To bring the highest level of performance to the 1 1/8” bar format, Easton selected our proprietary EA 50 alloy, a different material than our 1 3/8” EXP designs. And here’s why: in order to provide comparable performance, a smallerdiameter bar needs a more rigid material than a larger-diameter one. So one secret of building stiffer, stronger, lighter bars (of any size) lies in selecting the right material and optimizing its mechanical properties to deliver the best performance for each design. For the oversize EXP, that ideal combination of material properties is found in our proprietary EA70 material. It’s more than three times as strong as CrMo steel; more than double the strength-forweightof the 6061 aluminum used in competitors’ 1 1/8” bars. And our EA 50 alloy has even higher specific modulus (stiffness for weight), making it the ideal material for the 1 1/8” bar size.So why not use EA 50 for both? Because at the larger 1 3/8” diameter, the stiffness of EA 50 actually starts to work against itself. But when used in the smaller (and therefore, less rigid) 1 1/8” size, that same added measure of stiffness turns out to be a good thing.
And one final question: why don’t other brands use EA 50 or EA 70 materials in their bars to make them lighter, stiffer, and stronger? Because they’re not Easton.
