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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Originally Posted by 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?

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.

[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]

Originally Posted by 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

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]

Originally Posted by R3awak3n

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.