The natural beauty of these handlebars is simply off the hook. They are truly objects of art, worthy of placement on your awesome bikepacking machine. The photos just don't do them justice.The Passchier handlebars story (pronounced pash-air) goes back to 1978 when Dirk Passchier started kayaking and saw fit to create his own kayak paddles out of bamboo. Long story short, he experimented in his workshop with multiple construction techniques, endless testing and refinements.The resulting paddles proved to offer a degree of comfort and flex that traditional Kevlar paddles couldn't deliver. Confirmation of how good his paddles were was echoed by a mate of his, Tim Tayler, who was paddling around New Zealand. Tim dropped into New Brighton on his way and was convinced into taking Dirk's paddles for a whirl. The following day and 86kms later, Tim had no interest in giving them back, as it was the first day that he finished up without sore shoulders.Up till now, handlebars have been designed to be strong and stiff as a means to point your front wheel in the desired direction. Advancements in handlebar technology have seen the introduction of carbon and titanium to make them stronger and stiffer.Given that they were already strong and stiff enough, this advancement is really only of benefit for the very top tier of cyclists that need every ounce of energy converted into forward motiona | with stiffness being the answer.Our approach to riding is that you need to enjoy the journey, some energy can be converted into the sheer pleasure of riding a bike, so we created handlebars that have natural flex that delivers a more comfortable ride, with less vibrational stress to the hands and shoulders. With the flex and absorption offered by these bars, the first question that people asked usa | are they strong, as the flex can convey thoughts of weakness.The answer to this question is most definitely yesa | with the disclaimer that these are not designed for aggressive downhill riding or for combined rider + loaded bike weights in excess or 110Kg / 280lbs. These bars are designed for the cruiser, comfort-focused rider that does easy trails, long tours and jaunts around town, to the store and daily commutes. If you're tearing downhill over roots and drop offs, then get yourself some stiff carbon bars and hang on.Jefe is stocking three versions of Passchier bamboo handlebars:The GUMP 760 and 650 (Natural Bamboo Color) and GUMP JENNY 760 (Black)All three bars offer the same geometry - a 22Adeg setback that's perfect for tourers, ebikes & town commuters. The GUMP 760 and Jenny 760 offer a 760mm overall bar length and the GUMP 650 offers a 650mm length.The shorter 650 length is better for riders with narrower shoulders and for bicycles dedicated to in-town cycling. The wider 760 length provides more space for bikepacking bags without any significant weight penalty.The Jenny 760 is identical to the GUMP 760 except it's finished in black rather than natural bamboo. Call it your stealth vibration reduction system.All three bars are for use with traditional flat bar MTB brakes and shifters.Passchier has named these bars after the fictional character Forrest Gump, because they're so comfortable you'll forget to stop riding the way Forrest would forget to stop running. Don't overshoot your destination!Gump 760 / JENNY 760 / GUMP 650 specs:TYPE: 22 degreeCLAMPING: Carbon fibre sleeve, 31.8mm diameterFITTING: Tighten screws to 5Nm and redo a week laterWEIGHT: 330g / 330g / 250gLENGTH: 760mm / 760mm / 650mm MATERIAL: Laminated bamboo COLOR: Natural / Black / NaturalSTRENGTH: Tested to ISO 4210-2:2015, Clause 4.7.6.2 and 4.7.7 (fatigue and strength for commute and trekking bikes)
