Great timing. My FSA Wing Pro Compact Handlebars arrived last Thursday from Competitive Cyclist. I was blown away by the how incredibly well crafted they were and how light they were. The carbon fiber lay up was absolutely beautiful.

I also ordered the 3T Ergonova because my next bike will be the 2009 Cervelo S3. I will get those in Mid-December. I will send back the bars that have the least appeal of these two great choices. It will be a difficult decision. I would get the FSA Wing Pro Compact based upon initial impressions, except the S3 has a 3T fork.

What's more interesting is looking back at older frames from the 1970s up to the early 90s. Even bikes with racing geometry often had eyelets. I think its a thoughtful gesture by the manufacturers to include these features. Actual touring bikes aside, I think what used to distinguish sport/racing bikes from actual racing bikes was tubesets.

Without a doubt, the best money I've spent on my bike have been the Wing Pro Compact. Near perfect bars.

How long did it take you guys to dial in the bars and get comfortable on them?

It looks like most people dropped some spacers and/or flipped the stem.

For me it was very quick. I didn't do any test riding before taking it out on a 50 miler and it was fine. A little bit of fine tuning after my ride and it's right where it's supposed to be. As far as flipping it, these bars had a much shorter reach then my original bars. I figured I could either get a slightly long stem and be more stretched out or flip it and be more stretched down (does that make sense?). I chose down.

Cheers

Rob

I am a stickler for a good bar/hood combo. About seven months ago I was given a set of FSA Wing Pro Compact (White) bars from the Road Product Manager at my former employer. I was used to riding alloy bars as I don't prefer carbon, and I've tried anotomic, belgian drop, traditional, deda newtons, you name it...i've probably thought about it or have put some miles on it.

I will never own another bar. Granted, this bar suits me for several different reasons. My saddle/stem drop is already low enough-deep drop bars put me in too low of a position. I am 6'2" and have a natural 'flat-back' position so when in the drops, I don't need to be too, too much lower than when I am on the hoods. Because of the extended drop shape there are many natural feeling positions for your hands when you are taking a longer than usual pull or off the front. and the top-hood transition is perfect for campy, new dura ace and especially SRAM.

I recommend everyone try this bar at least once. I'll never own another.

Dang, that white bar is the sex!

The only problem I see with these is that your hands will be cramped a bit if you're reaching for the levers in the drops. Though it looks like they're just the right size for having your hand flat in the drops and a finger or two reaching forward for the shifters. Kinda like shallow italian bend bars, right?

I'm really liking these reviews, as this is honestly one of the first time I've seen so many people with so many different takes on road cycling (weekend warriors, racers, commuters, etc) say so many positive things about one piece of equipment!

I unfortunately can't handle too large of a drop to the hoods since that hurts my back, though I can be in the drops for little bits of time every now and then.

Anywho, it's cool to see so many people like one thing!

It's a fairly shallow drop. That's why I enjoy it so much. ridethecliche, you'd probably really like the bar.

I've had the carbon version of this bar on my bike for a good while now, and I couldn't be happier with it. I find the drops to actually be comfortable, and have no problem reaching the brake (or shifter) levers from just about anywhere reasonable. No hand cramping issues, either:



and yeah, I don't have much saddle to bar drop. But then I don't really race, either, so who cares?

I'm 5' 5" and I have Bontrager Women's VR Fit 42" bars on my Giant. Waaaay better than traditional "anatomic" bars.

Are those the bars on the bike in your sig?

I think that it would screw up my reach to the hoods. I want my hoods to stay where they are now, and I like the drops a little deeper. If I have to drop the hoods lower, my back acts up (trust me I've tried it), so I don't think this would work for me...

I really liked the ritchey pro bars that I had, but unfortunately the anatomic setup didn't work for me. I don't have the cash to randomly keep buying bars, but I really liked the hood transition and flat part of the drops on the ritcheys. The ergo bend just didn't work for me. If there was a flat part instead of a bump, I would have loved the bars. Hopefully someone will want to nab them from me. I need the cash!

I just started using a set of Reynolds Ouzo Pro bars and I'm in the process of dialing them in now. They seem promising, but it's going to take a little bit of getting used to since the flat part at the end of the drops isn't that long. I love holding onto a level set of drops when sprinting.

Yes.

+1. I have both the carbon and aluminum version. George recently replaced all of my bars because I love this one so much.

I just put Profile Design Dromo Pro's(carbon) on my Merckx& Gios & theyre more comfortable then the alum. rounds I had on there ,Tri-Zone has them the cheapest at $112, but theyre old stock satin finish the other I got from Jenson to price match & they did & they have the new Gloss 3-d finish ,flat tops are the way to go

i have the round version of these bars and i think they are great for riding in the drops. the sloping drop section allows for many hand positions in the drops.

ridethecliche mentioned that he thought that it might be awkward making gear changes- and it is when you ride campy and are using the thumb shifter. it's a bit cramped shifting into a taller gear and you have to reposition your hand to get your thumb in the right position to shift sometimes.

i'm also interested in trying the Easton EC-90 SLX3. it looks very similar, but with a more gentle curve from the tops to the drops- possibly addressing the issue i just mentioned with the FSA bars. my only issue with the Easton EC90's, is the fact that they are made with a composite material. i prefer aluminum bars.

I'm using the FSA K-Force carbon compact bars as well and love them. They are reasonably light (mine weighed 218 grams) and they are plenty stiff. They do have a flat section top bar which is more comfortable than round in my opinion, but not as wide as the pro wing. They look great too...