I figured I would start a thread on the upgrades as I progress with my 2014 Specialized Sirrus Comp Carbon Disc.

For the past couple weeks I've been contemplating cutting down my stock alum handlebars from 26" to around 22". I've read several people online have done the same with good results. Weight is always a concern, but mostly I felt my handlebar width was too wide of a stance (i.e. comfort) and also affecting aerodynamics.

However simply cutting the handlebars down won't decrease the sweep backward. So I started researching aftermarket handlebars instead. Since this is a flatbar bike I landed in MTB handlebars narrowing it down to primarily Easton and Ritchey. The Easton EC90 Carbon won out because it met all my criteria and I found a great deal on it. MSRP is $160, I paid $99.95 shipped.

Install was super easy and straight forward, remove the old, install the new.

Before (660mm width, 10 degree sweep):



After (590mm width, 5 degree sweep):



The old and new bars side by side for comparison.



As far as weight, I measured both before installing on my $250 precision scale (used for reloading, accurate to .005gram).

Weights:

Stock bar = 294.975 grams
Easton bar = 120.475 grams

Net savings = 174.5 grams

Call me crazy, but when I first picked up the bike by the stem I quickly noticed the weight difference.