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Andrew Watson Discuses Handlebars

watson-titanium-handlebars

How many different bar shapes do you offer? What is the philosophy behind each shape?

I offer three main bends, a “standard” 5 degree bend, a middle of the road sweep, and a super wide sweep. I have developed them through trial and error for optimal ergonomic fit, control, torque out of the saddle, and comfort. The idea behind the combination of width, forward sweep, and backward sweep is to position the hands and body properly to meet the previously stated goals but at the same time not have to replace your stem.

I see you offer custom lengths. Can you also do custom bends?

I can and do. I’ll do my best to get the bend as close as possible and I have had great success with it. But to be perfectly honest accounting for spring back in titanium is a little tricky sometimes when using multiple wall thicknesses.

You ask for rider’s weight and what bike the bar is going on. Why?

I have several wall thicknesses that I choose from based on the rider’s weight, riding style, and the bike. For instance a single speed bar is obviously going to see a lot more torque than a multi speed and a 200 pound dude should not ride a bar bent for a 90 pound chick.

With the more swept designs does a rider need to change stem length?

That’s why I vary the amount the bar kicks forward depending on the width of the bar, to avoid the further expense of purchasing a new stem.

Why do you make your bars out of titanium? Do you use Cro-Mo or other materials as well?

I stick with Titanium, it’s a great material, it’s strong, has incredible memory, and is anti-corrosive.

What’s with the names? Any significance to any of them?

Well yeah, they are named after the guys that first started riding those bars. Those are their favorites and I really could not think of what to call the bars so I just went with it.

How much would it cost a person to get hooked up with Watson Ti bars?

I sell my bars for $160 and that includes a shim of your choice for either a 25.4 or 31.8 stem clamp. Crazy good deal right?

How can our readers order a Watson Cycles titanium handlebar?

Simple, shoot me an email: watsoncycles@gmail.com or give me a call at 860-912-8778. Once your check is in my hand your bars go in the mail.

Anything else about your handlebars we should know about?

I’m really pumped to be offering bars I sell quite a few of them to people all over the US and it’s always awesome to get those emails from customers saying how much more comfortable they are now that their shoulder, wrists, or elbows aren’t hurting all the time. When you think about how minimal an investment it is for such a dramatic impact on your performance and comfort during the ride there is no reason to not give them a shot. Check them out on my website WatsonCycles.com.

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