# Recommend a good handlebar



## rallen4444 (Jan 19, 2008)

I am looking at possibly upgrading my handlebar - any recommendations? - something light - with cable routing that won't clean out my bank account

Thanks


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## Guest (Sep 23, 2008)

what handlebar do you have now?


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## ewitz (Sep 11, 2002)

Internal routing or single or double groove routing?

Anatomic?

Shallow drop or standard?

Flat bar or round?

Material?


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## rallen4444 (Jan 19, 2008)

Right now I am using a Ritchey Comp - aluminum 
I am looking for

Double groove
anatomical
shallow drop
round
Carbon


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## S-Works95 (Jan 15, 2007)

FSA K-Wing Carbon Pro. Light , Strong, Carbon , and Comfortable. I have one and about 4 of my riding buddies have them. BE WARNED Once you try this bar you will never go to another one


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## Getoutandride (Sep 1, 2008)

fsa plasma


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## jhamlin38 (Oct 29, 2005)

Fsa compact. The perfect bar. Its not anatomical, but doesn't need to be. Its really awesome.


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## DukeNeverwinter (Aug 12, 2008)

Silly question. I have a bontrager race light bar right now. it weighs 240grams allow. IS there any point to spending money on dropping 40-80 grams? I can get a sweet deal on the Race XXX light bars that weigh around 170ish. My wallet saws no. But I don;t want to go carbon unless I am going to lose ALOT of grams. 70-80 is a decent amount i would think.


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## Getoutandride (Sep 1, 2008)

well dropping 70 grams on your bars isnt going to be immediately noticed, if it were your wheels then id be saying different, however if you truly are going weight weenie then 70 grams off your bars is better than 3 christmases at once!


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## AlexCad5 (Jan 2, 2005)

Didn't he post in the Save Some Weight category? Maybe he meant to post somewhere else.


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## messyparrot (Sep 17, 2007)

I really like my FSA K-Force compact handlebars.

I believe they weight about 200 grams, they fit me and my bikes set up well.

I found out to get the bar you want first before the stem. The reach and layout is completely different with the compact bars.:thumbsup:


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## steel515 (Sep 6, 2004)

*compact bar*



messyparrot said:


> I really like my FSA K-Force compact handlebars.
> 
> I believe they weight about 200 grams, they fit me and my bikes set up well.
> 
> I found out to get the bar you want first before the stem. The reach and layout is completely different with the compact bars.:thumbsup:


What is a compact bar? Also, do you people worry about strength/lifespan of such lightweight bars? Would lightweight carbon last longer than aluminum?


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## teffisk (Mar 24, 2006)

fsa compact bars have a short reach of 80mm and a shallow drop of 140mm to 125mm with a comfortable continuous drop


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## Corndog (Jan 18, 2006)

Easton EC90 SLX3 is a great bar. 75mm reach, 130 drop, and a nice bend. I have one and like it a lot. I personally prefer my Deda Newton traditional shallow drops better, but it isn't as light (but it is stiffer!).


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## waterford853 (Oct 12, 2008)

*bicyling magazine review*

Check out the reviews in Bicycling mag this month. I went with (and really like) the compact FSA. The magazine liked the Easton bars. Both have some flex dialed in to make them comfortable. Amen.


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## homebrew (Oct 28, 2004)

Pro vibe OS round bend.Once you go pro vibe you won't go back. Yes they have anatomical if you must


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## Salsa_Lover (Jul 6, 2008)

S-Works95 said:


> FSA K-Wing Carbon Pro. Light , Strong, Carbon , and Comfortable. I have one and about 4 of my riding buddies have them. BE WARNED Once you try this bar you will never go to another one


True

I tried it and loved it from the start.

Now I have it on my both bikes, road and cross. perfect shape to ride on the flats, hoods and drops.


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## Getoutandride (Sep 1, 2008)

FSA compact shallow drops are THE one any only bar IMO the only problem is that no other bar feels anywhere near this one!


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## Juanmoretime (Nov 24, 2001)

Stupid question. Only the one that works for you will be fine. Bars, pedals, shoes, clothing and saddles are components you can only TRY and see if they work for you. It took years for me to find the perfect saddle and that perfect saddle is not the same model or brand on my road, tt and mountain bikes.


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## z rocks (Sep 9, 2007)

Any votes fer Ritchey crbn Evolutions? The OS diameter of the clamping area extends accross the tops and fits my big hands well. 220gm


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## teffisk (Mar 24, 2006)

z rocks said:


> Any votes fer Ritchey crbn Evolutions? The OS diameter of the clamping area extends accross the tops and fits my big hands well. 220gm


I hate all the ritchey bars. But thats just me.


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## z rocks (Sep 9, 2007)

reason? Or just into hating?


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## cyclust (Sep 8, 2004)

If you are looking for light and reasonable price, the Ritchey WCS bars and stems are hard to beat.


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## busaguy (Nov 15, 2008)

I just put a Profile Design Dromo Pro(carbon) on 1 of my bikes & I love it so much I just ordered another,its a flat top like the K-wing but costs less,tri-zone .com has them for $112 shipped they also come in alum. for $63 they have the best price out there.


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## superflychief (Mar 25, 2008)

I'm going to pipe up for the K-Wing as well. Fantastic comfortable bar, looks great and is fairly light at a claimed weight of 240g. The flats and the indents for your palms are just awesome!


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## Camilo (Jun 23, 2007)

Getoutandride said:


> well dropping 70 grams on your bars isnt going to be immediately noticed, if it were your wheels then id be saying different, however if you truly are going weight weenie then 70 grams off your bars is better than 3 christmases at once!


Edited to take out potificating - I thought I was posting in beginner's forum, not weight! Some points remain. First, vis a vis the above coment...

I would go further and say, dropping 70 grams will "never, ever" be noticed whether it be the bars or the wheels or any other parts. 

[editing]

the rest of my original post was just stating that the amount of weight between good quality aluminum bars and carbon bars isn't enough to think about (except WW's - which is legitimate, but a different game). Comfort is the only reason to change bars, imho, WW aside.


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## david462 (Jan 3, 2008)

z rocks said:


> Any votes fer Ritchey crbn Evolutions? The OS diameter of the clamping area extends accross the tops and fits my big hands well. 220gm


I have the SL's. I love them. I routed the brake cables in the front where it has the groove for it, and the der. cables around the back (no groove on back). It probably created a little more flat space on top than I need, so next time I wrap the bars I'll probably have both cables go in the groove.

The shape is good though. And the SL's are super light (SL), but expensive.


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## j.knight (Dec 14, 2005)

Anybody have any experience with 3T LTD bars? They have a claimed weight of 169g. Also the bend specs look really similar to the FSA compact bars.


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## teffisk (Mar 24, 2006)

z rocks said:


> reason? Or just into hating?


I dont like any of the looks or feel. And something about ritchey looks really cheap to me.


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## Tzvia (Aug 4, 2008)

j.knight said:


> Anybody have any experience with 3T LTD bars? They have a claimed weight of 169g. Also the bend specs look really similar to the FSA compact bars.


Well, I could not see spending so much more for the LTD so I got the regular Ergonova Team (only about 30grams heavier). My old handlebars came with my Specialized, and the drops had that ergo-palm hump that just killed my hands (I have carpal tunnel and don't need the bars to contribute further), while the 3T has just a graceful curve. Between that and the carbon, it's sweet relief for my hands.


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## ProRoad (Oct 13, 2008)

FSA K-Wing Carbon Pro.


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## GGW (Jul 13, 2008)

Hi there 

Got FSA K-Wing compact carbon on my new bike .


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## CleavesF (Dec 31, 2007)

Camilo said:


> I would go further and say, dropping 70 grams will "never, ever" be noticed whether it be the bars or the wheels or any other parts.


You're completely right... except... if you do it like 30x all at once... then yes you do.


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## raymonda (Jan 31, 2007)

3T Prima 199, if you can find one. Fairly stiff, light @ 199 grams, double grooved and cheap @ around $50.00.

It is a shame that 3T discontiued making these bars but look around, you might find one.

Ray


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## austincrx (Oct 22, 2008)

Here's an affordable idea:

Go to ebay, find the 'road bike parts' section, look in handle bars, look for 'Buy it now' things, and lowest price first. There you go, I got my bars off there for $15, good bars, might get another set with less reach, and less drop, but we will see, for 15 shipped, it's worth it to experiment. *you can also find carbon crank arms for 50!!!*


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## jksu (Mar 8, 2004)

*easton ec90 equipe pro*

google it and you might find it for under $100....

carbon, short reach and drop. my first carbon bar to replace a fairly heavy 3t aluminum. love the shorter drop and traditional drops. very light (<190g) and plenty stiff. 

jksu



rallen4444 said:


> I am looking at possibly upgrading my handlebar - any recommendations? - something light - with cable routing that won't clean out my bank account
> 
> Thanks


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## tom_h (May 6, 2008)

rallen4444 said:


> Right now I am using a Ritchey Comp - aluminum
> I am looking for
> 
> Double groove
> ...


Don't know about "double groove", but Easton EC90 SLX3 bars are fairly popular, and their actual weight is close to 200g, per Weight Weenie website listings.

However, I ordered the SLX3 and am sending them back -- I thought they looked a bit "cheap", what with their non-uniform matte finish, and another cosmetic blemish on the bars I received. However, they are fully functional and can be found as low as $175 (maybe less) in USA.

You might also consider the 3T "team" edition carbon bars. 
There are 3 shapes: Rotundo, Ergosum, and Ergonova.
Each shape is available in LTD (crazy thin $$ carbon), Team (sensible carbon), and Pro (aluminum alloy).
See: www.thenew3t.com

Appearance-wise, the 3T carbon bars, with their glossy clearcoat & crisp graphics, look much nicer than Easton bars, IMHO. And if you have extra $ rattling in your pocket, the matching 3T stems also look pretty nice.

3T bars & stems are standard on some new Cervelo bikes -- easiest way to examine 3T, as 3T is _not_ commonly stocked at LBS. 

3T bars are pricey in US -- $250 & up is typical -- but can be purchased as low as $150 from reputable UK internet retailers (Wiggle, Ribble, etc).


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## TLud (Mar 19, 2008)

I had FSA K-Force carbon bars on my previous ride (stolen), and loved them. They were simple, comfortable, and light (200 g).

My new ride, an R3, came with the 3T Ergosum Team. I didn't even use it because it was the only thing I didn't particularly like about the R3 that I demoed. I liked the curve of the drops and it was very light (190 g), but the round (as opposed to flat) top wasn't comfortable to me.

Based on the overwhelmingly positive reviews of the FSA K-Wing carbon bars, I decided to give them a try. The internal cable routing was somewhat of a PITA, but I guess not a big deal if you don't install them yourself. While not extraordinarily light, they aren't exactly anchors at 215 g. It just goes to show that you have to try stuff out for yourself because I think I'm the first person who doesn't find the K-Wing particularly comfortable. The groove really made a couple of my favorite hand positions at the corners really uncomfortable. I also didn't like the angle of the flat top. I don't doubt that it's a good bar for most people, but it just wasn't right for me.

I had decided to just order another K-Force, when I found an Easton EC70 bar laying around at my LBS for cheap. It's certainly nothing fancy, it isn't light (235 g), it doesn't look that great, but it just feels fantastic, especially the curve of the top corner. Between comfort and saving 40 g of weight, comfort will win out every time for me.

If anyone wants a deal on either a brand new 3T Ergosum Team or a barely used FSA K-Wing bar, let me know.


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## BluRooster (Sep 11, 2006)

Anyone try Winwood bars? They're a little heavy but my LBS swears by them. The angle on the wing looks less flat than the FSA, but hard to tell from pictures.

http://www.winwoodbike.com/handlebars.html


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## dhtucker4 (Jul 7, 2004)

I have the Ritchey WCS ergo (ick!) bars, but I bought some WCS classic bars and I'm going to put them on this weekend. They rival the Deda 215 in weight, about 210-225 grams.

Kestrel Pro carbon bars (200-210 grams) have a lifetime guarantee, and so do the Pro SL bars (170-190 grams), but they are both ergo.

Oval Concepts has some really light alloy bars, and so does ITM, 3T, IRD (a lighter carbon version of the K-Wing), etc.

My perfect bar would be a wing bar on top and a classic drop bar below that.


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