I have to admit that when I first saw Spank years ago I had a preconceived notion that was less than desirable. I thought they were just cheap catalog parts, maybe it was all the colours or the silly name that put me off at first but after I did some research it turns out I could not be more wrong.
Spank Industries puts a lot of thought and time into making sure they are on the leading edge and not only have a great looking product but one that is light and affordable.When I started putting together some of the brands I wanted to review Spank was one of the first I contacted. After a few emails back and forth they sent me the Spike 777FR Bearclaw Handlebars and Spike Race 35mm stem. I would like to thank Mike over at Spank for taking a gamble on a new and unproven site like TMTBL and sending us these sexy products to thrash over the next few months.

It was a glorious day when they arrived at my doorstep, the first bits for my new build. Damn exciting if I don’t say so myself.

When I first took the wrapping off I could not imagine there was a bar and stem in there, but what I did see was the awesome box that the Spike 777FR Bearclaw Signature Handlebars came in, wow…fancy. I am not one for superfluous packaging, but when done right and offers the product protection but also makes it easy to get in and touch it without going over the top…well then I am sold, and these guys really did a good job.

As I took the bars out of the box I noticed that they slipped the stem in the box as well…good job Spank, I can’t count the times when I have seen companies use two packages to send out products like this, that is just wasteful. It’s the little stuff like this that I really notice, thank you.

Oh yeah, I was talking about the bars. I picked the Bearclaw bars not because I think I need the extra strength that these bars provide as there is no way I would ever put the stress on bars that Darren would, but I am a bigger dude and I like to make sure I am safe and I live on the same island as he does and I like to support the local guys. Taking them out of the packaging really took me by surprise, these thing are beautiful, the shot peened finish and the shiny black are quite striking.

Sure, I think the Spike777 bars are pretty and that’s all I can really say about them, but that does not do all the work that Spank put into these justice. So here is some info on them directly from Spank:

“Spank’s new Dual XGT bars are designed using proprietary tooling which is specific to; conical diameter, rise and angle – CNC bent on three planes. Dual XGT technology enables extreme precision where bars would otherwise need to be hand-ground, resulting in imperfections and inconsistency in wall thickness. Due to the ever increasing demand for wider and lighter bars and more aggressive riding styles, Spank has developed the Dual Extreme Gradual Taper with Impact Ends. We have optimized the spread of material to counter high stress areas on the bars under extreme-use through FEA (Finite Element Analysis) and rigorous real-world testing. The Impact Ends reduce the chance of collapse in areas where the wall is thinner and in heavy impacts. These can also be used to support bar ends in the relevant disciplines.

Spank have also taken extra steps to ensure that the clamp area of the bar is uniformly cylindrical and as true as possible, improving bar-stem interface which is critical under extreme loads”

A lot of that is way over my head, but it sure does sound impressive. For me the true test will be if they hold up under my 260 pounds (at the time of this writing) of super hack riding.
The weight of this bar on my scale is 317 Grams, right on the money of where Spank advertises it, nice.

Here is the technical info for the Spank Spike 777FR Bearclaw Handlebars:

• MGR 2-Series Alloy
• Ø31.8mm
• Rise: 15 / 30mm
• Length: 777mm
• Geometry: 4°Up / 8°Back
• FR Dual XGT Tapers with Impact Ends
• Shotpeen Clamping Zones w Polished Accents
• Weight: from 310g to 320g
• Colours: Black/Sky Blue and Black/White
• Price: $89.00

Next out of the box is the Spank Spike Race stem. Have I told you that I am easily distracted by shiny things? No…well, let’s just say I spent more than what could be considered a healthy amount of time checking this bit of bike bling out.

This is the most shiny stem I have ever put on any of my bikes, also the shortest at 35mm. As I said with my Renthal Duo stem review, a stem is a stem and as long as you buy a quality product it should do it’s job, hopefully without any issues. Yes there are differences in construction and how they look, rise, stack height, and length, but a lot of that comes down to personal preference. This stem checks all the boxes for what I was looking for with this build, sexy, short and red!

It weighed in on my scale at 156g, again right in between their weights listed below along with the rest of the nitty gritty:

• 2D Forged Weight Optimized CNC Construction
• Bar Bore Ø31.8 / Rise 0º
• 55mm Wide Chamfered Bar Clamp
• 35mm Stack Height
• “Snap Fit” Sealed Topcap Included
• Length: 35mm / 50mm
• Weight: ±145g / ±160g
• Color: Polished Black / Red / Blue / Green
• Price: $69.90

Now that I have been able to touch some Spank products I really have to say they feel and look like pure quality. I can’t wait to bolt them to my new ride and thrash them and let you, our awesome readers know how they fare.

Till then, enjoy the ride!