffnesses at different widths and rises – this is going to be highly dependent on rider weight, technique and aggression too. A heavier and more aggressive rider will still perceive these bars as being more flexible than a svelte and more cautious rider. Of course, this is going to be the same across the handlebar market, so Race Face’s attempt to normalize stiffness values is at least a good start.
The Wolf’s Last Word
Overall, Race Face has done a stellar job with the Era Carbon Handlebar, and they’re absolutely a bar I could recommend. Their call to offer separate, tuned widths and rises is a nod to their attention to detail and commitment to ride quality, and something we really appreciate. 
Price: $169 / £139.94 / €149
Website: Raceface.com
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ABOUT THE WOLF
Robert’s habitat is the Tweed Valley, Scotland, which is renowned for its root-littered enduro mountain bike trails. Robert has been developing his bike handling skills for the last 16 years. Since he was a pup, he’s been riding everything from BMX through to enduro and downhill bikes. Combining a playful style with occasional speed-focused aggression, he favors supportive bikes, and does his best to push them hard.
Rank: European Tech Editor
Size: 6’2” / 189cm | 220lbs / 100kg
Social: @robert_johnston
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