With a full menu of Fall riding in the books, I am back to render my final review on the Origin 8 Space Bar OR. You can check out my previous post on the bar here. Keep in mind that this is not the original Space bar, and it isn’t shaped anything like that bar, which is not recommended for off road use.
The Origin 8 Space Bar OR has a good, solid feel, much better clamp interface with the stem than the old Space Bar, and much beefier construction than the original. The different shape is problematic for dialing in a proper cockpit, as you will need to put on a much longer stem if you wish to retain your hand to front wheel contact patch relationship. Otherwise the sweep angle is agreeable enough. In terms of shape, it isn’t to be seen as a heavier version of the old Space Bar, but rather a new model in its own right. It really bears no resemblance to its namesake.
Conclusions: By the end of the testing period I felt that the Origin 8 Space Bar OR was not quite what I had hoped the replacement for the original Space bar would be. The lack of any “forward wiggle” makes for a tough fit on many bikes. Not only that, but the added leverage that the back sweep causes places more stress on the stem cap and the very real possibility exists for bar slippage off road because of it. I did like the beefy nature of the construction, the stem clamp area of the bar is far better than the old Space Bar’s was, and the look was fine. However; this doesn’t overcome the short comings of the shape. Added to this is the slightly narrowish feel to these bars. In the end, I would pass over the Space Bar OR in favor of some other offerings that do address the short comings of this bar yet have similar sweep.
Note:This product was provided to Twenty Nine Inches at no charge for reviewing. I am not being paid or bribed for this review. I will give my honest opinion or thoughts through out.
Well – that’s that. I had not thought about the 33 degree sweep giving you enough leverage to compromise the stem cap, but , especially with the requisite longer stem making even more leverage, I can see the concern. Also, at 360 grams, that’s a hefty unit – a Bonty Big Sweep (granted, only 12 degrees) has a bigger clamp diameter is is one third the weight.
Ever tested the BigSweep in its 17 degree variant?
@Lee T: No, I have not tested the Big Sweep in a 17 degree bend, but I have ridden Salsa’s 17 degree bend bar extensively and I cannot imagine Bontrager’s version not being good. I really like that bend and in a “straight” bar it’s pretty comfy.
I felt the same way with my fubars, which have more forward sweep. You had to tighten the stem face plate quite a bit or the bars would move on you when you were really putting some weight on them. I can imagine with no forward sweep this would get even worse!
It seems like a company needs to make a bar like this but with a lot of forward sweep, so you could run the same stem as with a normal bar (since people seem to always balk at the longer stem these things should be run at). Perhaps things get tricky with the pipe bending?
They do make one like this but with forward sweep – the On-One Marys. Nice bars.
I know this is an old post, but I bought these in March and have been using them on my riding 26 geared bike and wanted to provide a report. I got them primarily because the ETT length of the frame was too long and killed by back. The positives: the bar is very comfotable…no more back pain. You can exert a lot of leverage. I especially like it for climbing because it is much easier to “push down/pull back” than a straight bar (important when riding rigid). However, I agree with the negatives about this bar. I had some stem slippage issues early on whenever coming off a wheelie or steep descent. I don’t think I have ever tightened stem bolts so tight before. I finally got it tight enough where it won’t slip, but it needs an occasional readjustment. Also, the bar definately makes the bike “twitchier” if your front wheel is not loaded, these bars tend to exascerbate front wheel washout and like to spin. The bar also shortens you cockpit significantly (which I wanted), but it is slightly too much. That said, comfort wise, it is a heck of a lot better than a straight bar and I plan on continuing to use it. However, I may swap out for a little longer stem with four faceplate bolts. The bar could be improved by adding a few degrees of forward sweep and having a beefier center section to reduce the clamping issues.
I think the old posts should get revisited – the initial review is great, but an update one year later is even more helpful. I’ll throw in my 2 cents:
I’ve got both versions of the bar (OR and non-OR) and for the price I paid (~$30 shipped) this bar has been fantastic. I used to get numbness in my hands, but these bars have fixed all that. I liked the geometry enough that I pulled the trigger on a set of carbon Carnegie Bars (as I want alt-bars, but lighter weight).