Easton EA70 bar, stem and post

AX Handlebar £79.99, Stem £49.99, Seatpost £64.99 › For road and beyond

WE SAY Easton has always produced great aluminium parts for sensible prices

THESE EA70 COMPONENTS sit between the entry level EA50 and higher-end EA90 alternatives. The EA70 range includes the usual road stem, seatpost and handlebar options, plus this new AX ’bar.

The seatpost and stem are made with Easton’s own EA70 aluminium, whereas the handlebar uses EA70 alloy. Our Taperwall aluminium seatpost is the offset version with 12mm setback, rather than the straight up alternative, and has a forged twobolt head. Both parts of the saddle rail cradle are generously long and the fore and aft M5 bolts are easy to access and adjust for saddle angle tuning. Our 350mm long, 27.2mm diameter example weighs 266g, and although not damping road vibration as well as the carbon post we replaced, the Easton kept the worst of it at bay.

The stem is 3D forged, black anodised with four partly recessed bolts giving a smooth look. It comes in lengths from 70mm to 130mm, and +/- 7º, and our 110mm stem weighs 151g. Previous Easton parts have proved very hardwearing and early indications suggest that the EA70 black anodised finish should be too.

Unashamedly catering for more exploratory adventure, gravel and cyclo-cross riders, the AX bar’s width is measured centre to centre at the hoods. Its 16-degree flare adds another 68mm width on each side to that, which counts it out for urban commuting use. Available in 40, 42 or 44cm widths, our 42cm ’bar weighs 282g, 8g less than Easton quotes.

Cable routing is all external and simple enough. The tops are as wide as can be with a tight, but not sharp, bend towards the levers. With 80mm reach, it supports the wrists well and creates a nice flat section that continues on to the hoods. Their 120mm drop feels great, with an ergonomic bend that permits easy reach to the controls when in the drops, long bar ends for relaxing on to and heaps of wrist clearance.

The flare angles the levers a little, but in a way that’s little different to normal; we found the bar and stem to have plenty of torsional stiffness, while still offering good vibration absorption. It also gives welcome extra stability at speed, or on sketchy surfaces, and it feels extremely natural to use.