T.H.E. Flight System Review

The T.H.E. Industries Flight System Carbon Handlebar Stem Combo, while no longer in production, has been floating around various internet bargain sites since 2008. The Flight System was tauted as the "world's first fully carbon handlebar stem combo." Now that I think about it, I haven't seen anything like it, and for good reason. The Flight System has an MSRP of $399.99, which is outrageously high considering that the thing isn't even that light. It is, however, very slick in aesthetic and feels good in your hands when you're pounding down the trail.

The Flight System comes in two varieties, the flat bar and riser, both sharing the same 26 inch width, 9 degree upsweep and 6 degree backsweep and 130mm stem. The riser bar, which I have installed on my bike, comes up about 38 mm, or about 16 degrees. My unit weighed in at 314.8 grams.

This handlebar is as about as sweet as they come. With a raw carbon weave under a clear coat and an aggressive wing shape, the Flight System looks like it will cut through the air like a Mad Max boomerang of death. Or maybe a little bit like a top-secret spy plane, which is probably what the designers were going for.

In terms of construction, the thing is sturdy. As a heavier rider I was a little nervous about getting this set up for trail use. After all, I am rather attached to my dental work. The Flight System mounts like any other regular XC stem, with a two bolt clamp around the fork. The stem itself is not fully carbon, rather, the carbon handlebar piece fades back and wraps around an aluminum stem clamp. This technique allows the handlebar to retain the full strength of an aluminum XC stem and make sure you don't have to fiddle with aluminum inserts and threading for the bolts.

You can see that the carbon weaved handlebar is wrapped around the stem that fades back to aluminum at the end. The yellowish nubs are from the excess carbon-epoxy resin that acts as a glue between the extension of the handlebar and nub of the stem.

Carbon fiber products, as any materials nerd will tell you, have an incredible amount of natural flexibility. In fact, single carbon fibers, which can be as small as 5 microns in diameter, can bend nearly ninety degrees millions of times without showing any fatigue. Weaves of carbon fibers have incredible strength to weight ratios, so products with carbon weaves typically demonstrate high strength, low weight and a great ability to absorb impact. In a carbon handlebar, frame or fork this is often called "vibration dampening."  I'll throw out a popular suspension buzzword right now and say that in my own tests, the Flight System demonstrated an amazing amount of "small bump compliance."

On the trail, this unique handlebar performed like a champion. But how do you measure performance of a handlebar? There are really only a few things to look for: resilience to impact and overall stiffness when turning. The Flight System certainly had both of these, but it added one more thing to the equation: vertical compliance. In terms of handling, riders of bikes with front suspensions rarely want anything but the front shock to be absorbing impact from bumps. However, riders like myself look for every opportunity to take the edge off the bone jarring ride that comes with riding rigid - this is where the Flight System works its magic. Under my full weight, the end of the handlebar on each side dips about a centimeter. This small amount of flexibility was enough to cut down on the feeling of small rocks, roots and drops on the trail.

Altogether, this is a great product for rigid riders or riders with shorter travel suspension rigs. If you're looking for a thin and light carbon handlebar that looks great and cuts down on the chatter in your hands, arms and shoulders then the Flight System is the handlebar for you. FYI, you should be able to find this product online for less than $100.

Raw Stats Summary:

Weight: 314.9 grams (compare to Easton Monkeylite SL at 135g and EA90 stem at 135g for a total of 270g @ ~$180)
Width: 26 inches
Upsweep: 9 degree
Backsweep: 6 degree
Stem Rise: 1.5 inches
Stem Length: 130mm

New DOT Policy Puts more Importance on Cycling

A new Department of Transportation memo is stirring up the cycling community. According to an article on the Huffington Post, "the government is going to give bicycling – and walking, too – the same importance as automobiles in transportation planning and the selection of projects for federal money."The new policy toward cycling is also being cited as "an extension of Obama's livability initiative" which places emphasis on alternative forms of transportation like buses, trains, walking, etc.

The policy, located here, is not so much an act of law as it is a Jerry-Maguire-style mission statement. It encourages agencies to go above "minimum design standards" and lists all the reasons why cycling (and pedestrian travel) is great. It kind of comes off like a high-school persuasion essay.

The policy does little more than state the obvious, but it a small step in the right direction. Kudos to whoever leads this movement. But, as stated near the bottom of the memo, "success will ultimately depend on transportation agencies across the country embracing and implementing this policy." If the DOT doesn't have the power to direct the actions of other transportation agencies, just what the hell do they do?

The details of DOT power are slipped secretly into the appendix. The DOT federally mandates a few details of the transportation and metropolitan planning process such as "non-motorists have to be involved" and all projects have to include "multimodal and inter-modal" facilities. Basically, all new plans have to have multi-use paths in conjunction with streets and highways. The real DOT power lies with the Secretary of Transportation who "has the authority to withhold approval for projects that would negatively impact pedestrians and cyclists under certain circumstances." For some reason, I am imagining the DOT Secretary as Zeus with a giant lightning bolt, ready to strike down all indecent proposals. Awesome.

What does this new policy mean for me? It means very little. Big bike-friendly cities are already improving their cycling infrastructure by adding paths, bridges and locking facilities. The next ten years will be no different. The policy does, however, have implications for long term plans in smaller, fast-growing towns and cities around the country. Perhaps Ithaca will be in the mix.