Campag4life

I am happy with my FSA Kwing Compact bar...but wondered if anybody has ridden both the 3T Ergonova and Kwing and which you prefer? The shape from the side looks similar and both have a flattish top. Do they ride similar?
Thanks

Propofol

I have both, a 44cm Ergonova Pro (aluminum) on my CAAD8 and a 44cm K-Wing on my SuperSix Hi-Mod. I like both of them. The drops obviously are very similar. I really can't discern any significant difference in ride quality, they are both fairly comfy and I like the flat tops. One difference is that the K-Wings have internal cable routing which is nice.

If you ask me which one to get, I'd say the only reasons to get the K-Wing is if you like the curvy shape and the carbon construction. The Ergonovas are fantastic and are a third of the price of a set of K-Wings. This is, of course, assuming you're looking at the aluminum Ergonova Pro model and not the Team or LTD.

grwoolf

I have quite a few miles on the ergonovas and recently got the k-wing for x-mas for my other bike. They are definitely different on the tops and riding the hoods. I've never liked riding on the tops much, even climbing, but I like the K-wing tops much more than anything else I've tried. They are angled much further back toward the rider, which I prefer.

I'm not sure how I feel about the hoods yet. There are very flat areas behind the hoods where your hands can rest. However, your hands are not on those flat areas if you are all the way out on your hoods (which is where I ride much of the time). If you ease your hands back a bit, it is more comfortable, but it's not a very agressive position and you don't have a full hand of brakes (if that makes sense). With my hands all the way out on the hoods, it is still pretty comfortable, but I almost no contact with the bar, just the hood because of the 'void' in the bar behind the hoods. I've got pretty big hands, so maybe your hands are supposed to fit completely on the hood without contacting the bar. I've probably got less than 500 miles on them and I'm still forming a final opinion.

ColinL

grwoolf covered what I was going to say. there's a thumb groove and a flatter section on the K-Wing before the hoods that is unlike any other bar I've seen. I am pretty sure it was intended to create a comfortable hand position out of the hoods, because no one could reach from that flat spot all the way to their levers.

but you know this Campag, since you ride them.

the K-Wing runs true to size, whereas the Ergonova is a full size small. they have similar reach. one thing I've found in researching bars, seeing them in person and then installing and riding them is that the manufacturer's claimed reach is not an entirely reliable measurement. a whole ton of bars list reach at 80mm and I believe the Ergonovas are 77... but guess what, my Ergonovas actually have a bit more reach than my FSA Omega. according to the specs it was supposed to be 3mm less... doesn't seem to be true.

one other thing I didn't like that much about the ergonovas is how small/tight the drops are when you're riding seated. I put my hands fully forward, as deep into the bend as possible. that is a very small, very tight area if you wear an XL glove like me.

it's a real popular bar. you should be able to find a LBS or local rider with some you can play with before purchasing.

grwoolf

In hindsight, my review wasn't too helpful for someone considering the 3T, but instead going to the K-wing.

If I had to flip it around, I'd say that I find the position in the drops fairly similar between the 2, but the 3T tops do not feel near as comfortable as the k-wing (I think mostly because they are less angled back toward the rider). Also, the 3T's don't have the funky flat hand position behind the hoods. It is just a traditional round bar coming back behind the hoods. If you like that flat area, I have not seen this on any other bar.

Campag4life

Thanks guys for your thoughtful comments....appreciate it. Based upon what you wrote, believe I will stay with the Kwing which is the best bar I have ever ridden. The wild card for me is the comfort on the hoods. As stated, the Kwing is a bit unique here...runs flat off the hoods. I too have largish hands...though not thick and can fit my hand completely on Campy hoods with the shim in as well...but...many times the heel of my hand finds its way back a bit into this flat area. What I do to make more room for my hands is mount the levers a bit forward and tip the bar slightly rearward. I find the hoods to be less comfortable with levers postioned a bit more back and then running the hook bottom level to the ground. Not sure the flat behind the hoods specific to the Kwing is more comfy for the heel of the hand but intuitively it would be...but without an A to B comparison, I guess I'm not sure.
Thanks again.

tanguy frame

Actually, the shorter reach on the ergonovas is what makes my new 110 Thomson stem feasable. See previous post .
Oh yeah - I ride the ergonovas in aluminum, they're ok.
My ither bike has ITM Manta Wings and I really like those a lot. Haven't tried the K-wing.

ColinL

I bought FSA SL-K bars recently. Reach is the same as the Ergonova Pro. The tops are flatter and rounder, but bear in mind I was using the aluminum Ergonova and not carbon. (I don't know if carbon is flatter, but I do suspect that you can't make an aluminum bar top any flatter.)

It doesn't have the groove of the K-Wing and the drops flare out more. Here's the best part-- there are some of them on ebay with a pink "K" logo which are seriously discounted-- I assume because no one wants the pink logo. I got mine for $109 shipped. New, never ridden. It says "SL-K" on the top and there are 3 colors of the K for whatever weird reason... white, red and pink. I can live with a pink K especially given that right now my lights are covering it all.

I'll post my own thread later when I've put some road miles on them. They're great on the trainer.

Yaniel

Thanks for that tip. Quick question, I ride 42cm ergonovas which I guess are really 40cm at the hoods and love the size. What size FSA should I bought? 40?

ColinL

It depends.. they make a ton of bars with some differences in the shape and dimensions, despite nearly all of them having the same advertised reach (80mm) and either 125 or 150mm drop (compact or standard). Their center-to-center measurement is at the end of the drops.

If the FSA bar you are looking at has unflared drops to 2 deg outward flare, consider a 40. You might still be happier on a 42.

If the bar has 4 deg flare, you probably will find the 42 a bit larger than the Ergonova and the 40 a bit smaller. I guess I blew it because I had the chance to take of pic of all my bars laid out side-by-side on my dinner table-- I looked at them closely and took some measurements. Reach is bollocks for sure.

42cm 3T Ergonova Pro (aluminum)
42cm Bontrager Race X Lite (carbon, old/pre-2011 version with a flat spot in the drops)
44cm FSA SL-K (carbon)
44cm FSA Omega Compact (aluminum)

I put them in order of width at the hoods. The Ergonova is way small. The Omega is only a little bit wider than the SL-K. Omega actually has the shortest reach by ~2mm. You can't tell any of this by the official specs!

ColinL

Pics for Yaniel and anyone else curious about the 44cm SL-K vs 42cm Ergonova Pro...

Things I already know, before The 41 tells me:
1. Yep, the images are cameraphone quality.
2. My wrists like my hoods tilted in that much.
3. I have long fingers attached to big hands. I can operate my levers perfectly.

At the hoods the 42cm Ergonova Pro is 39cm center-to-center. The 44cm FSA SL-K is 42cm at the hoods. You can see the SL-K has less a bit less reach which means the section before the hoods won't be quite as long. They have very similarly shaped drops, but SL-K flares outward more.

Seattle Forrest

It's not.

ColinL

Good to know, thanks!


And now that I look at those pics on my big work monitor... /facepalm. I doubt anyone is going to get a lot of help from those, sorry.