The 311 FL-X carbon handlebars offer excellent ergonomics and a comfortable and natural hand orientation, with a useful combination of backsweep and upsweep and soothing damping flex.
The SQlab 311 FL-X (i.e., Flex) carbon fiber handlebars are designed for mountain biking and have a 4º upsweep, a 15mm or 30mm rise, a 16º or 12º backsweep, and a 740mm width. The increased backsweep provides improved and more natural ergonomics when riding, which decreases fatigue and injuries. The 15mm and 30mm rise versions weigh around 210 grams and retail for $249.99.
For further information, refer to sq-lab.com.
Impressions
The bars I tested have a prominent 16º backsweep, a 30mm rise, a 740mm width, and a 31.8mm clamping diameter, and weighed in at 209 grams. The backsweep prevents hyperextending the wrists and provides ergonomic hand and forearm and elbow positioning, and reduces Carpal Tunnel Syndrome issues and hand numbness. The 740mm wide bars can be shortened to 720mm if desired, though I found the 740mm sizing to be ideal, not too wide and not too short.
The ergonomic bars utilize functional sweeps and rise and designs to improve comfort, optimize positioning and decrease hand fatigue and hand-related issues, and the carbon fiber damping offers a welcome softening to rough trails without feeling sloppy. The 311 FL-X was designed with regard to their flex behavior, and instead of the typical carbon bar damping characteristics between 0% to 15%, the 311 FL-X has between 20% to 30%. This higher flex pattern decreases terrain chatter and vibrations, softens the ride, and offers an overall more soothing tactile feel without losing any steering precision.
The bars have broad sweeps and high rise, so after performing some seated tuning in my home shop, they felt just about perfect in a neutral setting. That rotation created a natural fit for my hands without any overextension or odd contortions of the wrists. I found the sweep and rise comfortable and easy to get used to without any hand or wrist distress.
The stem and brake/shifter clamp area has an anti-slip zone to prevent the bars from creeping around, making for easier tuning adjustments. The bars have a lovely beaded finish and, so far, don’t seem to scratch, even after installing multiple pieces of gear on and off the bikes while doing all the control system setups.
The German companies SQlab and Syntace both make handlebars that can take an impressive amount of stress and abuse without breaking and fatiguing, and the 311 FL-X is a testament to their strength and stability. Even with this overbuild quality, the bars still weigh a decently light 209 grams.
Photo courtesy of SQlab
- Width: 740mm
- Rise: 15mm or 30mm
- Backsweep: 16° or 12º
- Upsweep: 4°
- Material: Carbon
- Weight 209g
- Clamping: 31.8mm
- Downsweep 0°
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Is that the 2019 Mojo 3 in the Shark Bite color?
No, that’s the Ripmo V1 from 2018 in Tangerine Sky.
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