Syncros is to Scott what Bontrager is to Trek: A factory brand for different accessories and parts. What makes them exceptional is that they show actually new designs and investment in R&D. One of these products is their line-up of integrated carbon handlebar + stem combos, which covers different models from XC to Enduro, and are usually specified in the top-of-the-line models from Scott. Light weight, stiff and funky looks: Do Syncros deliver?
The nomenclature is quite easy to understand: Hixon is the All Mountain line and Fraser the XC line of bars. IC stands for "Integrated cockpit". The Hixon is available in 2 widths: 780mm and 800mm, and 2 rise options: 15mm and 20mm. They offer something called a "virtual stem", which means that despite the bar curving more or less directly out from the head tube, the bar is placed so that it equals, say, 50mm in stem length. My bar is the Hixon IC SL 780mm with a 50mm "stem", that I have cut down to 760mm width based on personal preference for bar width.
Construction
The bar is constructed entirely of carbon, with only a small metal insert for the screws that attached it to the steerer tube. It comes with its own top cap and a set of specially shaped spacers, neither of which are required for proper use. The spacers include a new headset top cap, but it's not sealed and made of plastic so I opted not to use it. If you don't use it, the special spacers look out of place so I decided to use a normal carbon spacer in their place.
The finish is very subdued black with only a hint of the weave visible and SYNCROS printed in black on the front of the bar, and the type HIXON IC SL in small letters on top to the left of the stem. The areas where your brake and shift levers sit are nicely textured so that carbon gripper is not required when fitting the controls or your grips
The bars are only available with a 6° upsweep and 9° back sweep. The SL comes in 15mm rise and the 1.0 with 20mm rise. Hixons are only available for 1 1/8" or 28.6mm steerers and come in 40, 50 and 60mm stem lengths, which you need to specify when ordering.
The interface to the steerer seems to be a bit tight and required some force to get on, but everything fit well in the end and the bar was extremely easy to install as there is no centering or rotating your bars required. Making the bar sit straight with your fork is another story and somewhat challenging due to the special shape, so if you're super picky about having the bars perfectly square with the wheel and fork, be prepared to spend some time adjusting.
On the trail
The first thing that comes to mind when looking at a set of bars with an integrated stem is that they are super stiff. This is luckily not the case with the Hixons! They are definitely stiff, but in a precise kind of way that is difficult to describe without trying them for yourself. They seem to dampen vibrations really well despite excellent and very apparent fore-aft stiffness. The OneUp handlebars actually feel quite similar.The "funky" aspect of the shape of these bars is that when you look down you can see your headtube badge!
Conclusion
Definitely not cheap at around 260-300€, but once you compare them to a carbon bar + high quality stem combination the price isn't all that bad. The only issue is that since there is 0 possibility to adjust the rotation, you need to be sure the supplied fit is right for you. The bars feel nothing short of amazing on the trail and the weight saving vs. the lightest normal bar and stem combination of similar proportions is a good 100g or so.Finish: 4/5 - The finish is nice, but perhaps a tad plain?
Fit: 3/5 - This is subjective as there is no room for adjustment
Function: 5/5 - Very nice feel and they dampen vibrations well
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