Why Do High-end Integrated MTB Bar/Stem Combos Exist?

They dont make sense at all for enduro and trail bikes, but the ones that have 20+ degrees of drop are definitely a worthwhile product for XCO and XCC where it’s important to replicate the contact points from your road bike position.

Syntace Flatforce is the only low stack height aesthetically appealing “mass production” mega drop metal stem I am aware of, using grandpas +25 road bike stem in the negative position isn’t very aesthetically appealing, and besides Ritchey i’m not sure anyone is using a lightweight forging for that part.

I don't know about anyone else's feelings, but this kind of setup is a definite negative for my own bike search. I'd most likely (90%+) pass on any bike with an integrated bar/stem. 

FSA also make a SLK drop stem for super low xc setup. But yeah one piece setup are mostly for the XC WW crowd.

Besides pro riders who get high end bikes for free from sponsors, IMO those kind of products (in this case handlebar) are made for people who have a lot of money and always buying latest and gratest just to show to others what they have.

I have those kind of guys on my work (banking business) who have shit load of money and basically buying things just for fun and fuel their ego while talking to others about that, what ever that is.

 That's why so many bikes are reaching this crazy prices, because there is always someone who are ready to buy most expensive product just for the sake of it...

In Trek's case, my only guess would be that it minimizes SKUs on higher-end bikes by being their one-size-fits-all solution, and the markup on aftermarket is probably insane for them. I'll bet it's somehow cheaper for them to make a couple of different "unibars" in the long run versus making a variety of different length stems and bars for each spec level versus only making them for the cheap bikes. 

PM see PM do is my short answer and we can probably just blame Scott and call it a day. While not purely aesthetic I do think the primary driver is how good integrated systems look from concept to final product. It’s hard to deny that the path of continued integration results in cohesive product design that has visual appeal to a wide range of potential customers. From a brand prospective this is a pro that really doesn’t impact the core user who ends up changing out all of the touch points immediately based on hard earned personal preference regardless of the original equipment. Is this the first time the industry has elevated form over function? Not even close, in fact that seems like Unno’s core philosophy. Am I mad about it? Not really.

They exist for the same reason as through headset routing and wireless controls - clean looks. And it looks more premium, is more expensive (so more better), lighter, etc. But a lot less practical.

This is such a good question, and I would add to it: Does anyone actually think this looks better? Because the integrated stem LOOKS SO WEIRD to my eyes. It looks like the monster from The Goonies.

[Edit: A friend pointed out to me that "The Goonies didn’t have a monster. It had Sloth, who was a normal person who was severely beaten when he was a child. It’s really sad actually." Agreed. You could say the real monster in the Goonies is inside of the people, and everyone has the choice to be brave or become a monster. I think I was trying to play on the idea that Sloth appears to be a monster to the kids, but he really isn't one at all, like Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird. But I didn't say all that, so it probably sounded like I was demonizing a vulnerable character.]

I'm in the minority obviously, but I'm into it. I'm frothing for some on my road and gravel bikes, where they look especially good.

I have an FSA KFX SIC integrated setup on my XC bike. I admit, I think it looks really dope from certain angles and awful from others. But I've used it all season and find it comfortable and unobjectionable. It's lighter than all but the lightest separate handlebar and stem combos, and in my mind a light one-piece system seems less sketchy than a light two-piece setup.

I can see how this works for road bikes, and maybe even when paired with a specific frame model. But given the wide range of head angles, if you put the same bar/stem on different frames, you would end up with different roll angles. I realize there are a lot of people who wouldn't notice, judging by some of the handlebars setups I've seen out on the trail. But for high-end users, how would an aftermarket version possibly work for multiple different frames?

Setting aside any aesthetic bias of what I know functions well for me I definitely think these combos look really good on modern high end carbon bikes. Especially when paired with wireless everything and full internal routing. If you had asked me in the 90s to draw what I thought future bikes would have looked like I’m sure I would have included integrated bar/stem combo. I also love the way a well executed integrated road combo looks. Ultimately the context is important. Looking at a Contra or similarly industrial/steampunk bike this design would seem out of place and a more traditional option would make more aesthetic sense. 

I just won’t put carbon bars on a bike that I intend to ride. Period. Testing and results and compliance don’t work on my life experience. When a carbon bar breaks: it’s a season ender. Can’t risk it. 
they do look good from certain angles and really horrible from others. But looks sell and don’t sell everything. Lately I’m into my high ass bars too. So the combos available don’t even come close to aligning with my #stackgoals …… 

Big nope on the aesthetics and function for me. I like playing with bar roll from time to time, and I'll be toying with rise/sweep/stem length occasionally. 

There's possible improvements with the strength-to-weight and tuneability of flex, but you'd have to build them for each rider to benefit from this.

They are the mankini of the cockpit world

I've got them on my Scott Ransom - I like them, I like the look, seller threw them in for free when I bought the frame. I like the spatial void that comes without having a stem. Would I buy them again on their own? probably not. Would I buy a bike that came with them? sure. 

Unfortunately, even as we approach the year 2024, mountain bikes still take influence from road cycling instead of doing or using things that actually work. In my mind, this is why we still see 170mm travel bikes coming stock with 175mm cranks, one piece bar and stem combos, and one size fits all chain stay lengths. Road bike DNA is inherently imbedded in MTB DNA, we’ve gone a long way though, from running 650mm wide bars with 120mm stems and 1.95 tires to where we are now, but it’s still tangentially tied to mountain bikes. 
 

Also, like Charlie said on a Vital podcast once about this subject, people like features. They will buy the thing with the most features knowing full well they have no clue what said features actually are or do. This has been proven to me time and time again when I see dudes using S-Works Levos as glorified beach cruisers.

Or this...

i don't like them, but then again I have nothing to do with the target demographic of the bikes where these things end up being fitted. I have two thoughts on this, though:

1. If somebody who buys such an expensive bike is a passionate rider and cares about his set-up and doesn't like the feel of such a combo, it's more than likely that he will be able to change them in store as he/she pleases, probably with no extra cost. For the bike shop it could be: ”Well, do you want to sell that expensive bike or not?”. The answer to this question is easy.

2. These products cater with their aesthetics to certain kind of people. Those people who don't necessarily buy the product for its actual qualities, but for the affiliation, for belonging to a certain group. They buy status. To me, bikes like those in the S-Works range, for example, don't make sense, from a logical point of view. They are priced in the boutique brand territory. Why would you buy a Ford sports car, when for that money you could get a Ferrari? But then again, I am not in the target demographic and if it satisfies the needs of those who are in that demographic, it matters zilch what I think or feel. You buy a product in order to get a certain satisfaction, it's basic economics. For some people that satisfaction comes in our case from riding that bike and actually feeling the differences to the previous model and to other bikes, to others it's the simple fact that they own that bike. Neither is wrong. There is no ”wrong”. I am pretty sure there are more people who buy S-Works bikes just to acquire status than people who buy them because they ride hardcore and know the extra qualities over the mere mortals' bikes. No problem, as nobody is actually forced to buy nothing. Oh, and one more thing: I am 100% sure that the product managers of the bike companies know their audience a billion times better than we do. So if it ends up being specced on that super expensive bike, I am sure that it's there for a good reason, as nobody likes to throw money out on the window.

Mx

bike companies always have that one dude...listens to Chicago, has a chip foose car poster in his cubicle, watches slightly too much football or wrestling or whatever...sometimes they're just Germans...

These creations don't look good at all. Not ever. And don't go too far, because at the other end of the spectrum is rasta spokes guy. Over-chonked ano stem guy.

Bike dudes are dorks!

I swear to god, Jay-Sun, the only thing I want for Christmas is to watch you to slap some wheels on that thing and blast some ruts. #sharkbike

I feel attacked. 

When TURNERBIKES comes out with their new dw8link endur-bro and e-bikes, they will be so revolutionary that we will forget about unwanted standards such as the integrated headset.  

TLDR, done w/ discussion answer: b/c bikeorexics/fashion-victims.
I was unfortunate enough to aquire a 1991 Klein Rascal that came with a one-piece bar/stem combo. It was a terrible, one-size-fits-none concept back then & still is now.  Most of the fashion victims buying Scott's "innovative" crabon bar/stem combos on cable-touristed, Nino-wannabe rigs haven't been around long enough to remember people laughing at the stupidity of this Procrustean design the last time it came around.

It does not work for road bikes either: there is actually far more variation in width, drop depth, bend radii, ergo profiles between drop bars, and just as much variation in installed roll angles as on MTBs.  As mentioned above, one piece combos are functionally inferior unless fabricated as full custom options for a single rider on a single bike, assuming they will never make any setup changes due to injury, aging, performance tuning, etc.  They are born of the same logic that sees sense in lighting cigars with $100 bills.

The Giant option of the bar stem combo has degrees and mm adjustments for roll length and angle on stem. They use an eccentric spacer around the stem. I rode those bars at a demo, and was surprised that they felt at the right place for me. 

Okay Ill admit. Thats pretty neat. 
 

No one has mentioned this but I find that the Gemini Polluck bars to be very clean. Apparently their newer model of this bar (not pictured) can allow for a rider to not have to cut their steer tube super short like traditionally. 

I thought Ibis already made the DW link E-DHR?

If someone made a 35mm L x 40mm rise carbon bar with 8 deg backsweep id try it....

Otherwise bar and stem fit are the most important part of getting a bike to feel right for myself, so equipping these bikes with a fixed bar & stem is almost as bad as a fixed position built in seatpost IMO.

I’ve been running a Bonty RSL one-piece bar for a couple of months now that I grabbed off Buy/Sell at PB. I like it a lot. Bar roll for me has as always been never been a big deal for me—I can tell when it’s way too forward or aft, but I doubt previous bars were always in the same ‘place’, so having bar roll locked in was only a very small gamble. I like having 4 less bolts to deal with, a lighter stem / bar set up that I trust (I’m looking at you, Wren Stem), and I like the look as well, and it was cheaper for me to get the RSL than an equivalently light bar and stem. 

As for the why? I would bet the answer is very similar to things like Ti bolts, hop-up kits and different colors/stickers for components… it’s bike jewelry and if it looks good, we feel good. I don’t think one-piece bars are the answer for everybody, but I’m glad the option is out there.

Not directly connected, but I’ve thought a ton about why any high end bike comes with stem/bar/grips/saddle (and even droppers nowadays). I mean, I know why—it’d be a real tough sell for somebody to spend $$$$ on a bike and then still have to buy more parts (and inventory for shops would be killer). But I bet in an ideal world, if you buy an S-Works from an LBS, there’d be no touchpoint parts on the bike and the buyer would have a set of amount of credit to select the bars/stem/saddle/pedals/dropper that will work for them.