What Are Scooter T Bars?
T bars are the handlebar of choice for street scooter riders. It’s super easy to identify T bars because they are literally shaped like a T. Depending on the material extra support may be needed to prevent T bars from bending. Extra support typically comes in one of two forms - either V shape support gussets or extra material in the stress points.
The V shaped support gussets connect the bottom of the T to the top of the T, and work kind of like supports on a brinde, combating any downward force applied to the bars when landing a trick. Typically you will find this support method being used on bars that use less material in order to reduce weight. They achieve this by making the bars thinner in certain sections, which can reduce the weight of the T bars substantially. A great example of this would be the Proto Baby Slayers Classic Handlebars.
Another method of support is to make the center of the bars thicker where all the stress occurs. By doing this the manufacturer is able to make the outer section where the grips go much more thin. Having the weight in the center keeps the weight distribution feeling more even when performing bar based tricks like a bar twist. We’ve even seen Tilt apply this method to aluminumT bars in order to make an extremely durable light weight bar. Our favorite example of this support system are the Triad Riot Bars.
Why Do Street Riders Use T Bars?
There is definitely an aesthetic style factor to street riders using T bars, but there’s more to it than just that. One main factor is that street riders usually ride heavier set ups that use more durable materials in order to handle harder landings. Because street riders are more comfortable using heavier parts, they’re able to use steel which is very heavy compared to aluminum. Due to the fact the T bars don't have as much support built in, the steel allows them to hold shape and not bend like aluminum T bars can tend to do. (with some exceptions)
In terms of performance there is another cool thing about T bars; and that is that there is a lot of room for your hands and you can grab any part of the bar and have a good grip because you aren’t grabbing an angled support. This makes bar tricks such as bar twist much easier because there is so much room to grab onto the bars.
Now this is not to say that you can’t ride street with Y bars instead, many riders do. However, Y bars will limit your ability to do bar tricks as opposed to T bars, so keep that in mind when choosing.