Don't get us wrong, we love when our individual products get reviewed by our peers, but we're especially fond of group reviews. We designed our products to perform exceptionally well on their own, but we believe they're unstoppable when their individual benefits are combined into one ergonomic, vibration dampening, aesthetically pleasing cockpit. Spoiler alert, it turns out MTB Mag would agree. Read on to see exactly what they think about our Range Bars, Stem, and Loam Grips.
MTB Mag Review: The PNW Components Cockpit
For the past few months we’ve been riding the PNW Components cockpit consisting of the Range Bar, Loam Grips, and the Range Stem. PNW is likely best know for their highly functional yet simple dropper posts and levers. The brand hopes to deliver quality products to riders at a reasonable price. Read on for the rundown on how we liked the cockpit.
Introducing the Components
We’ll start off with the Range Handlebar, co-designed by enduro athlete and all around nice guy, Kyle Warner. The bar is designed to complement modern geometry (aka long reach bikes) with a generous backsweep. The 2014-T73 heat treated alloy is aimed to mimic the vibration damping carbon offers, but in a more price friendly package.
Range Handlebar Specs:
- Material: 2014-T73 heat treated alloy
- Weight: 334g
- Width: 780mm
- Clamp Diameter: 31.8mm
- Rise: 30mm
- 5th upsweep, 10th backsweep
- 3-year warranty!
- $ 69.00 USD
- Colors: Cement Gray, Really Red, Safety Orange, Seafoam Teal
Thick gloss logos on the matte anodized bars make for a classy aesthetic. The up and backsweep of the Range Bar, in conjunction with its flex characteristics, made for a comfortable and forgiving ride feel.
Next up is the Range Stem, it’s designed to match the Range Bar nicely, but works with any 31.8 diameter bars. The nifty ‘signature’ feature is a removable GoPro/light mount. The stem is simple, fairly light, well priced, and has a simple clean shape to it.
Range Stem Specs:
- 40mm or 50mm lengths
- Weights: 40mm – 174g / 50mm – 210g
- For 31.8mm handlebars
- GoPro / headlight mount
- Fits 1-1 / 8 “steerer tube
- Stack Height: 38mm
- 3-year warranty!
- $ 64.00 USD
Rounding out the cockpit are the Loam Grips. The Loam Grips are ultra soft/tacky, feature a subtle ergonomic shape, and come in a bunch of colors.
Loam Grip Specs:
- Diameter: Avg. 30mm
- Weight: 90g / pair
- Width: 133.5mm
- Durometer: 25A Happy Camper Compound
- Clamp Style: Closed End, single clamp
- $ 19.00 USD
- Colors: Safety Orange, Really Red, Blackout, Seafoam Teal, Cement Gray
On the Trail
Analyzing the PNW Components cockpit as a whole, we were thoroughly impressed. The Range Bar and Stem have a great value, at only $133 for the pair. We found the Range Bar sat about mid way on the stiffness scale, yet it’s back sweep of 10° made for a forgiving ride feel, particularly noticeable in the upper body on rough descents. Subtle but clear markings on the Range Bar made for easy adjustments when setting bar roll.
The Range Stem was really easy to set up, and though we did not end up needing to use the removable accessory mount, we felt it was a great addition to the stem and we’ll likely use it in winter months for a light. On trail, the stem is stiff, and maintained a reliable worry free feeling throughout our test period without any creaking or slipping. The stem we tested was 40mm long making it a perfect size for our size medium mullet GT Force 29.
The Loam Grips are a class act in the realm of comfort. Those who follow many of our reviews will know we almost exclusively prefer Sensus Lites, that being said, the Loam Grips are a very worthy contender. The wide clamp makes sure there’s absolutely no twisting on the bar, and the soft durometer of the rubber is easy on the hands, particularly while riding sans gloves. As we’re not huge fans of grips with ultra shaped profiles, we were surprised to be very fond of the slight ergonomic design the Loam Grips feature. A wide swath of color options doesn’t hurt either.
What's the Verdict?
Durable and classy parts that fall in at a reasonable price point are hard to come by, typically being one or the other. It seems to us that PNW has achieved their goal in being a core brand, serving those that demand a high end product, but don’t want to empty their wallets. We’d highly recommend the cockpit as a whole, or the singular parts to those looking to upgrade one thing at a time.
Have questions about any of our products? Reach out to us via email at info@pnwcomponents.com.