Carbon vs Aluminum Handlebars
 

I'm trying to choose a new handlebars for the bike I'm building up but I can't seem to choose what to get...The other dilemma that I'm trying to decide between is getting a carbon or aluminum bar. On my old bike I had the 07 EC90 SLX bars which have now broken and been replaced twice in minor wrecks, so I'm a bit wary about going with carbon bars again.

Are aluminum bars generally stiffer or as stiff as carbon bars? The higher end aluminum bars are always just a little heavier than the carbon versions but is it worth it for the almost bombproof durability?

The brands that I'm trying to choose between are FSA, Easton, Specialized, Zipp, and Ritchey.

I'm looking for fairly light bars to put on an 09 SL2 frame with SRAM Red, but I don't want to sacrifice stiffness and durability just for the extreme lightweights. Any help and suggestions are appretiated...

Thanks!

IMO Alum. bars are the way to go, I think the only things you give up are a little weight and maybe a some road buzz but these are not worth at least double the money. As far as stiffness I think the alum. bars might be even stiffer. Hope this helps.

Carbon bars are totally not worth it, in my opinion.

The only reason to get them is that they do look great, so if you want the bling, then go for it. :thumb:

I did this just recently - having to choose between an aluminum and/or carbon bar.

I chose aluminum because it was stiffer and the weight penalty was insignificant. Plus, Alum isn't as picky about dings and knocks like carbon. Price is also a huge factor.

The only thing carbon has over aluminum is that carbon is still mostly made with the traditional bend. Most modern aluminum bars have an "ergo" bend which is THE MOST GAWDAWFUL TORTURE DEVICE EVER INVENTED for those of us with big hands. It is in the wrong place, with the wrong angle, and it's too short between bends or the end of the bar. It is the most misguided attempt at ergonomics ever foisted off on the gullible public by ANY manufacturer or manufacturer group. It just plain sux and I wish bar makers would stop using it.

Anyway, my choice was aluminum.

I'm not one to buy something just for the bling when it comes to the huge expenses of this sport, if I get something its gonna be the right thing. I'm leaning towards the aluminum bars and with that in mind the Ergosum and Rotundo 3T bars don't look that bad either. After looking around for a bit today between the aluminum bars its the Easton EA70s, FSA Energy, Ritchey WCS Logic II, and the 3T bars stated before. So many to choose from that I know nothing about haha..If anyone has used any of these or has any knowledge about them it'd help so much haha

thanks

Yeah, but there's nothing wrong with buying something just coz it looks nics. :thumb:

I will never buy carbon bars, but some of them look fantastic, especially winged ones that don't get taped ont he tops. :thumb:

Hee hee. :) I agree, and I don't know how anyone can use them.

haha I actually prefer that bend comparing it to the traditional d-shaped bend. I don't necessarily have small hands but I find it to be much more comfortable when in the drops and especially while sprinting...but thats just me, so another plus for aluminum bars!

I ride aluminum Ritchey bars, have for 10 years now.

In Mountain Bike Action, they did a blind text of carbon and aluminum bars, on mountain bikes. They had the very same bike, same suspension fork, etc etc. and covered the bars to make it impossible for their "wrecking crew" of testers to tell which was which. All the testers could clearly feel a difference between the two, pointing out that one bar was much more comfortable with less vibration where as the other felt much less so but more snappy and reactive to rider input. The carbon bar turned out to be the more comfortable one and the snappy one was the aluminum bar. Again, mountain bikes with Fox suspension forks. If carbon bars did not cost 60% to 75% more than aluminum bars, I might try a pair but for $200 to middle $300s? Nope.

I replaced mt aluminum bars with carbon bars. I honestly couldn't feel the difference.
I sold them when I went for more shallow drop bars that were aluminum. I really think carbon bars are more marketing and bling. And, best of all, aluminum doesn't explode. I hope.

Deda 215's or Newton, depending on clamp dia.
Both AL. Light, stiff, and don't cost a fortune.

Aluminum, because I don't even want to think about snapping my bars. I went with an Easton EA50 for the moderate bend between an ergo and a traditional. If cost were no object, it would have been a 3T ergonova.

Alloy bars are usually lighter, stiffer and always cheaper than carbon.

Bars and stem are two places I don't want to see any carbon.

I went through a few bars before I decided on the lesser of two evils.

I have old cinelli 'champion du monde' bars on my 84 track. Traditional all the way through. Oh and narrow. 38 cm.

I tried reynolds bars, ritchey bars, stock cannondale bars, etc, on my CAAD9, but couldn't find anything that I could adjust so I could shift while in the drops sprinting, and still be comfortable on the hoods with that adjustment.

The 'winner' was deda newton's. I have my shimano shifters positioned so I can shift in the drops and be quite comfortable on the hoods.

However, I stuck a layer or two of bar tape on the curved section on the ergo drop part so it's more rounded. Works like a charm!

On long rides, on rough roads, at the end of the day I can see a benefit in carbon bars because they are less stiff than aluminium. If you're not on the bike all day long however, the aluminium bars would be more durable. From reading your scenario I'm saying aluminium bars for you.

aluminum

Switched from Carbon stem/bar back to aluminum... no difference... and I feel safer.

Alu of course. Who wants a handlebar made out of material that has a significant risk of catastrophic failure (higher than alu) after a shock, and that furthermore is taped up making any possible damage literally invisible.

After trying a bunch of brands I found the FSA Wing pros to be my dream bars. I can now shift easily when in the drops. I love them.

Agreed..this is one of the things that has made me very wary about riding carbon bars and the fact that you may not be able to see the small cracks that can develop internally even after the most minor crashes. About a year ago I was doing a training ride and was simply riding on the hoods when the right side of my handlebar just snapped. Luckily I was able to react quick enough not to fall. The last fall on those had occurred months earlier which shows that the likelihood of developing some problem after any wreck on carbon bars is fairly high, even if the problem shows up ages later like with me.

I've got Deda on one bike and Zipp on another. I can't tell any difference between them. The reason I went with Zipp is I got a brand new CF bike and had to pick the best of everything so it looked good :)

Aluminum is cheaper, not that much heavier, and is probably more bomb proof. I use Ritchey WCS Logic II coupled with the WCS 4-Axis 44 OS Stem (squarer than the original non 44) on one of my bikes. The reach and drop height of the WCS Logic II vary with the width of the bar. I found these measurements perfect for me. The wet black finish is a bonus.

my training bike has aluminum. racing bike has carbon. racing bike is more comfortable and stiffer.

Wow. This is what you call a cautionary tale. Glad you were ok.

not sure if i'm interpreting this wrong but I promise you it wasn't a tale or a story, it was pretty real and scary..luckily the bars (easton ec90 slx) were under a several year warranty so I got them replaced, but they new ones have now cracked in my most recent wreck and i'm being told that I can't warranty these haha

Either bar will break, but aluminum is cheaper to replace.