Carbon Bars: would you?

sonny73

I am looking at replacing the new bars I bought, just not getting along with them.
Instead I'm thinking of getting some carbon versions of my old Spesh bars, which for me were comfy and spot on in reach and drop.

My question is from time to time I read things about some pro's not liking carbon bars, simply just not feeling secure on them. But is there really anything of great concern to be worried about, are they that prone to failure?

Cheers

moonshine

Carbon bars are generally more expensive than and not much lighter than alloy bars.
They are probably more fragile, e.g damage though overtightening or from a minor drop and could be more prone to a catastrophic failure.

I never want to have a catastrophic failure of something at the front end (fork / wheel / stem or bars) therefore personally would avoid carbon stem and bars , principally on the grounds of safety, however they are also substantially more expensive than alloy and the weight saving and performance benefit are next to negligable.

others will have a different opinion i am sure.

BG2000

Sonny73 wrote:

I am looking at replacing the new bars I bought, just not getting along with them.
Instead I'm thinking of getting some carbon versions of my old Spesh bars, which for me were comfy and spot on in reach and drop.

My question is from time to time I read things about some pro's not liking carbon bars, simply just not feeling secure on them. But is there really anything of great concern to be worried about, are they that prone to failure?

Cheers

Why not just get a pair of the old Specialized bars you liked then ? What benefits are you hoping to get from carbon bars ? I just think there are better things [for the bike] to spend money on...

sonny73

Simply it is a case of weight saving and looks (I won't lie). I felt the old bars were quite heavy even if comfy and I've had a little bonus at work and thought I'd go for the carbons maybe.
In saying that I can't honestly say I know the exact weight of the old bars :oops: , which are now built up so not really wanting to take that apart at the mo; mind you may have too as there's no weight info on line for Spesh Pro II Ergo Al bars.

jrduquemin

I've used FSA carbon bars in the past and can honestly say I haven't noticed any difference since changing back to aluminium bars.

cougie

Weight saving ? Some carbons are heavier than Alloys, and bars are so light anyway that theres no meaningful gains to be had.

OK carbons may look prettier to you - but you pay for that. And you need to leave them untaped largely so you can actually see the carbon anyway !

Handlebars do hit the deck if you come off, so I'd replace them if that happens. On Alloys- its a cheap job, on carbon its expensive.

Up to you - but I'd not bother myself.

on-yer-bike

I changed to alu so I could fit tri-bars for TTs. Then I saw a friends top-of-the-range Ritchey carbon bars snapped near where the right lever bolts on. He went over a bump and suddenly the right shifter and handlebar where only held on with the tape. Apparently he had a crash a year before and the impact must have weakened them. Luckily he wasn't going 40 mph down a hill when it happened.

Wamas

The reason why the pros don't use carbon bars, is because if they have a crash, an aluminium bar will normally bend, carbon ones shatter. If they don't have a team car there at the time, they can't ride a bike with a shattered bar, but you can with a bent bar.

The only reason to buy a carbon bar is for weight saving, or looks.
Pros don't need to save weight, most of their bikes are already right on the UCI limit as it is.

bigmat

Why avoid carbon bars but ride carbon frames and particularly carbon forks? I know people who have had aluminium bars snap off mid ride. Carbon bars can be picked up for reasonable prices if you shop around, they are comofrtable and light and look good. Unless you're racing, I say go for it. If you're racing, there's an increased risk of crash damage but I don't get why that applies to bars any more than frames, seat posts, forks etc.

jairaj

If the component is fit for purpose then I don't care what material its made from.

I have carbon bars on my mtb, they are lighter and help absorb the trail buzz more than the old ones they replaced. Although its in the design, a carbon bar could be equally designed to be heavy and stiff too. The difference is not amazing but there is a difference.

If you need to swap bars and the carbon bars are only a bit more then Id go for carbon. If you're just swapping of the sake of swapping or expecting a big performance enhancement then maybe there are other things you can do?

moonshine

MatHammond wrote:

Why avoid carbon bars but ride carbon frames and particularly carbon forks? I know people who have had aluminium bars snap off mid ride. Carbon bars can be picked up for reasonable prices if you shop around, they are comofrtable and light and look good. Unless you're racing, I say go for it. If you're racing, there's an increased risk of crash damage but I don't get why that applies to bars any more than frames, seat posts, forks etc.

I said the prospect of any front end component having a catastrohic failure is particulatly unapealing to me. I like my face as it is.

I can see a materials benefit from a carbon fork and it is stressed in a different way to a carbon bar. however in the case of carbon bars, i feel that If there is no weight saving, little material property benefit, they are more expensive and are more likely to fail in a catastrophic manner, then that is enough to rule them out for me.

As i said, others opinions may differ.

billysan

I have a carbon bar on my MTB, and did find it absorbed some of the sting. Im very reluctant to put one on the road bike however because of the extra torque required on the clamp due to the increased leverage a road bar encounters (when riding on the hoods and hitting a pot hole for example).

As said above, carbon ones are not that much lighter for the extra expendature. I'd prefer to have 100% confidence in the equipment Im using rather than have an element of doubt to save 100g.

tenor

Deda 215 alluminium bars for £35, or Deda Newton (also 215g) for about £50.
Good enought for Lance - why pay more for such a vulnerable component.

moonshine

An example -

3t ergonova Pro in al - 326g - £63 - http://www.wiggle.co.uk/3t-ergonova-pro ... andlebars/ or PRO Vibe Al 285g - £54 - http://www.wiggle.co.uk/pro-vibe-7s-all ... andlebars/

or 3t ergonova Team in Carbon - 196g - £180 - http://www.wiggle.co.uk/3t-ergonova-tea ... andlebars/ or Pro Vibe carbon - 215g - £180 - http://www.wiggle.co.uk/pro-vibe-monoco ... andlebars/

edit.. i know there are lighter & cheaper alloy bars around, like the Deda ones posted above

markos1963

Well here's a choice, would you use a bike with alloy bars that have been on for five years or more or one with carbons that have been on for the same time but never dropped?
I agree that carbon bars that have been dropped would need to be changed but the advantage of that is that you are forewarned. Whereas with old alloy bars that have hardened and gone brittle you'd have no notice of them snapping.

I use alloys but would change them regualary

moonshine

markos1963 wrote:

Well here's a choice, would you use a bike with alloy bars that have been on for five years or more or one with carbons that have been on for the same time but never dropped?
I agree that carbon bars that have been dropped would need to be changed but the advantage of that is that you are forewarned. Whereas with old alloy bars that have hardened and gone brittle you'd have no notice of them snapping.

I use alloys but would change them regualary

that is probably over-precautious

markos1963

moonshine wrote:

markos1963 wrote:

Well here's a choice, would you use a bike with alloy bars that have been on for five years or more or one with carbons that have been on for the same time but never dropped?
I agree that carbon bars that have been dropped would need to be changed but the advantage of that is that you are forewarned. Whereas with old alloy bars that have hardened and gone brittle you'd have no notice of them snapping.

I use alloys but would change them regualary

that is probably over-precautious

Maybe, maybe not, don't forget the handlebars take a lot of pounding and vibration.

trailstar

i have EC90SL carbon bars on one bike.. and a set of Pro compact aluminium bars on the other.

I much prefer the alus bars for non flex when climbing and sprinting. However the carbon bars are lighter and take a little more edge off the road buzz. being more comfortable.

I actually have the carbon bars on my fixed gear so they rarely see rides over 45miles. I do 80+mile rides on the aluminium bars and have no issues.

Also watch out on over tightening the stem on the carbon bars as well, look at a torque wrench to do this.

I think they both have their own advantages, and you'll find both materials used on the bikes in the peloton

sonny73

Chaps your replies are much appreciated and food for thought.
Cheers

Anonymous

I've had K-Force carbon bars for a while on my best bike but selling them so that I am using the same bars across the board and it's cheaper to get alloy! I really like them, they do have that 'road buzz killing' feel of CF. They are very stiff too. I also have carbon bars on my MTB.

dcj

carbon bars can make a massive difference to killing road buzz in a 2+ hour ride. that's been my personal experience.

the individual has to decide if this is an issue for them and if so, does it warrant the expense? for me the answer is yes.

geebee2

Also watch out on over tightening the stem on the carbon bars as well, look at a torque wrench to do this

The key point is to use carbon assembly paste on the clamping area.

Then you don't need to tighten so much.

Same applies to carbon seat posts and stems.

cal_stewart

got- 3t ergonova ltd on best bike
- 3t ergonova pro on trg bike

carbon does kill road buzz.

Monty Dog

As said, the reason pros prefer alloy bars is dealing with the consequences of a crash. I have some K-Force carbon bars a few years ago, but swapped to an alloy bar as I prefer the shape and never perceived any advantage - they were both very stiff. The same for carbon stems - you can make something as light and strong in alloy for a fraction of the price.

peter101cycle

Why bother with carbon.....

I use Deda Newton Oversize bars (alu) and Deda Zero 100 Service Corsa (tit) stem.....about as light as carbon, cheaper and stronger. Comfortable as well.

Carbon seatpost and forks though, no problem!

ddraver

I ve used Carbon bars on my MTB and smashed them, dropped them, chipped them, scratched them, landed badly off of jumps and drops and they re fine, they re nearly twice as wide as road bars and don't flex notably - however they definitely take out some trail buzz and let me use thinner grips

The only reason I don't have them on my roadie is that I could nt afford them, no way am i worried about them snapping, if they snap in a crash, i'm not going to be getting back on the bike cos I ll have snapped myself

wildmoustache

Wamas wrote:

The reason why the pros don't use carbon bars,quote]

Except they do. Not all, but if you look for example at the bikes of the pro peleton in the TdF, most of them will have carbon handlebars.

Carbon sells and generates profit. Manufacturers want pros to be on them.

Plus pros don't pay for new bars.

And carbon bars have a nicer feel and kill a bit of buzz.

They are lighter too ... about 15-20% lighter on a like for like basis ... in line pretty much carbon frames vs. alloy frames.

trailstar

wildmoustache wrote:

Wamas wrote:

The reason why the pros don't use carbon bars,quote]

Except they do. Not all, but if you look for example at the bikes of the pro peloton in the TdF, most of them will have carbon handlebars.

Carbon sells and generates profit. Manufacturers want pros to be on them.

Plus pros don't pay for new bars.

And carbon bars have a nicer feel and kill a bit of buzz.

They are lighter too ... about 15-20% lighter on a like for like basis ... in line pretty much carbon frames vs. alloy frames.

true, but the wheels + frames are so light anway.. that they are struggling on HOW light they can go on every component before hitting the UCI limit. Typically they'll ride stronger seatposts + comfy sadles with stronger components rather than the lightest.

sastre is a prime example of this, he had to enter the races with a chucnk of metal down his seatpost to keep the weight up. Most riders would rather choose a stronger heavier set of components.

wildmoustache

trailstar wrote:

wildmoustache wrote:

Wamas wrote:

The reason why the pros don't use carbon bars,quote]

Except they do. Not all, but if you look for example at the bikes of the pro peloton in the TdF, most of them will have carbon handlebars.

Carbon sells and generates profit. Manufacturers want pros to be on them.

Plus pros don't pay for new bars.

And carbon bars have a nicer feel and kill a bit of buzz.

They are lighter too ... about 15-20% lighter on a like for like basis ... in line pretty much carbon frames vs. alloy frames.

true, but the wheels + frames are so light anway.. that they are struggling on HOW light they can go on every component before hitting the UCI limit. Typically they'll ride stronger seatposts + comfy sadles with stronger components rather than the lightest.

sastre is a prime example of this, he had to enter the races with a chucnk of metal down his seatpost to keep the weight up. Most riders would rather choose a stronger heavier set of components.

Yes, I'd guess the weight is less of a factor than comfort and advertising, although worth noting many pro bikes are built up to the 6.8kg weight with carbon bars in place ... and that if you keep components such as that light you can run a powermeter etc. and hit the 6.8kg weight.

trailstar

completely agree. Its definately down to the riders preferences i think.

I remember seeing evans cross the line on a few giro stages and he had the easton bars i use.. i thought cool! A lot of the lighter riders who arent the big powerhouses favour carbon bars i think.

however look at cavendishes pro-model... they are alloy bars because he doesnt want the flex when hammering at a sprint. I also believe andy schleck was on alu bars for the tour for the aspect of the flex on climbs.

personally, i ride mainly on my alloy bars and my carbon bars are on the winter bike. This is mainly because i prefer the bars bend over the eastons. I dont think i'd buy carbon bars for the summer bike as i typically ride a little harder and i like the feel of the road.

is it weird that when riding on big comfy carbon wheels, carbon fork and carbon frame with carbon handlebars i feel almost disconnected from the road?

MrChuck

I wouldn't, but more because I don't think the extra outlay would bring much benefit than because I don't like the idea.