Baramind seeks Indiegogo funding for Bam City flexible shock absorbing handlebar

Sore wrists from riding over potholed or cobbled roads? There are several ways to achieve a smoother ride, but here's a novel one. French company Baramind has developed the Bam City, a flexible shock absorbing handlebar, and it's currently seeking Indiegogo crowdfunding to the tune of €10,000 - with 27 days to go they have raised €2,001.

The Bam City is designed to flex downwards up to about 30mm, yet resist upwards flex.  At the core of the handlebar is a composite plate made of fibreglass and carbon, it’s designed to only flex in a vertical plane. The company has used a composite material for the core which it says is “new kind of material which is coming from aeronautics industry” and has been three years in development.

“The mechanical properties of this material associated with a specific design make the foundation of the shock absorber technology," it says.

Around that core wrap four removable inserts at the centre of the handlebar, to regulate the flex. They can be customised with hard, medium and soft inserts. The top inserts resist the upwards flex, the bottom inserts control the rate of downwards flex. The rest of the handlebar is made from aluminium.

The Bam City handlebar is 620mm wide with a 31.8m centre section diameter, a 20 degree backsweep and 5 degree upsweep. It weighs a claimed 350g and comes in black only.

The company has already put into production a mountain bike version of the unique handlebar, and it has been ridden to race success, so it seems that technology is proven to work well. The Bam City uses the same technology and is aimed at road and urban hybrid bikes, and at the €59 asking price it's clearly intended to be an affordable upgrade for city commuters. The Bam City is 100% made in France too.

To support the company’s crowdfunding ambitions, pledges start from €39 for which you’ll receive a handlebar, which normally retails for €59. If you're interested, head this way to find out more www.indiegogo.com/projects/bam-city-shock-absorber-handlebar