Leatt Handlebar Kit Launch Control 6.0

The Leatt Handlebar Kit Launch Control 6.0 takes an unusual approach. Rather than engineering flex into the bar, Leatt has just built it stiff, but vibe-damping comfort comes from the clever grips paired with it instead. The combination works rather well, delivering a stiff and direct feel that remains comfy through choppy terrain. It still doesn’t offer the best in smoothness and confidence, however, and size/fit options are somewhat limited.

The bar is built from 7050 aluminium, and it’s shaped purely for stiffness. There’s none of the controlled compliance that most modern handlebars offer, though Leatt hasn’t gone mad with the wall thicknesses, so it’s not rigid to a ridiculous degree.

Leatt Handlebar Kit Launch Control 6.0 – Technical details

The shaping is very modern with a nine-degree backsweep, two rise options (38mm or 23mm) and an 800mm width. The centre has a 35mm diameter, and the clamping area is 100mm wide for accommodating those wide-clamp stems, but there’s no 31.8mm clamp option.

The bar’s surface is shot-peened, which is certainly pretty rugged, and Leatt says it boosts fatigue strength.

Damping and comfort are all down to the included grips, then, and these are ‘infused’ with an energy-absorbing gel Leatt calls ReaFlex. Yep, that’s the same stuff it uses in its ‘slimline’ body armour, and it is a non-Newtonian fluid that stiffens upon impact. These reduce damage from impacts by spreading the energy across a large area.

The grips feature more rubber towards their outside ends to boost damping, ribs around the inside end, and a half-waffle design at the finger tips. The bar ends are covered with the same rubber. There are no choices to make with this kit, but the ReaFlex grips are sold separately in two thicknesses.

Leatt claims the bar weighs 284g and the grips 106g. Our scales said they were 290g and 133g respectively, so a little weightier than claimed.

Leatt Handlebar Kit Launch Control 6.0 – Performance

Leatt has done a solid job with the geometry of this bar, and I found it right on the money for my tastes. I found it easy to get a comfortable position on the bike, and the bar puts your wrists at a good angle that avoids strain.

It’s super easy to install, too. Leatt has plastered it with a range of markings around the clamp area and where the grips’ lock rings sit. This makes alignment incredibly straightforward, and it’s especially good to see those grip markings.

The bar is noticeably stiff, and that has benefits for bike handling. It gives a very positive and direct feel to the cockpit, which makes for more confident steering. It’s not harsh, though, and Leatt has come close to achieving that Goldilocks balance of stiffness and damping.

The grips’ shape won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, with their raised palm sections and relatively low-profile patterning, but they do a good job of absorbing trail vibrations. The ride is not quite as smooth as with a more traditionally compliant bar and regular grips, but it won’t leave you slowly prying your fingers off after a run or two.

The sculpted lockrings are well built, so they stay put, while the grips’ compound is mighty soft without feeling tacky, meaning there’s decent traction to keep your hands in place too. Or at least, your gloves. I can’t recommend them to anyone who rides with bare hands, owing to the large, treadless palm pads. Once they’re sweaty, traction is pretty much gone.

As the bar itself relies on the grips for comfort, that may well cause issues for some riders.

Leatt Handlebar Kit Launch Control 6.0 – Verdict

The asking price of £105 seems like decent value against a decent bar and grip combo bought separately. That said, shopping for the pair separately obviously makes it much easier to save some cash.

PNW Components’ aluminium Range Handlebar Gen 4 offers decent compliance, and it’ll set you back £75. Throw on a pair of DMR Deathgrip2s, which start at £23, and you’ve saved yourself a couple of quid.

The Leatt kit’s price is competitive, though. DMR’s Wingbar MK4 is £80 in its 35mm diameter (and there’s a 31.8mm option too), so if you coupled that with, for instance, a pair of Peaty’s Monarch Grips at £24.99, you’re at exactly the price of this Leatt. As with many things, it’s a matter of taste.

Leatt’s kit locks you into one cockpit setup, and you’ll find that either admirably simple or annoyingly restrictive. The deciding factor may well be how much you value steering stiffness and immediacy – this kit is better at that than at delivering comfort-enhancing compliance, even if you get on with this very particular grip design. Either way, we’d like to see it available in more rises and more clamp diameters so more riders could give it a go.