Burgtec Components are well known for their race pedigree. The UK based brand has been synonymous with downhill racing since ‘04. The Santa Cruz Syndicate, 50:01 crew and a large roster of riders have helped push the development of Burgtec’s sturdy component range that can stand high-level racing demands.

I have been riding Burgtec’s cockpit for the last few months. For a new Santa Cruz Hightower build, I went with a Burgtec Ride Wide Carbon Enduro Handlebar, Enduro MK3 Stem and Super Soft Greg Minnaar Signature Grips. Seeing that harsh UK trails helped to develop these products, I thought it would suit our harsh environment back home as well.

The Burgtec Ride Wide Carbon Enduro Handlebar is a full 800mm width bar made from Uni-directional carbon fibre, coming in at a respectable 258 grams. A 9-degree backsweep paired with 5-degree upsweep are familiar numbers to most, with a 30mm rise and 35mm clamp being the only offerings for this model. There are handy cut marks to help you trim ‘em down to whatever width you’d fancy, and some handy torque recommendations are in place to ensure you do not damage them.

The Burgtec Enduro MK3 stem is well suited for the current crop of enduro bikes and riders. Burgtec wanted a stem that offers the best amount of bar-to-steerer precision they could.

So, to stack up to these demands, without adding a heap of weight, Burgtec had to modify their manufacturing to include an initial forging stage, aligning the grain of the 6061-T6 aluminium and improving the strength and fatigue life in the process. Along with that, they added some bulk and length to the steerer interface -the bigger overlap helps with the stiffness.

To finish off the cockpit, I opted for Burgtec Super Soft Greg Minnaar Signature Grip. They enlisted the help of the GOAT who needs no intro. These grips were prototyped through the 2020 season and based on the World Cup winning pattern of the Bartender Pro, as used by Greg along with Nina Hoffman, Danny Hart, and Angel Suarez. The Super Soft is made up of a unique blend which fuses together additional suppleness with an extra tacky compound. It’s all in the aid of avoiding hand pain, even at the bottom of the rowdiest track.

Let’s turn the attention to how the cockpit felt on the trails. I’ve had this bike built for a few months now and every time I finish a ride, I want to get out for another one. Perhaps that’s just my current mood but, when you have good bikes and reliable components, it does bring more joy to your riding. The understated-with-just-enough-graphic- aesthetics of the cockpit is absolutely dialled in my opinion. But the looks do stack up. I found that there’s a nice neutral/natural feeling sweep, to the bars. They also felt nice and compliant – no harsh feel like other similar bars at 35mm clamp, which have felt overly stiff. The grips were damn soft and had a great overall feel with or without gloves.

The combination of the Ride Wide Carbon Enduro Handlebar and Enduro MK3 stem combination provides a noticeably direct connection between the hands and the front end, without a single hint of undesirable twist. As I indicated earlier, there wasn’t a harsh feel – even when venturing down some chunky, rocky terrain in the South Island. When the bike has been boxed up on the back of the rig, and thrown under other riders, the high-quality hardware with good tolerance shines.

The word ‘solid’ comes to mind for the Burgtec Ride Wide Enduro Carbon Handlebar and Enduro MK3 Stem. These are at the higher end of the price spectrum but will stack up to the demands of hard chargers without blowing your wrists apart. Of course, grips are quite personal but, for me, the Burgtec Super Soft Greg Minnaar Signature Grip feel superb and finish off the cockpit nicely. I only hope these don’t have to be returned.