Just bought a used CAAD9 Cannondale. Great bike, but the standard bar / stem combination seems to transmit a lot of vibration (compared to my steel Tommasini).

I had FSA K-Force bars on my CAAD8, with Specialized Bar Phat gel under the tape. I could go for the same combination, but does anyone have alternative suggestions? Perhaps a carbon stem and bars.

I don't really like the look of the anatomic bends BTW.

Carbon stem or bars will do little to damp vibration. Cushier bar tape or Bar Phat will work much better.

drop your front tire pressure 10 psi.

that $0 solution will work better to reduce road buzz than anything you can spend money on.

Wrap an old tube on your bars, then cover with bar tape.

Lower PSI up front.

Fatter tires with lower PSI even better. Or go with the extra padding suggestions.

No stem/bar combo is going to come anywhere close to vibration reduction like that. If it could, that would probably be a horrible and noodly stem/bar.

Thanks for the quick replies.

I'm on 25c Continental 4 Seasons with 90psi in both... I'm about 90kg (although i guess most of that is on the saddle)... what pressure do you recommend for the front? 80psi and see how it goes?

I think I'm noticing it more this spring because the road took a battering over the winter. Everyone's commenting on how bad the road are.

Hate to burst your bubble but the problem isn't the bar or the stem, it's the frame. That is simply the nature of the CAAD9 and most other aluminum frames that I have ridden (the CAAD9 is probably even a little better than many of them). You wouldn't really pay much attention to it unless you have ridden other bikes that are better at reducing vibration (like your steel frame).

You can maybe reduce it a little with bar tape (here is a good one - https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/...=9331&eid=5097), padded gloves, tire pressure, etc. but in the end, it is what it is.

If you're looking to soak up things like craters/potholes/large bumps...which is what I picture when you say winter road damage; then a material change isn't going to do that. Some materials and subtle changes in tire pressure will soak up the "noise", but for actual significant bumps, you either suck it up, or go to a CX frame with 35mm+ tires at low pressure. Or a MTB with a front suspension.

A road bike over actual holes and bumps though is going to jar you no matter what. That's just the nature of it. Find smoother roads, or get a bike equipped for that kind of cratered and semi-technical terrain.

Read this for good tire pressures: https://www.vintagebicyclepress.com/images/TireDrop.pdf.

I disagree. I use an FSA K-Force carbon handlebar with a Look HSC carbon stem. I also ride another bike with aluminum cockpit. Compared with an FSA Wing Pro handlebar with OS-99 aluminum stem it is night and day difference (using the same Specialized Roubaix handlebar tape). The Look HSC carbon stem damps alot of road feel and vibration compared to the aluminum FSA OS-99 stem ... It's worth the $400 asking price if you spend alot of time riding over rough surfaces.

Thanks ZXiMan... I agree with you. I tried to point out in my original post that my CAAD8 was much improved by a Carbon K-Force bar. Carbon DOES absorb some of the road 'chatter' more than alloy. I was hoping for some alternatives... kit-wise, but if none are forthcoming I'll go FSA.

BTW folks - I'm not talking about what to do about potholes... I tend to ride around those ... it's the general SURFACE wear that is the problem around where I live.

Easton EC90 Equipe SLX Ergo Bar I have this on my bike and really like it, reviews are good on its ability to soak up the road vibrations.

^^ that

Wanna spend some money too? Get some 25 tires

I also agree when I run 100 psi real smooth ride compared to 110 psi.
The recommended psi for you depends on tire size and your weight.

better padded glove, you can wrap over the bar tape to get more vibration out.(less overlapping and higher tension)

Just let air out until you don't have vibration. Make sure to let it out of the rear to, as it contributes to front vibration. I'd keep the front at 90% of rear pressure, so just lower both until you're comfortable.

Fancy carbon bars and stem might dampen the vibration, but they're not going to correct the inefficiency of the vibration under them. If your bike is vibrating like that, you're essentially climbing and descending little 2mm hills every 10mm. Just like climbing and descending slows you down on bigger hills, it will slow you down on tiny hills.

Let the tires soak that stuff up so your mass isn't going up and down (or so your fancy carbon bars and stem are dampening out your pedaling power through vibration).

Just let air out until you don't have vibration. Make sure to let it out of the rear to, as it contributes to front vibration. I'd keep the front at 90% of rear pressure, so just lower both until you're comfortable.

Fancy carbon bars and stem might dampen the vibration, but they're not going to correct the inefficiency of the vibration under them. If your bike is vibrating like that, you're essentially climbing and descending little 2mm hills every 10mm. Just like climbing and descending slows you down on bigger hills, it will slow you down on tiny hills.

Let the tires soak that stuff up so your mass isn't going up and down (or so your carbon bars and stem are dampening out your pedaling power through vibration).

Note that small changes in air pressure make very little difference in rolling resistance, and that rolling resistance is measured on a smooth surface. If you're riding on a rough surface, that's a big chunk of your rolling resistance.

With those tires and your weight, your PSI is about right. I don't think you can let much more air out of them!

It's partially your frame. I know that geometry means a lot, but so does material. Generally Alu frames are slightly more unforgiving than steel or titanium. (The upside is a great transfer of energy.)

I'd add the Bar Phat, reduce the PSI by a fraction and ride enough to get used to it. A carbon stem and handlebars will probably only make a 5-10% difference.

I have a different experience. I have a C'dale Synapse Carbon 3 and it had an alum stem and bars and it vibrated, no doubt. I recently put on a FSA OS-99 CSI carbon stem and K-Force carbon handlebar and the high frequency vibration is gone. I will say there's a low freq vibration but it's not nearly as bothersome as the high freq. It wasn't a cheap solution (it's will eventually end up on my SuperSix for weight savings), and there's a potential issue with the handlebar tops angle I'm working with FSA on (but that's another post), but it worked for me. Hope that helps.

I'd go with even bigger tires. Grant Petersen at Rivendell has written a lot about tire selection, and i think he recommends 35s at 75psi for 200-pound riders. sounds soft and slow, but he convinced me when I bought my atlantis. I've been using 35mm Panaracer paselas for three or four years, and I'm never going back.
If you don't want to go that fat, i still think you'll get considerable relief with, say, 28 or 32mm tires with less air.


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I have discovered a rather unexpected solution to the problem. I bought my wife a Giant Defy 2 today... I just tested it. I cannot believe how nice this bike is... totally unexpected. Feels light and lively when asked to accelerate, climbs well, nice geometry - not at all as 'sit up and beg' as I'd been led to believe, and it soaks up vibration like a sponge. Did I say I'm astonished? Can't get over it... I'm sure you'll all think I've lost it - thinking it's a nicer ride than the CAAD9, but there it is. Bye bye Cannondale, hello Giant...

Mrs Monkey Face's bike is lovely, but I'll have to have the carbon one of course!

Not exactly a cheap solution but glad you figured it out. Enjoy!

so this thread was a big boondoggle to get a new bike? well done.

Why don't you swap wheels and see if you feel any difference...

He he, wonder if that was actually stealth marketing for Giant. Darn Joneses.