Are carbon handlebars that much more comfortable?

jangle

I am planning on changing my handlebars to a compact design as I find it difficult to reach the brakes on the drops. Ignoring budget constraints for now, are carbon bars really that much more comfortable? I do find my hands start to go a bit numb after a while witht the vibration and would happily spend out if it means that I can eliminate that. Am currently looking at the carbon FSA K-Force atm so any experience of this would be appreciated.

Cheers

redddraggon

It's your tyre pressures that are causing the vibrations - a change in bar material won't do much.

jangle

My tire pressures aren't excessive though, at about 100-110psi. I used to have them at 120 but dropped them down to see if that would help. I have read a fair bit about carbon naturally asborb more vibration than alloy.

redddraggon

100-110psi is still rather high for the front. You need to reduce the front to around 80psi to start eliminating "road buzz".

GavH

I run both the front and rear at between 110-120 psi and have alloy bars and no problems whatsoever. Have you tried better gloves?

jangle

I haven't tried other gloves but the endura ones I have have a lot of padding and I also have phat bar tape with the gel inserts.

sward29

I've never used carbon bars but believe it is too simplistic to attribute all road buzz to tyre pressures. Whilsit a softer tyre will make the bike more comfortable you do not need to run your front tyre at 80psi, otherwise tyre manufacturers would list that as their recommended pressure. Frame and fork material, fork rake, and the rigidity of the wheels plays a very significant part in the amount of vibration transferred to the rider from the front end of the bike.

Whilst I'm sure that carbon bars may offer some advantage I would have concerns over their long term durability and the replacement cost after even a minor crash. If you want more comfort without paying a small fortune for good carbon bars then you could always try 26.0mm diameter aluminium bars or some decent bar tape with gel inserts.

jangle

Sward - why would 26mm bars be more comfortable? And how long do you mean by long term durability?

fnegroni

jangle wrote:

I haven't tried other gloves but the endura ones I have have a lot of padding and I also have phat bar tape with the gel inserts.

I have personally found too much padding to be the problem.

Infact I am thinking of replacing my Specialized BG Gel fingerless gloves for some unpadded ones.

I get less numbness with the Specialized Deflect long finger gloves

Also, the ulnar nerve padding I find is only relevant to me when riding MTB.

triboy222

I had a harsh front end on my CR1 with deep section Mavic Cosmics when road racing. I changed my alu bars for some carbon Eastons and it made a big difference in handlebar comfort. It was the only thing I changed and I was suprised how much difference it made.

keef66

I have taken Red Dragon's advice accidentally. ATM the only pump I have is a road morph which has a crude in-line pressure gauge, but I can't read the bloody thing without my reading glasses which I rarely remember to take out into the garage. As a consequence I don't check my tyre pressures as often as I should but instead give them a quick squeeze before every ride.

Last time I did check them I found they satisfied the squeeze test, but the gauge said they were down to 80psi. I pumped them up to 100psi front and 110 rear. Despite carbon forks and seatpost I thought I ws going to shake my fillings out, my hands went numb up to the elbows, and you don't want to know about the dangly bits.

Now I regularly run the tyres at 80 front and 90 rear, still not had a puncture, even when accidentally off-roading a couple of times, and all-day comfort has returned.

markmw

Some people will say they have no issues with thin bar tape and no gloves, and some still have problems padded up to the hilt, so personal preference is a factor. No-one seems to be suggesting carbon is more uncomfortable, so I think you can assume there is something in it. Is it really worth the difference in cost and risk associated with damage? Probably not.

That said I've got the K-Force compact on my new road bike and it feels great.

Perhaps consider getting the FSA Omega alloy compact which by all accounts is a great bar and cheap as chips, and put some decept tape on it. If you still have a problem, you won't lose a lot selling on the bar if you want to go carbon instead.

Btw - if you go for one of the FSA compacts, watch out for the outward bends of the drops. I have the K force in 42cm c-c (which is 2 degree bend) and the wing pro in 44cm c-c (which is 4 degree and more like 42cm width at the hoods).

sward29

jangle wrote:

Sward - why would 26mm bars be more comfortable? And how long do you mean by long term durability?

26mm bars are not as stiff as their oversized equivalents due to the reduced diameter. I switched from 26mm to oversized Deda Newtons and noticed a significant difference in the amount of flex.

With regard to durability, all I meant was that carbon is unlikely to give you too much warning if it is about to fail after a crash or accidental knock. Aluminium is more likely to bend to give you an idea that it's damaged, although it also has the potential to fail without warning.

grindsuphill

As some previous posts, drop your front tyre to 80/85 psi this will considerably reduce road skip/bounce and hence improve comfort and probably increase your speed for same effort.

Consider upping tyre width to 25mm if narrower than this at moment, way too much misplaced machismo IMO on here about narrow tyres.

Currently run alu stem/bars on trainer and fancy carbon on best bike, honestly feel carbon is better but most improvement is to be got from tyre pressure/width than throwing your wedge at pricey carbon components.

Not claiming to be a guru on such things but have worked for me in practice.

Lets face it riding a bike is not IMO meant to be an exercise in extreem masochism !

plodderpaul

I bought the compact carbon FSA K Wing bars back in December to replace my Planet X alloy ergo bars. I would not say that the road buzz has gone away but I found the compact shape the most important difference, much more comfortable on the hoods and the drops with these.

Garry H

you need fatter hands.

Essex Man

I only get numbness in one had :shock:

So I guess it is down to your physiology to some degree, and the people who are giving you advice and don't get numbness might just not be prone (like my other hand!)

jangle

Thanks for all the replies. I have gone for a compact omega alu handlebar for now. Will see how that goes and if it doesn't work then I will drop the pressure down a bit. Also have contemplated fatter tyres so that is option 3.

Fishy789

I run K-wing bars and can thoroughly recommend them not least because their shape, especially the flat sections leading to the stem, makes them the most comfortable bars I have ever ridden. Road buzz is well controlled even on poor chippings road surfaces and I have never suffered numbness. However, I agree with earlier posts, there are several factors that combine to eliminate numbness and other parts of the bike each have their own effect. The rest of my set up is Colnago C40 frame, Colnago Star carbon forks, Campag Nucleon wheels, FSA alloy stem, Michelin Prorace tyres at 100psi, standard/medium bar tape, standard padded gloves. As you'd expect this is far more comfortable than my aluminium-framed winter bike. I don't share the concerns about durability of carbon items. If you look after your kit there won't be a problem. If you crash, definitely get it tested.

Monty Dog

I didn't find oversize carbon bars any more comfortable - FSA K-Force. A 26mm bar is certainly be less stiff. I'm running compact bars on most of my bikes - the long drop section is very comfortable. I agree about tyre pressures - but people seem to be convinced that pumping tyres to the max is a good idea. Fatter tyres at lower pressure give better grip too.