# Carbon Fiber Handlebars: Are They More Comfortable?



## TomBrooklyn (Mar 15, 2008)

Are carbon fiber handlebars more comfortable than metal? I was wondering mainly in terms of shock absorbing on rough potholed streets.


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## adlerburg (Feb 1, 2008)

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=112990&highlight=carbon+handlebars
already in discussion


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## C-40 (Feb 4, 2004)

*short answer..*

No....


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## MR_GRUMPY (Aug 21, 2002)

If by Comfortable, you mean, costs more, is way more trendy, and gives higher profits to handlebar suppliers, then yes, they are more comfortable.

PS. With a carbon bar, no one will doubt that you're a great cyclist.


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## Kestreljr (Jan 10, 2007)

Well, carbon bars do have some very anatomically designed features that you can't quite pull of in aluminum. The K-wing pictured below has little dips for you palms to sit in when you are riding on the hoods. 

Aluminum bars can sort of get flat in places, but do not bend convexly like the carbon can. 

Some people really like the K-wing. I find the modern aluminum bars to be just fine, esp. since they are about $150 cheaper.

Carbon K-wing= $230, *240 GRAMS *









Ritchey= $70, * 215 grams*


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## orthobiker (Oct 12, 2007)

*Carbon bars*

We live in a hilly area with long climbs/descents. I switched to the K-Wing and could not be happier. I find that my hands are not as fatigued on the descents. This bar also gives you multiple hand positions when doing long rides (centuries) to cut down on fatigue.

If going to the K-Wing I suggest taping onto the flat part of the bar as the smooth carbon can become slippery.


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## SwiftSolo (Jun 7, 2008)

MR_GRUMPY said:


> If by Comfortable, you mean, costs more, is way more trendy, and gives higher profits to handlebar suppliers, then yes, they are more comfortable.
> 
> PS. With a carbon bar, no one will doubt that you're a great cyclist.


Maybe you can lead us to the evidence that shows that the percentage of profit is higher for the manufacturers of carbon bars?

I'm reasonable sure these are not the rants of someone who longs for the failed, but highly adored, socialist economic systems--you know, where the people had it so much better.

Actually, carbon bars can be molded into a number of configurations which aluminum can not. Also, the flex and shock absorbtion can be varied to a much larger degree than with aluminum.


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## phoehn9111 (May 11, 2005)

I have a Stella Azzura knock-off. The tops are slanted slightly down and
have little grooves for fingers and thumbs. The hoods are flatter and much
better for me in terms of non-numbing. The drops have a inward curve that
fits my hands better. They also seem to dampen vibrations somewhat in
comparison to the aluminum bars I had previously, although this effect
is negligable. They are also slightly heavier and cost around $160. 
Bling and image were not a factor in my purchase, just ergonomics
and comfort. I would never go back.


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## Schneiderguy (Jan 9, 2005)

If you are going to race or do fast pack training rides you may want to reconsider getting carbon bars. The velonews TDF issue comments that the pros use alloy bars and stems to increase their chances of riding the bike after a crash. I just watched the crit series in Austin. A rider on our club team broke his high tech, high dollar bar in half. When you crash often the bars take a beating. Your body protects much of the rest of the bike 
Competitive Cyclist web site has a discussion as to why they don't recommend carbon bars. My concern would be trusting carbon bars after a crash where they took a hit, but look OK.


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## buck-50 (Sep 20, 2005)

My favorite part of the K-wing bars? the gull-"wing" part that raises the handlebars up about half an inch- I bet yer old, cheap aluminum bars would be more comfortable if you raised them up a half inch as well... higher handlebars=less pressure on wrists/palms=more comfort. 

I love seeing expensive solutions to stupid problems with inexpensive solutions.

If you raise your stem, you will be more comfortable. You might not look as cool, but you will be more comfortable. 

Once more, I will rant about how much threadless systems suck for just this reason- you really couldn't cut a steerer too short with the old threaded headets. It was kind of a pain in the @$$ to have to remove the tape on one side of the bar to replace the stem, but that's still a whole lot better than realizing you've cut your steerer too short and your only options are a new fork, turning your stem upside-down and looking like a dork, or ridiculous $230 k-wing riser bars with drops.


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## velodog (Sep 26, 2007)

carbon bars don't get as cold as aluminum bars in the winter!


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## buck-50 (Sep 20, 2005)

velodog said:


> carbon bars don't get as cold as aluminum bars in the winter!


The @#$% it doesn't! 

(ask me how I know...)


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## cody1 (Jan 28, 2007)

This is not the exact answer you are looking for. specialized makes some aluminum bars with zertz inserts where the stem clamps on the bar.I have installed this type bars on my commuter bike and it seemed to make a difference, over the plain aluminum bars.


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## danl1 (Jul 23, 2005)

velodog said:


> carbon bars don't get as cold as aluminum bars in the winter!


A) bar tape.

B) Unless the carbon ones are radioactive and producing heat, they're probably at about the same temp. 

C) OK, so they don't conduct heat away from hands quite as well, so seem 'warmer.' But that's not as much fun.


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## danl1 (Jul 23, 2005)

Kestreljr said:


> Well, carbon bars do have some very anatomically designed features that you can't quite pull of in aluminum.


Without chasing the link, what are these bars made of?
OR 

A little portly at 315g, but dead solid. Half the price of the K-wings, too. Best yet, they also come with round hooks, instead of the hated (by me) 'anatomical' hooks.


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## rdolson (Sep 2, 2003)

When I was building up my personal "Dream Bike", I had decided that I would ignore the price, and just find the bar that I liked the feel of the best. I spent a day or two driving to every high end bike shop around, and "grabbing" every bar I could get my hands on. Like a saddle, bars are personal, and I ended up with the FSA K-Force carbon bars, they felt best in my hands and on a bike, for me... On my road bikes I have Cinelli Alu, ITM Alu, and the K-Force. The FSA "feel" best to me. But you may hate 'em...


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## danl1 (Jul 23, 2005)

TomBrooklyn said:


> Are carbon fiber handlebars more comfortable than metal? I was wondering mainly in terms of shock absorbing on rough potholed streets.


To absorb the shock of potholes, they'd have to be flexible - too flexible to allow safe control of the bike.


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## Kestreljr (Jan 10, 2007)

danl1 said:


> OR


Wow, I hadn't seen those before. Thanks. :thumbsup:


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## Bob Ross (Apr 18, 2006)

orthobiker said:


> I switched to the K-Wing (snip) This bar also gives you multiple hand positions when doing long rides (centuries) to cut down on fatigue.


The irony is that most of these "anatomical" bars give you _fewer_ hand positions than a traditional round bar. 

K-Wing et al may offer 3 or 4 discrete hand positions, but on a round bar you can basically grab it anywhere you want; it's got an infinite number of hand positions!


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## Einstruzende (Jun 1, 2004)

I have a set of carbon bars that came on my Cervelo. I wouldn't have bought them other wise. I do like them though, they have what I think is called a "compact drop", and for someone like myself who is not so flexible, it's a good fit. I'm sure there are alloy bars with that feature too.


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## B15serv (Apr 27, 2008)

Some specialized bar gel and a good wrap (fizik, specialized etc) are more than enough comfort. Think about it this way, the pro peloton rides aluminum for all of the major tours and thats thousands of miles with serious climbs and insane descents. Comfort play a huge role in what they do and they all choose aluminum.


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## Mapei (Feb 3, 2004)

*What's that bar on the right?*



danl1 said:


> Without chasing the link, what are these bars made of?
> OR
> 
> A little portly at 315g, but dead solid. Half the price of the K-wings, too. Best yet, they also come with round hooks, instead of the hated (by me) 'anatomical' hooks.


Dan L -- what's that bar on the right. It looks like my dream bar!


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## bigtea (May 26, 2008)

I have big hands and prefer FSA Wing Pros for their large surface area. Regarding weight penalty, I could lose ten pounds off of my butt for free if performance were my primary objective. Regarding vibration dampening; gloves, fork, wheels, stem, tires, and bar tape probably have a much greater influence than bar material.


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## TomBrooklyn (Mar 15, 2008)

bigtea said:


> Regarding vibration dampening; gloves, fork, wheels, stem, tires, and bar tape probably have a much greater influence than bar material.


I wear padded gloves. I'll add some padded tape and I'm going to look into bigger tires. I'm going to add a Technomic Stem also to make the bars higher. That will undoubtedly take some weight off my hands.


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## DrSmile (Jul 22, 2006)

Kestreljr said:


> Well, carbon bars do have some very anatomically designed features that you can't quite pull of in aluminum. The K-wing pictured below has little dips for you palms to sit in when you are riding on the hoods.
> 
> Aluminum bars can sort of get flat in places, but do not bend convexly like the carbon can.


I imagine you mean concave. Give me a hammer and I can duplicate those on an aluminum bar in about 2 minutes...


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## b24fsb (Dec 21, 2006)

Mapei said:


> Dan L -- what's that bar on the right. It looks like my dream bar!


those are by control tech and they are called "formidable anatomic bar" 

in the further discussion of carbon vs alum, i had the control tech bar above and it was taped all the way. it was nice but i then switched to the fsa k-wing bar and i didnt wrap it all the way. had to let the carbon show threw  i will say though that with the carbon bar my hand feel less buzz from the road


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## thedips (Mar 26, 2007)

to answer the short answer... yes they are more comfortable.. and on my soloist that i race crit... the vibration was so much for me on my stellas.. that all changed once i added the BONTRAGER BUZZ KILLS.... if you dont notice any problems with bar vibration then buzz kills arnt for you but my aluminum team was so harsh it made all the difference in the world.. now my alum bars are as comofortable as carbon....


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## cyclust (Sep 8, 2004)

Are carbon bars more comfortable? Well, yes. Your wallet will be thinner, and cause less of an impression in your a$$ when you sit down, therefor, you'll be more comfortable.


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## MCF (Oct 12, 2006)

*So a positive rise stem...*



buck-50 said:


> My favorite part of the K-wing bars? the gull-"wing" part that raises the handlebars up about half an inch- I bet yer old, cheap aluminum bars would be more comfortable if you raised them up a half inch as well... higher handlebars=less pressure on wrists/palms=more comfort.
> 
> I love seeing expensive solutions to stupid problems with inexpensive solutions.
> 
> ...


Makes you look like a 'dork'... wow, you must be really fast and I bet you look really cool too....


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