Comments about Easton EC70 XC Carbon Riser Bar 2013:

I bought this bar (the 2012 version) last year for my ASR-5 as a weight saver. Since then, I have ridden it in the foothills of Denver, Crested Butte backcountry and downhill, Moab sand and drops, Leavenworth poach trails, and a muddy enduro race outside of Seattle. I went through 3 sets of grips, 4 sets of tires, and a couple busted chainrings and cable housings. I rode the bike hard, and that is something to take into account when reading this review.

The EC70 carbon bar is light. I copped the 650mm (a bit narrow, I know) paired to a 90mm Thomson Elite stem and the thing feels like a feather. On top of that, the stiffness is unparalleled in anything I have ridden. When comparing to aluminum bars and one carbon bar I got many years ago, there is a noticeable difference in torsional strength and all my steering inputs felt direct. This isn't too much to ask for with today's carbon bars, so lets get to the important part: durability.

Easton did a good job making a bar that can handle all the impacts of modern freeride without sacrificing weight, and wear and tear were kept to a minimum. The bar is prone to scratching, especially with lock-on grips that carry a certain amount of dirt and grime inside the lock rings, but this seemed to be mostly an aesthetic issue with the semi-matte finish lending itself more to scratching than I imagine the physical resin could.

My only complaint comes when using pin-style lock-on grips. Despite the protective metal sheath, I still managed to produce stress cracks at the locking points over time, even though they were tightened to torque spec. I have since switched to ODI clamp-style lock-ons, but the damage was done and I fear the structural integrity could be compromised.

All-in-all, its a wonderful bar but you have to remember carbon can be fragile in certain situations.