What Are Scooter Y Bars?
Y bars are definitely a favorite for park scooter riders. It’s super easy to identify Y bars because they are literally Y shaped as opposed to T shaped. More specifically, Y bars are any handlebars that aren’t completely flat on the top. Generally speaking, Y bars are made from aluminum which is a lightweight and affordable material. There is one big downside to aluminum, and that is that aluminum is not the strongest metal out there. Pro scooter manufacturers combat this by adding lots of supports and gussets to Y bars.
Another interesting thing about Y bars is that they are usually made thicker with more material to make up for this lack of strength. Because aluminum needs all the support they can get, the exterior of aluminum bars will typically be “oversized” while the interior is standard. This allows the “wall” of the bars to be much thicker and provides way more strength. If they made aluminum bars at the same thickness as steel bars you would definitely run into issues with handlebars breaking and snapping. The two most popular Y bars are the Envy Union Bars and the Envy Reaper V3 Bars.
Why Do Park Riders Use Y Bars?
Park scooters are all about being lightweight. Aluminum is a super lightweight metal, but it needs a lot of reinforcement that, until recently, was only possible with the extra support provided by Y bars. Nowadays you can actually find aluminum T bars that are super light, and if you're willing to spend the extra money there are even titanium T bars and Y bars that are both strong and lightweight.
So, if anything, we would say park riders use Y bars out of tradition. The older, iconic, pro riders grew up riding Y bars for park so that is what they are comfortable riding. The newer generation of park scooter riders get into the sport seeing their role models riding Y bars, so that’s what they decide to ride too. And the cycle repeats itself.
Don’t get us wrong, Y bars have an amazing look to them and come in many unique style that T bars just can’t achieve. Plus aluminum handlebars can be much more affordable than steel or titanium handlebars, So it makes sense that so many park riders still ride Y bars.