Bring out the big guns

Black Market started as a 26-inch-wheel spinoff from S&M BMX bikes a few years back. They have gained a cult following by building sweet steel dirt-jump hardtails, but have recently made a move into the mountain bike scene by building full-suspension frames. Now they’re offering components.

Tech features: Sometimes bigger is better. Black Market designed the Bada Boom Way Low bar as wide as possible while maintaining strength and stiffness. The bar has a backsweep of 8 degrees, an upsweep of 6 degrees, 0.75-inches of rise and is internally butted to save weight. The stem is available in a 50-millimeter length with either a 25.4- or 31.8-millimeter clamp size. Both weigh in at 11 ounces and are available in black, blue, gold, purple, red anodized or a white powdercoat finish. The Way Low bar sells for $84.99, and the Underboss stem goes for $69.99. Black Market Bikes can be contacted at (714) 815-7178.

Field test results: The Way Low bar and Underboss stem are designed for the abuses of downhill or aggressive riding and feel right at home on a long-travel trailbike. The handlebar is an astonishing 31 inches wide. While it delivers superb stability, it will prove too wide for most riders. We found that a width of about 30 inches (for our 6-inch-travel test bike) is about as big as we would go for trail riding, so we trimmed them. This provided a comfortable riding position that was still abundantly stiff even under hard loads. The Underboss stem is pretty straightforward—short, stiff, machined and clean looking. While we would have appreciated a little more machine work to remove excess weight, we had no other complaints.

With a complete package weight of 1.4 pounds, this cockpit will not satisfy everyone. However, if you’re an aggressive rider looking for a bar/stem combo to hold up to some heavy-duty use, or you just want to add some rad color to your ride, the Black Market cockpit is a great choice.

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