which handlebars?

[neilb]

Hi everyone

Can anyone offer me a little advice? I'm building my race bike up at the mo and I need to make a decision on which handlebars and stem to go for: carbon or alu?

The bars will be going on a merkx alu frame with carbon forks, riding ksyrium elite wheels.

I'll be using the bike for mainly sportives with you guys (Tour of Wessex, Tour of Black Mountains etc.) and I'm conscious that the frame won't give me as much comfort as a full carbon frame (outside my price range) so was wondering if carbon bars and/or stem will help or just be a bit of a waste of cash considering the alu frame.

That said I'm not sure I can afford carbon h'bars as they do seem to be around £250!

As you can see budget is a consideration but then so is comfort. Any advice appreciated...

Cheers

Neil

[-Adam-]

I had some carbon bars on the Cervelo I rode last week, and although they were very nice, at £250 I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.

Especially since a friend of mine snapped a pair in a seemingly innocous crash a few weeks back. Also, even if you crash them and the don't break obviously, thats not to say that they won't fail without warning at a later date.

If you want comfort from your bars, spend a tenner on the specialized/fizik bar gel/tape combos. Works very well.

[mrP(Boonen)VT]

I wouldn't touch anything carbon with a barge pole

90% of so called carbon bars are aluminium bars with an outer carbon wrapper and they offer a good compromise as they absorb a bit of vibration without the inherent risks, but are a bit heavier. Mr Green has a nice set up on his fixie.. - over to you Andrew

[Andrew G]

Don't like carbon bar and stem combos. Probably not entirely logical but I'm just not happy in case of failure and your face heading down towards a sharp carbon edge. As Adam suggests do you know if you could trust the structural integrity after an accident?

On my fixie I have the Pro PLT (Pilot) bar and stem combo. They're very nice looking in a sort of gunmetal colour and I find the bars have a good natural bend so I can hold them anywhere in comfort. Used by the mighty Thor (Hushovd) so plenty of strength in them.

Can't remember the price as I was negotiating a deal on the bike as I was upgrading bits and transferring others from my old fixie, but think the pair would come in under £100 (or thereabouts). Got mine from Pearson's but GBs also do them, and you can get a 10% discount at both shops with your membership card.

[Mike I]

Whatever fancy new material you go for, it's worth spending a bit of time to make sure they fit. Not just width, but try out different shapes and depths too. Personally, I don't get on with ergo bars and prefer a smooth round curve to the drops. Not only do I find it more comfortable, it looks a bit retro cool as well!

Whenever the subject of bars comes up I always give a plug to Deda Newton shallows. They don't have me stretching too far to get to the drops. The last thing you want 98 miles into the Tour of the Black Mountains is an aching neck and shoulders from having bars that don't fit you.

So, it's all down to personal preference. No help at all really.

You don't need reminding of course that your stem needs to be the right length too.

[Andy S]

If you're building your bike for sportives you should consider bars with a flat top, they offer a little more comfort on longer rides. Mine are FSA, not sure of the model, but they weren't expensive. Mine also have a shallow drop, as Mike said - you don't want to have to reach too far, especially after 90 miles. Don't think carbon will really gain you anything on an ally frame, but do get bars that feel comfy after 4+ hours in the saddle.

[neilb]

Thanks guys, really appreciate your thoughts and help, much appreciated.

Cheers

Neil

[Steve B]

Neil,

there is absolutely no reason, whatsoever, to go for carbon bars or stem if you are on any sort of budget. Even if you aren't on a budget, why would anyone want to spend all that money on them, unless you simply love the look of the carbon and couldn't possibly ride anything but.

Deda make great aluminium bars and stems that the pro's still use. I have the Deda 215's (215g £33 Parker's) on my Bianchi, which are really nice, and on my Ridley, I have the Deda Super Natural handlebar, which is the Shimano specific equivalent of the Newton (209g £49 Parker's). Also look at the beautiful Deda zero 100 stem (107g £43 Parker's). This was my no.1 choice for the Ridley until it got pipped by the Thomson X2.

So there you go, beautifully designed, very light and very strong, handlebar and stem for £76 or £92 plus p&p - beat that.

Steve