Scooter bars- What are they made from?
Not all pro scooter bars are made equal. You’ll find that the best kind is dependent on a rider’s capabilities, interests, intended use/s and budget (there are some cheap pro scooter bars out there, others – not so much!).
One of the most important aspects to consider when buying a scooter bar is the construction of and the material itself. This blog dives into what the most common pro scooter bar materials are and how the choice of material impacts your ride.
Aluminium
Aluminium is a metal commonly known for is lightness and malleability, meaning the metal is ‘able to be worked, hammered, or shaped under pressure or blows without breaking’. It’s commonly used in the construction of aircraft fuselages given its excellent resistance to corrosion (find out more here).
When it comes to stunt scooters and the construction of pro scooter bars, using aluminium is a common material utilised by many pro scooter brands. Blunt Envy favours to use aluminium in pro scooter bars when a rider needs both lightness and performance at a sensible price point. Due to its malleability, aluminium bars are usually engineered using structural additions (or ‘gussets’ as we call them) to be able to weld a variety of designs at a reasonable cost. This also ensures that maximum strength is developed in the frame.
Commonly, the bar diameter in this type of pro scooter bar would be oversized outer and standard sized inner. This is due to the walls of the tube having to be double the thickness to maintain the strength.
Aluminium is solid and sturdy, meaning scooter bars made from aluminium are ideal for riders who needs lightness and performance top priority, but also a bar that is still strong. If you’re considering aluminium as your scooter bar material of choice, the main con to weigh up is whether you’re willing to sacrifice a bit of strength for more lightness.
CHECK OUT OUR ALUMINIUM BARS -HERE
Chromoly
Chromoly is a combination of steel, chromium, and molybdenum. This material is uniquely known for its strength to weight ratio. As it’s much stronger than many other forms of steel, chromoly is commonly used in BMX sports and forms excellently in the construction of tubing. A common abbreviation is 'Cro-Mo'.
Where chromoly steel is used in pro scooter bars, the proof is in the strength. Usually, you’ll see chromoly bars in the traditional ‘T bar’ design, though other bar designs have been created. It’s a common choice by riders who are willing to favour durability over lightness, and in many cases, this is seen in street riding by professional riders. Though, this certainly doesn’t limit beginner riders when they’re considering chromoly steel as their bar material of choice. We recommend chromoly bars as an excellent starting point for a beginner, mainly for its durability.
Bar diameters
Due to its strength, chromoly comes in a variety of diameters including standard and oversized. Check your bar-of-choice for its dimensions.
Butting
Traditionally chromoly bars are durable and heavy, hence why they are more affordable. Though, the engineering of ‘butting’ was developed to address the heaviness. Butting achieves maximum performance by lightening the bar using thinner tubing. Essentially, it’s taking out the stuff where you don’t need it so that it’s lighter.
CHECK OUT OUR CHROMOLY BARS -HERE
Titanium
Titanium is hallmarked for its exceptional lightness and powerful strength. Notably used in high-speed aircrafts, it gains reputation as being the ultimate non-corrosive option for structures that need maximum performance. With this said, it makes titanium a more expensive form of metal, particularly in the pro scootering world.
Titanium scooter bars are markedly the most expensive given the all-encompassing benefits: strength, lightness, and performance. Additionally, the flexibility of titanium can offer leeway upon heavy landings through the movement and resulting absorption. We typically recommend that more experienced riders use titanium bars.
Typically, the bar diameters are both oversized outer and inner with titanium construction as the material is so thin.
CHECK OUT OUR TITANIUM BARS- HERE