Canadian brand Syncros built their reputation with hard-riding gear, and at 350g the AM is towards the burly end of the spectrum. It’s billed as an all-mountain/cross-country bar but leans more to the all-mountain side.
The reason for the heft is simple – the AM is made from butted 2014 aluminium, which isn’t quite as strong as the 7000 series alloys found on some bars, so Syncros need to use more of it. 2014 is cheaper and easier to work with, and the AM is an affordable bar.
The white grunge finish is distinctive, but easy to mark, especially as it’s a painted finish that adds the tiniest amount of thickness and makes controls a snug fit. If the white’s a little too lairy for you there’s a more subtle black option.
Angle markings are limited to four widely-spaced (and unnumbered) lines at the back. The AM’s in the middle range for width at 710mm but has less sweep than most riser bars. There’s not much upsweep either, leaving little scope for boosting backsweep by rotating the bar.
This article was originally published in What Mountain Bike magazine.