One of the great things about mountain biking is that you can imitate your heroes. Not in terms of riding ability but gear.
The best mountain bikers ride everything that is commercially available to all riders. And that means you can pretend, at best, to be Greg Minnaar if you like, which I do. And I did.
I will never have even a tenth of Greg Minnaar’s riding skill, but I decided to ride the same handlebar brand to see if it made a difference. At least that was my excuse for a self-gifted Christmas cycling upgrade. I guess it's the same logic of pro athlete imitation you experience in tennis or golf, with specific clubs or rackets.