Review: Azonic World Force Bars, Barretta Stem and Sprint Saddle

Azonic are a brand that most most mountain bikers associate with bulletproof yet weighty freeride products that were knocking around in the late 90’s and early 2000’s

The word Azonic is actually designed as not restricted to any particular zone or region. If jumping off cliffs was your thing you were probably running Azonic products but obviously things have come a long way since then and so have Azonic!

We received a sample of some of the brand new 2013 Azonic range that is now being brought to the UK’s fair shores by FLI Distribution.

First up we have the World Force Handlebar.

The bar features a 31.8mm oversize clamp and 762mm width. They are available in 1, 2 and 3inch rise but the bar we had to play with was the big daddy 3” rise version.

The World Force bar features a 3 degree upsweep and a 9 degree back sweep which compared to something like Renthal’s Fatbar puts the Azonic bar a touch flatter and with a little more back sweep.

We are talking a matter of 1 or 2 degrees here but when you multiply it by the 762mm width you are beginning to see quite substantial changes by the time you put your hands at the end!

The sweep and rise of the bar do make for a very comfortable and aggressive riding position with the massive 38mm rise but after a while you will become accustomed to this and feel the improvements of having vastly improved control.

The quality feels good with a good thick paint job, which won’t be flaking or chipping off in a hurry which is probably why the white version we’ve tested comes in at 320g opposed to 310g for the plain anodised black.

In terms of weight comparison the Azonic bar is very competitive when compared to the likes of Funn’s Full on Bar and Renthals Fatbar which are both in the region of 360g.

During the short time I had riding with the World Force handlebars I felt like I had really started to get on with them well and they really worked with my body. Handlebars are a very personal component and once you become accustomed to the sweep and rise of your bars riding on a different set can take you a while to get used to the handling characteristics.

They felt super stiff and strong and are still looking in mint condition after a few weeks on the bike. I can comment on the long term reliability or performance but the signs are certainly there that they will be on top of there game for a long while yet.

Our World Force bar was paired with the Azonic Barretta stem!

This stem obviously features a 31.8mm oversize diameter and is available in 5 different colours, Red, blue, black, green and white to suit your taste!

The Barretta stem is CNC Machined from one single block of 6061 T6 Aluminium and has a very industrial look and feel.

Like all Azonic stems past present and most probably future it’s super short with a 45mm reach and has a zero degree rise. That gives great control when paired with a wide bar like you find on most modern aggressive bikes on the trails today.

The stem is a bit on the weighty side with a value of 255g even after all the CNC’ing and removal of excess material but it looks great and unsurprisingly feels like a substantial and stiff block on the end of your steerer tube!

Finally we had Azonic’s Sprint Seat saddle!

This saddle features a Lightweight, sleek and low profile design. It comes in at a weight of 258g which is in exactly the same ballpark as the Charge Spoon and Fizik Gobi and most of the other common mid range saddles you see on the trails!

It also features Black 7mm chromoly rails with a scale printed on the side to dial in your saddle position for your exact personal requirements .

The shape seemed good during long rides and always seemed pretty comfortable to me but once again much like handlebars it’s a personal component with some riders preferring a sofa while others prefer to sit on the edge of a knife. For me I felt the Sprint seat sort of sat somewhere in the middle of those two so could possibly be a comfy fit for a greater number of people.

On the practicality side the seat has stood up well to the abuse we’ve handed it and still looks in pristine condition and with the full leather exterior the orbit seat wipes clean easily and doesn’t soak up the water!

Conclusion.

Even in the short time we had with the Azonic products I started to really get a feel for and enjoy riding with them. I would happily run the bars and saddle on any bike at the drop of a hat and if you don’t mind a little excess weight the matching Barretta stem!

Azonic have come a very long way since the early days and now they have the firepower to run with the big dogs!

Azonic are distributed in the UK by FLI Distribution!