Wilde Moto Cruiser Bar — 830 mm Chromoly Riser, 90 mm Rise

Wilde Moto Cruiser Bar — 830 mm of butted chromoly, and an end to riding hunched over

Older bikes were drawn around low stack heights and racing postures, which made sense at the time and makes rather less sense now. This is Wilde's answer: a tall, wide, deeply swept steel riser that lifts your hands where they belong, opens the chest, and turns a bike you already own into something you want to ride for another hour.

It is the companion bar to the Moto Cruiser — a little taller than Wilde's Cardinal bar, with the same back sweep and up sweep, because Wilde consider that combination settled. In practice it gives a heads-up position for city riding, where seeing over traffic matters more than aerodynamics, and a great deal of leverage on the trail, where 830 mm of width does exactly what wide bars are supposed to do.

The geometry, and why it works

Ninety millimetres of rise is a lot. Fifteen degrees of back sweep is more than most riser bars offer, and it is the figure that keeps your wrists neutral rather than cranked outward at the end of a long day. Seven degrees of up sweep does the same job in the other plane. Together they produce a hand position that feels obvious the moment you sit on it — which is the point, and the reason Wilde use the same numbers across their bar range.

Two finishes

Black is an ED finish — electro-deposit, the same corrosion-resistant coating used on the Moto Cruiser frame, applied as the visible surface rather than under paint. It is matte, hard-wearing, and disappears onto almost any bike. Chrome is chrome: brighter, more period-correct, and the obvious choice on a klunker or a polished build.

Before you order: clamp diameter and stem choice

Two things to get right, and both matter.

The clamp is 22.2 mm, the old standard. If your stem is 25.4, 26.0 or 31.8 mm, you will need shims. They are inexpensive and widely available, but you need them — this is not a bar that fits a modern stem without help.

And use a stem with at least four faceplate bolts. A bar this wide generates real leverage, and a two-bolt faceplate risks the bar rotating in the clamp under load. Wilde are explicit about this and so are we: it is a safety point, not a preference.

Specifications

• Material: 100% butted 4130 chromoly steel
• Width: 830 mm
• Rise: 90 mm
• Back sweep: 15 degrees
• Up sweep: 7 degrees
• Clamp diameter: 22.2 mm
• Finishes: black ED (electro-deposit) or chrome
• Minimum stem requirement: four-bolt faceplate
• Country of manufacture: Taiwan
• Warranty: Wilde Bicycle Co. manufacturer warranty against defects in materials and workmanship

The bike it was drawn for

This is the bar supplied with the Wilde Moto Cruiser frameset bundle, sold separately here for anyone fitting one to an existing bike — an old rigid mountain bike, a klunker build, a commuter that has always sat you too low, or a second Moto Cruiser in the other finish.

Frequently asked questions

Will 830 mm be too wide for me?
It is wide, and on a city bike threading between bollards you will notice. The bar can be cut down — chromoly cuts cleanly with a pipe cutter or a fine hacksaw and a file — but take off no more than you must, since the sweep means the ends curve back toward you and every millimetre removed changes the hand position. Ride it full width first. Most people keep it.

What shim do I need for my stem?
A 22.2 to 25.4 mm shim for older quill and threadless stems, 22.2 to 31.8 mm for most modern ones. Tell us your stem and we will supply the right shim with the bar so it arrives ready to fit.

Why does the stem need four bolts?
Because leverage. A bar this wide with this much rise multiplies the force at the clamp, and a two-bolt faceplate can allow the bar to rotate downward under a hard pull or a heavy landing. Four bolts distribute the clamping force properly. If your current stem has two, replace it before fitting these.

Will my grips and controls fit?
Yes. The grip sections are standard 22.2 mm, so any grips, shifters, brake levers and bar-end mirrors made for flat or riser bars fit normally. Only the central clamp area is the concern, and that is what the shim solves.

Why does chrome cost more than black?
Because it costs more to plate. Chrome is a wet process with more steps and more rejects than an ED dip, and that shows up in what we pay for the bar. We pass the difference through rather than averaging it across both finishes, so black stays at its own price instead of subsidising chrome. Choose on how you want the bike to look, not on the gap between the two.

Black or chrome?
Black ED is the quieter choice and hides scuffs; it is also the finish supplied on the Moto Cruiser bundle, so it is the one to pick if you want a second bar that matches. Chrome catches light and belongs on a polished or period build, where a black bar would look like a modern part on an old bicycle.

Can you fit them for me?
Yes. Our workshop at L'Hirondelle Bike Shop in Meppel fits bars, shims and stems, re-routes cables and hoses for the extra rise, and sets the roll angle properly on a stand — which is worth more than it sounds on a bar with this much sweep. Bring the bike in and we will get the position right in one go.