Favorite road bars? (prev. 3T ergosum, Enve SD)

[TronnyJenkins]

I'm looking for some new bars... trying to get my race machine fully dialed in for the remainder of this season. I've been using the 3T Ergosum 42 (really around 41 hoods and 43 at the drops) for two years, and they're OK. Just OK. I had some ulnar nerve numbness late last year, but it was probably my fault. Still thought it worth mentioning.
Fast forward to this year, bought a pre-upgraded bike that had full Enve cockpit. The bars are the standard bend in 44 (46 in drops) which just feels too wide to me. Also, I'm not blown away by any aspect of them, but it may be that I can't get over the width.

I guess I'm just wondering if anyone has some serious LOVE for some bars and wants to let me know??

Found this list (https://roadcyclinguk.com/gear/six-of-the-best-road-bike-handlebar-upgrades.html#uwIGBfVOmJRpdAxL.97), and some look decent.

Appreciate any info or tips.

[colker]

cinelli giro ditalia or deda shallow drop.

[sales guy]

I'm a big fan of the Deda Zero 100 bar. We used it for the shape of the Thomson road bars when I worked there. Nice clean easy to transfer shape.

[saab2000]

Deda shallow with Campagnolo. Deda Zero 100 with Shimano, though the 3T Ergonova are a close second. I like the flared geometry on the Ergonova.

[nooneline]

I used to be all about classic bend bars.
Never liked compact bend bars myself.
I had a few modern round-bends, like the Pro Vibe 7S Round, that I really liked.
But the Ritchey Neoclassics are definitely the ones for me.

[Gummee]

Bars are like underwear: everyone likes a different pair.

I like the flat tops of the Ergonovas, but the extension is pretty short, so you may need a longer stem. Have a few pairs of AL Ergonovas and 1 pair of carbon Ergonova Teams.

HTH

M

[sandyrs]

Haha "the rest of this season" as I watch a blizzard come down from the rollers.

[TronnyJenkins]

Haha "the rest of this season" as I watch a blizzard come down from the rollers.

Lol. Yes, sorry about that. The season started here in TX a month ago, but mostly ends in May aside from crits.
...I got sunburned yesterday :o

[mktng]

Really like the Ergonova 3T bars

Recently picked up some Zipp Service Course ( 70-Ergo) bars.
Has flat tops like the ergonova, but its not as beefy...which is actually nice.
Also helps that they are almost half the price of 3T's Ergonova

http://www.zipp.com/bars/service-course-70-ergo/

[John H.]

I love the Enve compact bars (not the standard bar).
Just gotta get the correct size.

[Kirk007]

FSA Omega or the more spendy FSA carbon bar with the same shallow drop and more importantly bend/shape. FSA's short and shallow shape on these has a slight flare to the end of the drops and the drops are a tad longer than many bars. While they look almost the same as the Ritchey classic and the Deda rhm they are a little different particularly in flare and length. They may not be fancy but for me they just work. If you have big hands then then Deda 35s are pretty nice too but you have to spring for the Deda or Parlee 35 stem.

[Black Dog]

Deda RMH-02. Cheap, Al, and strong. Perfect shape for a flat transition with 11 speed campy shifters.

https://images.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wigglestatic.com%2Fimages%2Fde da-rhm02-blk-zoom.jpg&f=1

[zap]

I'm a big fan of the Deda Zero 100 bar. We used it for the shape of the Thomson road bars when I worked there. Nice clean easy to transfer shape.

I really like the Thomson road bars with Campy 11 hoods.

[teleguy57]

I'm a big fan of the Deda Zero 100 bar. We used it for the shape of the Thomson road bars when I worked there. Nice clean easy to transfer shape.

Ah, that explains some of your intimate knowledge of the new Thomson alloy bars :beer:

I really like the Thomson road bars with Campy 11 hoods.

This.

[bmeryman]

Zipp Contour SL. I love everything about the shape; wicked comfortable in every position. Plus they're light! I had a pair that I let go on a bike I sold. Just bought a new pair to replace them. They're one of the few components that I don't mind spending the extra money on.

[carpediemracing]

I used to use only crit bend bars. On all other bars my forearms would hit the top edge of the bars when out of saddle. I am particular about the drops, hate the ergo bend, even dislike some deep drop rounded bars. So for me it was Cinelli 65, 3ttt Gimondi, or Mavic 315 bars for literally 25? years.

Then a few kindred spirits pointed me to the FSA Compact bars (Wing Compact to be exact). Did a few "grab the bars" or "roll around on a bike in a parking lot" things and decided to give it a shot. Got a set.

Loved it so much I got the stupid stem so the drops would be in the same place as my 3ttt Gimondis, which have 3 cm more drop than the FSAs.

Love it so much I got a second bar and am going to get a second stem for my second bike. Already got the levers for the second bike, now have to order the stem.

[martinez]

+1 on the FSA omegas for 31.8 bars.
the bars are just perfect and I like the flare too. I've had ergonovas and ergosums which I both didn't care for after awhile of riding. Omegas are cheap but feel super comfy for me

FSA Omega or the more spendy FSA carbon bar with the same shallow drop and more importantly bend/shape. FSA's short and shallow shape on these has a slight flare to the end of the drops and the drops are a tad longer than many bars. While they look almost the same as the Ritchey classic and the Deda rhm they are a little different particularly in flare and length. They may not be fancy but for me they just work. If you have big hands then then Deda 35s are pretty nice too but you have to spring for the Deda or Parlee 35 stem.

[MagicHour]

Ritchey neoclassic and Deda RHM02 on my 2 bikes w Ultegra and 105 levers. Very happy with both.

[TronnyJenkins]

Bars are like underwear: everyone likes a different pair.

HTH

M

That's kinda what I figured, I guess. It is helpful to at least see some decent candidates and then I can compare shape, reach, drop, etc. I figured there had to be more than the six on the list I found :beer:

[TronnyJenkins]

I used to use only crit bend bars. On all other bars my forearms would hit the top edge of the bars when out of saddle. I am particular about the drops, hate the ergo bend, even dislike some deep drop rounded bars. So for me it was Cinelli 65, 3ttt Gimondi, or Mavic 315 bars for literally 25? years.

Then a few kindred spirits pointed me to the FSA Compact bars (Wing Compact to be exact). Did a few "grab the bars" or "roll around on a bike in a parking lot" things and decided to give it a shot. Got a set.

Loved it so much I got the stupid stem so the drops would be in the same place as my 3ttt Gimondis, which have 3 cm more drop than the FSAs.

Love it so much I got a second bar and am going to get a second stem for my second bike. Already got the levers for the second bike, now have to order the stem.

What kind of stem did you have to get? -17?

[TronnyJenkins]

So here is my starter list. I will compare specs to the bars I currently have.
I should have mentioned that I have DA 9000 shifters.

3T Ergonova
Deda RHM02
Deda shallow drop
Deda Zero 100
Enve compact (in correct size)
FSA Omega
FSA Wing compact
Ritchey Neoclassic
Thomson road bar
Zipp Service Course 70 ergo
Zipp Contour SL

[carpediemracing]

What kind of stem did you have to get? -17?

I started at -17/12cm with the regular crit bars (11 cm reach, 15 cm drop).

With compact bars I had just 8 cm reach and 12 cm drop (other bars have even less reach and drop). I had to go to a -32/14.5cm, custom stem. The stem added 3 cm drop and 2.5 cm reach. I have some aversion to specifying a 150mm stem due to problems in the past with 15 cm stems and steering at lower speeds, seems to be over some cusp for me. On the other hand I've used 14.5 cm stems fine. Therefore I stayed at 14.5 cm and decided to give up 0.5 cm reach.

[sparky33]

I had a few modern round-bends, like the Pro Vibe 7S Round, that I really liked.

I've been looking for a medium bar with that shape. Thanks!

[TronnyJenkins]

I started at -17/12cm with the regular crit bars (11 cm reach, 15 cm drop).

With compact bars I had just 8 cm reach and 12 cm drop (other bars have even less reach and drop). I had to go to a -32/14.5cm, custom stem. The stem added 3 cm drop and 2.5 cm reach. I have some aversion to specifying a 150mm stem due to problems in the past with 15 cm stems and steering at lower speeds, seems to be over some cusp for me. On the other hand I've used 14.5 cm stems fine. Therefore I stayed at 14.5 cm and decided to give up 0.5 cm reach.

Wow, that's a wild sounding stem for sure!
Must see pic... Haha.

[TronnyJenkins]

After comparing back and forth for an hour here, I have decided to try the Zipp SL-80. The SL-70 was appealing, but I didn't want to lose a full 19mm of reach from my recent Ergosum (or 15mm from the Enve's). I also like the idea of the nice, flat hood transition.

Worst case scenario, I hate them and order some others on the list!

[thegunner]

I'm a big fan of the Deda Zero 100 bar. We used it for the shape of the Thomson road bars when I worked there. Nice clean easy to transfer shape.

+1 you get a nice flat top transition with a fairly shallow drop / short reach with this one. it's similar to the fizik bull if that's your jam.

[sales guy]

+1 you get a nice flat top transition with a fairly shallow drop / short reach with this one. it's similar to the fizik bull if that's your jam.

Agreed! It's an excellent shape. Even the side are nice. They fit the palm of your hands nicely.

[joosttx]

Fizik Cyrano R1 bar-Bull. If you want to get spendy then go for the 00

[homagesilkhope]

I'm a big fan of the Deda Zero 100 bar.

Note that Deda nomenclature is/has become confusing in recent years. Deda Zero100 handlebars are currently available in three shapes: RHM (compact), Shallow (classic round) and Deep (classic round). Newtons seem a holdover at this point and are available in Deda's Anatomic (ergo) shape only.

Plus there's Deda's outside-outside width measurement to keep in mind.

[thegunner]

Note that Deda nomenclature is/has become confusing in recent years. Deda Zero100 handlebars are currently available in three shapes: RHM (compact), Shallow (classic round) and Deep (classic round). Newtons seem a holdover at this point and are available in Deda's Anatomic (ergo) shape only.

Plus there's Deda's outside-outside width measurement to keep in mind.

deda moved to CTC at the tops i thought (recently). my 2015 zero100 RHM's are definitely measured "the normal way"

[sales guy]

Note that Deda nomenclature is/has become confusing in recent years. Deda Zero100 handlebars are currently available in three shapes: RHM (compact), Shallow (classic round) and Deep (classic round). Newtons seem a holdover at this point and are available in Deda's Anatomic (ergo) shape only.

Plus there's Deda's outside-outside width measurement to keep in mind.


RHM is what we used for the Thomson bars.

[Look595]

3T Tornova i am using and love it alot, especially the drop is more of a classic bend which get me low enough

[carpediemracing]

Wow, that's a wild sounding stem for sure!
Must see pic... Haha.

What I didn't remember and what I realized again today is just how comfortable my bike is on the drops. I threw out my back Saturday? with the big snow and have been unable to do much of anything for the weekend and today. I happened to get sick as well, last Wed or Thu, to the point I left work early on Fri (worked 3 hours Wed, off Thu). So to try and get myself to sweat, to circulate some blood, etc, I got on the bike/trainer today. Gingerly walked downstairs, grasping handrail for support, carefully changed (I can't lean over halfway so I hold the shorts by the bibs and fish my feet through the leg openings), got my shoes on (sitting on toolbox is okay). Back twinging the whole time, threatening to give, which results in my legs basically losing 100% strength and I just collapse.

Then got on my bike. Immediately had zero pain, felt great to move my legs, felt great to pedal. Ramped it up pretty quickly, had to stop because the Missus called to let me know she was picking up Junior at daycare with a close-to-103 fever. After dinner and some time with Junior I went back down and rode another 40 min or so. Zero pain, zero stress on back, if I could sleep on the bike I would.

It is literally less comfortable for me to lay in bed than it is for me to be on the bike.

This is a picture of the bike as it is now, with ISM saddle. Taken June 2016.

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c0lZp-NXLJU/WHcSAdpE2dI/AAAAAAAAJeo/-TbsI463Nk4te7SgM_aQFEpFM2hBRIN_gCLcB/s800/0607161858a.jpg

[beeatnik]

deda moved to CTC at the tops i thought (recently). my 2015 zero100 RHM's are definitely measured "the normal way"

2016 Zero100 Outside to Outside
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2687/32766647071_8cb36cb7db_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2946/32890517505_ff91953ae4_b.jpg

[thegunner]

good to know :) i've been stocking up on deda bars. keep me from buying something that doesn't fit... or at least ask for a measurement.

[bpiecuch]

2nd vote for the Pro Vibe 7s Compact bar. I currently use them on both my road bikes. They're plenty stiff for an aluminum bar, and the transition to the brake hoods are pretty flat. The bar is 31.8 across the entire top as well, so it tends to be a little easier on my hands over long rides.

They happen to be on-sale all over the internets right now as well! (I should probably take my own advice and pick up another pair.)

[TronnyJenkins]

May be changing my mind. Didn't order the Zipps yet. That new 2017 Pro Vibe alloy looks pretty sweet with the internal cabling, so trying to track some down.

Side note: I'm also making a mini database including pertinent info on multiple drop bars. I'll post it when it's finished. Had a day off, so... Ha.

[OtayBW]

Modolo Curvissima. No longer made, but a great bar.