Originally Posted by
CliftonGK1
My issue is with the flexibility; it's what makes them great for things like Paris-Roubaix and other cobblestone or rough-road races. For singlespeeding around on all the hills that I do, I don't want power lost to flexing the bars when I pull on them for leverage. I'm not taking the time to look it up again, but one of the big bike mags did a handlebar flexibility comparison within the past year and for minimal weight differences, aluminum bars were far stiffer.
You can read all the magazine articles you want, but sometimes it's useful to have real-world, hands-on experience with a product. I own both carbon and aluminum versions of 3T's Ergosum handlebar. Even during a 1000w sprint, I can't feel the carbon bars flexing!
Which isn't to say I'd buy them again: they look super-cool, but there's not enough difference from aluminum to justify the MSRP. Luckily, I got the carbon bar on sale and only paid a $10 premium over the alloy version ($80 vs. $70).