Carbon bars

[steveoz]

Are carbon bars (drop bars) worth the hype they get ? (reduced fatigue, vibration absorption, cosmic realignment of the ethereal plane etc...) or are they a faceplant into the asphalt just waiting to happen?

[R3awak3n]

I like em and its all I have on all my bikes. Reason is not the material or the magical abilities of it (I don't know, alloy bars were just fine, I actually believe more in carbon seatposts than handlebars) but I like carbon bars because you can shape em a way that you can't do with alloy, I love flat tops and have a set of bars that has crazy flare but the shifters stay perfectly straight, not possible with alloy.

oh, and imo they are as safe as any other bar material

[tomato coupe]

I like em and its all I have on all my bikes. Reason is not the material or the magical abilities of it (I don't know, alloy bars were just fine, I actually believe more in carbon seatposts than handlebars) but I like carbon bars because you can shape em a way that you can't do with alloy, I love flat tops and have a set of bars that has crazy flare but the shifters stay perfectly straight, not possible with alloy.
Same here ...

[joosttx]

I think they are better. Its hard going back to aluminum once riding with carbon bars. There is no problem going to carbon bars coming from aluminum. I would venture to say 60% of cyclists would appreciate them.

[Blue Jays]

My bicycles are pretty equally split between aluminum and carbon fiber handlebars.
In my experience one-piece bar/stem combos are very sweet if you find one you like.

[chismog]

Are carbon bars (drop bars) worth the hype they get ? (reduced fatigue, vibration absorption, cosmic realignment of the ethereal plane etc...) or are they a faceplant into the asphalt just waiting to happen?

No, and no.

Tried a few sets, couldn't tell any diffference to my aluminum bars except price. They weren't lighter or more absorbing.

As others said, find the shape you like. If it's only offered in carbon, there ya go. If it happens to be aluminum, well, there ya (also) go. Won't cost you a Tour win either way.
:rolleyes:

[R3awak3n]

Dunno what carbon bars you have but carbon bars are definitely lighter, not saying that matters but its a fact.

[Mike Bryant]

I use both. I do appreciate the flatter tops on carbon bars, and I seem to feel a little more vibration reduction in the drops. But the premium price for carbon has me on aluminum bars for some of my cheaper bikes too. One of the things I like most about the carbon bars is that they are immune to sweat. I just don’t worry about my sweat soaked bar tape eating away at the carbon bar over time. I’ve never had an aluminum bar fail, but have been a little surprised at how sweat can start eating away the aluminum where the finish has been scratched a bit, usually at the mounting bands for the “brifters”. When replacing cables or tape, if I see any aluminum oxidation there, those bars are done for.


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[R3awak3n]

you would be surprised, I recently found out that sweat can corrode the clear coat on carbon bars which is not a good thing

[Mike Bryant]

you would be surprised, I recently found out that sweat can corrode the clear coat on carbon bars which is not a good thing


Maybe so, but I haven’t seen it.
For carbon I’m more concerned with proper clamping torque. Thus, torque wrench used on the fasteners for those bars.


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[mdeth1313]

I'll go back to aluminum bars as soon as they come up with some that weigh between 134 grams (my darimo bars) and 175 g (my "cheap" haero bars) that are reliable.

[vincenz]

I think it's worth to try if you've never had one before. Get a deal on a good used one and give it a whirl. The ones I've had are slightly less stiff in the drops, but other than that, any improvement in ride quality over alu is lost in the noise.

I would just be more careful handling bikes with carbon bars.

[martl]

You are more likely to feel a ride quality improvement (aka "comfort") from good handlebars than you would ever from a different frame. With CFK the designer, if he knows his trade, can get any stiffness or flexibility he wants. The shape argument is valid, too.
I personally shy away from fixed stem/bar combos because I want to be able to fine tune the angle, but that's just my personal preference. Downsides I only see the higher sensitivity on mounting errors and the fact that you never know how close it is to cracking after a crash or a transport mishap (but that is true about alloy bars as well)

[Dave]

Easton EC-90 bars in 38cm width are very light and very strong. My first choice for many years. The shape of the hooks has been changed over the years.

My latest bars came in at 180 grams, with a little cut off the ends, that I thought were too long. I don't buy them for the weight. Even weighing 135, I could lose more. I'm not anywhere near pro level skinny. If you're not skinny, then counting grams is kind of silly.

[RoosterCogset]

Dunno what carbon bars you have but carbon bars are definitely lighter, not saying that matters but its a fact.

It's true now. Evidently ever since some standards body decided to change what was safe for alloy bars (~10yrs ago?) and they all got heavier.

I used to (probably still stuck in a closet somewhere) have some 3T Zepp XL bars.. 200 grams and these were far from being compact.

[Hilltopperny]

I like carbon my carbon bars. I am using them on all but my mid 90's steel bike with a quill stem. They seem to give me a bit less fatigue and having flat tops with a little flare on my gravel bike is a good thing IMO.

[martl]

Easton EC-90 bars in 38cm width are very light and very strong. My first choice for many years. The shape of the hooks has been changed over the years.

Easton will be around 200g, Ritchey cf 240ish (and.the same weight as an alloy Syntace race light). A Schmolke cf goes down to 130g. 100+ g savings for one part is a statement for weight weenies

[steveoz]

Well weight isn't an issue. At my weight grams are irrelevant- the truth is I picked up a cool retro Serotta that had some wonky things about it (threadless stem extender, SPD pedals, Campy drivetrain..ugh..) I had all intentions of stripping it to the frame fork and rebuilding it (Nitto quill, Soma bars, SPDL pedals, SHIMANO!) - buuut I started riding it and found it to be really sweet! It was one of those bikes that you finish a ride and think -dang that rides nice! Aaannd it turns out it has Easton carbon bars which I didn't even figure out until after the second or third ride...and I've never ridden carbon bars - so I'm trying to decide if the nice ride quality is just because it's a nice frame or actually a benefit from the bars?

[Elefantino]

Have only one set ... carbon riser bars on the Look.

Love the flat tops. Are they better than the Ritcheys they replaced? Feel-wise, yes.

[vincenz]

Well weight isn't an issue. At my weight grams are irrelevant- the truth is I picked up a cool retro Serotta that had some wonky things about it (threadless stem extender, SPD pedals, Campy drivetrain..ugh..) I had all intentions of stripping it to the frame fork and rebuilding it (Nitto quill, Soma bars, SPDL pedals, SHIMANO!) - buuut I started riding it and found it to be really sweet! It was one of those bikes that you finish a ride and think -dang that rides nice! Aaannd it turns out it has Easton carbon bars which I didn't even figure out until after the second or third ride...and I've never ridden carbon bars - so I'm trying to decide if the nice ride quality is just because it's a nice frame or actually a benefit from the bars?


Nice ride quality because it’s a Serotta and not the bars.. As to wonkiness, brake levers that flop left and right is pretty wonky to me. ShimaNO

[mokofoko]

Well weight isn't an issue. At my weight grams are irrelevant- the truth is I picked up a cool retro Serotta that had some wonky things about it (threadless stem extender, SPD pedals, Campy drivetrain..ugh..) I had all intentions of stripping it to the frame fork and rebuilding it (Nitto quill, Soma bars, SPDL pedals, SHIMANO!) - buuut I started riding it and found it to be really sweet! It was one of those bikes that you finish a ride and think -dang that rides nice! Aaannd it turns out it has Easton carbon bars which I didn't even figure out until after the second or third ride...and I've never ridden carbon bars - so I'm trying to decide if the nice ride quality is just because it's a nice frame or actually a benefit from the bars?

A combination I'm sure. The difference between riding AL and carbon bars has been pretty naunced IMO, testing on similar setups with shimano drivetrains. I used to be a Shimano-only rider, but after riding campy recently, I've really come to appreciate the setup.

I've got some vintage easton carbon bars I ride as well, and they do ride rather nice. My hands really appreciate the difference when riding on torn-up roads.

[chismog]

I guess? Carbon FSA K force=230g, Carbon Ritchey EvoCurve SL=220g, Al Ritchey WCS=240g. All of these sets are 10 years old, but high quality name-brand bars. Maybe there's some new stuff that's much lighter?

I bought 'em, used 'em, couldn't tell any difference other than the shape and the wallet dent. I guess YMMV, but tires, pressure, and bar tape make a bigger difference to ride quality on my bike than bar material does.



Dunno what carbon bars you have but carbon bars are definitely lighter, not saying that matters but its a fact.

[jischr]

Changing from AL to C on my AL frame / carbon fork bike was noticeable in vibration reduction. Changing from AL to C on my carbon frame/fork bike was not. If you equate minor vibration as road feel you may find the bike a bit dead feeling.

[cgates66]

Personally, I don't notice much difference in vibration etc., but I try to run fairly stiff bars (Easton EC90 Aero now - which are fairly rigid). Fun note on the Easton bars, at least - they don't have a recommended clamping torque - just says to use the stem manufacturers recommendation.

[Dino Suegiù]

One minor difference at least ime is that carbon bars seem to transmit less cold or heat (if the bicycle has been sitting in the sun) than alu bars if one is riding glove-less.

I cannot say that my various c-f bars are definably more comfortable or more stiff than my alu bars, whether 26.0mm or 31.8mm, but I do like the c-f, mainly just "because".

[Onno]

I have the Easton EC90 on my main bike, and I'm pretty sure it's the main reason I find that bike so comfortable--i.e. the flat top, which is much friendlier to the hands than a round bar. I find it very hard now to ride a bike with round bars for more than 90 minutes or so.

[Ozz]

I've got carbon EC90 Equipes on my Legend and aluminum Deda 215s on my CSI....both work fine. Both have round tops....the Deda have an anatomic bend in the drops and the Eastons are round (non ergo?).

I would be hard pressed to attribute any "ride quality" differences to the bars. Both seem to work equally fine.....