Who actually uses their mountain bar anymore?

[m8sandman]

wouldn't leave the parking lot without it, heck i use mine twice just to get off the trailer if i use it once a ride thats good for me. try having your right ski down in a treewell and have to rock the thing up and go without a bar or lefty. love the guys who are so good of riders they don't need one until they get in a situation like that then its a pain in my azz having to grab a ski because they've learned how to RIDE a sled. always make sure i let them know how nice it would be if they were a little less skilled and had the equiptment to make riding easier...

 

[Covelli44]

To start - I am a rookie at this mountain riding thing....

I attended a quick riding techniques class this fall taught by a gentleman that we all know on here. He advised the mountain bar was not to be used while riding. He pushed to have both hands on the bars at all times, mountainbar not included. His reasoning behind it was to allow total control at all times while manuevering the machine; be it sidehill, hill climb, or most importantly during a controlled decent when you are not pointed straight downhill.

I am keeping mine on and going to push myself to not touch it while riding

 

[R_8_N]

3rd season without one on now....when i jump on someone's sled with one and grab it I feel retarded! unneeded weight imo....

 

[Hrt Offroad]

wouldn't leave the parking lot without it, heck i use mine twice just to get off the trailer if i use it once a ride thats good for me. try having your right ski down in a treewell and have to rock the thing up and go without a bar or lefty. love the guys who are so good of riders they don't need one until they get in a situation like that then its a pain in my azz having to grab a ski because they've learned how to RIDE a sled. always make sure i let them know how nice it would be if they were a little less skilled and had the equiptment to make riding easier...

Maybe you should just stay out of the tree wells...and you wouldn't have such problems After riding a few seasons on a T-Nytro in the trees...I don't feel the need for a mountain bar on my PRO...just my preference

 

[ryan_625]

there are a few rare cases where I use it. none of which ever seem to be while mountain riding.

I also used to have a lefty on my dragon, got my pro and never even thought about getting another one, these things are just too much fun/easy to lay over and ride in the trees!

 

[sledwolf]

If you like a mountain bar, keep it. If you like a lefty, keep it. If you like your sway bar... well you see the theme here LOL.There seems to be a movment among some riders to try to impress other riders by saying, if you are a good rider you don't need these sled options. What's next... you shouldn't need a seat if you are a true mountain rider?? Regardless, keep them if you like them and don't worry about what others say. JMHO

I like they way you put that. 1/2 the wanna be mountain riders on here that dont need a mountain bar or lefty or sway bar or seat, dont have a clue what real mountain ridding is all about. Hell yes i use the bar and its almost always when you cant carry speed over some type of terrain condition. Same with the lefty. I think taking the bar off is for the ricky racer type that rides the big bowls in bottomless powder and no slow trasitions. Real mountain riders arent always going mach 3 while they carve up over and around a wind drifted ridge with 200' vertical drops into the abyss below.

 

[sledneck_03]

mine hold my helmet when parked, i turn my helmet side ways and drop it down on it, holds it great hahaha.


i cant see a use for it unless you have a lefty throttle, like if your right handed you side hill better on you right side and this is where you would use it. Its useless on your left side. I really think it was designed for when sleds had low bars for when your sleds on its side and you would pitch yourself down the hill if you had to lean the extra distance to grab your lower grip.

 

[mike taylor]

I use Mine for for Testing my tec-vest.
It seems I tend to lean forward and put my chest against it.
Which is OK,till the sudden stop !
I rarely use it to ride, but i use it as chest bumper.
Once I used it as a pommel horse handle, as i flew over the windshield I did get
one hand on it. Did a full flip with a twist. but did not stick the landing.

 

[coolx2]

I call mine the belly buster. It slows me down when I get tossed over the bars and my belly catches it.

 

[Rick!]

Use #1 for me:

Use #2 is when I need to roll the sled to get it unstuck. I like grabbing it so I don't pull on the controls. It is nice if you have someone helping you it gives you an extra "handle" to pull the sled over with.

In the early part of the season, it IS the way to get a Pro "un-detained".

If you like a mountain bar, keep it. If you like a lefty, keep it. If you like your sway bar... well you see the theme here LOL.There seems to be a movment among some riders to try to impress other riders by saying, if you are a good rider you don't need these sled options. What's next... you shouldn't need a seat if you are a true mountain rider?? Regardless, keep them if you like them and don't worry about what others say. JMHO

Slow off camber RH sidehills, getting out of the top of Sheep Basin, pushing back a bit on long slow boring off camber downhills, and other assorted maneuvers where vertically challenged riders find it useful.

 

[Slick]

Not really necessary for most mountain riding on the new sleds but there always seems to be a use for it once in a while. Leave it on, good for leverage in some stuck situations, good sometimes for really low speed sidehilling, great for handlebar bag. Don't use it much but handy when u need it. Got thru the old metal D handle bar days, and Cats first attempts so i think we can handle the new semi rigid bars (that new cat one looks strange tho). Each to his own, I keep seeing (and hearing) all these pro type MOUNTAIN riders who , never carry gas thats stupid,.....take off the windshield first thing, not needed.......have no need for any seat storage or otherwise,........no backpack,too restrictive.........have no nedd for a track longer than 146, too tough to turn........need a bar riser about 40 inches high, ........and can ride all day and only use 1/2 a tank of fuel. I suggest these are not the traits that define a mountain sled or rider.
But...I know, Different strokes for different folks. We all enjoy ourselves some maybe a bit more prepared for the situations we have seen develop, some maybe not quite as aware or experienced as to what can happen when you get a good distance from the truck.
Me, I want the things that are gonna make my mountain experience more enjoyable and safe, even if they add a few pounds.

 

[Snodawg]

Helmet Holder!!!

 

[St0rm77]

when doubling side by side is when i use the bar.

 

[tbeaton]

i hold on to mine when i start my sled. other than that it likes to hit me in the chin if i'm sitting down.

 

[06IQRMK]

mountain bar

I do have a mountain bar and it has just been recently installed. It does have many uses. I find myself grabbing at it when im desperately hoping to grip a single finger to catch my sled when im falling off. It is nice to have when your sled is on its side, i hate grabbing the controls to pull.
I also found that one of the biggest uses it gets on my sled so far this season is when im "garage riding" my sled and practicing for that once in a lifetime backflip opportunity i would never take anyway... I will say that since going ... "Pro" I have used it a couple times mostly when going into a slow uphill turn from pointing downhill. Might not be correct technique, but i cant resist the grab at it once in awhile...

I also say, do what you like, if you have it put it on, if you find yourself not using it or it gets in the way. simply take it off.

 

[kinghillrmk]

Ditto for use to hold your helmet.

 

[enis750]

I dont use it a ton, but it serves a purpose every now and then

 

[Trenchmaster]

I use it in some situations, also have a lefty, apparently I suck at this!!! I usually get where I want to go, but I'm old and more interested in whats easy than trying to impress others with my super skills.

 

[WingNutRacing]

Hmm

Who still uses ducttape?

 

[Escmanaze]

goggle bag

For the life of me I can't figure out why the manufacturers keep putting them on. How is a mountain bar, that 80% of us don't use still standard equipment, but a goggle bag that 80% of us buy after the fact is not. The goggle bag should be standard equipment and the mtn bar should be the aftermarket accessory.