I had crashed a a week or so before they broke.

If your bike already has a carbon steerer tube then you've got all the vibration dampening you need.

That's why I'd never use Carbon for MTBing.
I don't trust it for any type of riding where impact is highly likely.
I assume you were racing?

Here's my plan (and part of the reason I got the CAAD9 in the first place)...

Eventually, I'm going to build a custom carbon bike that'll be my dream bike for nice Sunday rides. It'll be my "cabin fever cure" project.
The parts I want to put on the CAAD for now are to get rid of the poor performance OEM bits and to get the most out of the CAAD.
When I've purchased a nice frameset, I'll swap the cockpit over and replace it with all aluminum (I'm partial to Deda stem/post/bar).

The CAAD I'll build up for training and for racing possibly and the plastic bike will be my uber bike for Sundays or Centuries.
I liken it to having a Corvette to romp & rip with (The CAAD) and a Ferrari for GTing (the uber- bike).

So right now, I could get a great cockpit, use it on my current bike,
get all the benefits of the upgrade and have a better riding experience.

If it was all about comfort, the CAAD would certainly "not" be on my list.
I'm not trying to turn my CAAD into a HI MOD Ultimate or a Synapse.

My OEM Ultra fork has an aluminum steerer tube.

But, an Edge 1.0 is in my CAAD's future.

I was racing when I crashed, not when they broke.

Check these out:

http:www.hmano.com

best bars I have ever used. Not expensive and in your price range at $169.00. They are the same as Stella Azzurra tirreno bars which sell for much more($329.99).
http://www.stellaazzurra.com/images/product/tirreno.jpg

here is a picture of them on my bike
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...7/DSC00074.jpg

Quote from the website:

Q: Are you saying these are exactly like the Stella Azurra bars?

A: We can't say they are “exactly” like the Stella Azura bars, but we can say you can’t tell a
difference except for the name. Also, to our knowledge Stella doesn't make the 46 cm, only
the 42 and 44. There are only a few actual carbon fiber manufacturers, and we're only
aware of one making these bars (hmano or Stella's). Thus, it's our opinion that they are the
same manufacturer, material and process. We can say one thing for sure, you'll love these
bars. Hope this helps!

I agree with others that road dampening quality of carbon bars of aluminum is either minimal or non-existent. The only advantage I can see for carbon is bling, if you are into that and that they can be shaped more ergo than aluminum. They aren't necessarily lighter either.

Same is true with seatpost, I pref aluminum over carbon. Aluminum is as light if not lighter and it doesn't scratch like carbon. So, the only seatpost I will use is Thomson.

the thing about carbon is that it does not do well with impacts. just yesterday, I finished a long descent and pulled into a gravel parking lot to wait for the rest of the group...I had one foot out of the pedals the front wheel sank into the gravel and went down. if I had carbon bars, I would not risk riding on the bars. I do have carbon bars on another bike...can't say that I notice a difference.

I've got the FSA compacts and Easton EC90 SLX3 carbon bars. I like them both for different purposes. Generally, the FSAs for relative flat terrain, the EC90 where there's lots of climbing. Couple points.

1. Carbon bars do provide vibration dampening. My Synapse had a low freq vibe and the carbon bars eliminated it and I even use Fizik Microtex tape on them with no gloves. On the Supersix, let me put it this way. If heaven had SRAM Red shifters on it these bars would be that place.

2. The pros don't use carbon bars because they know a crash is possible and they don't want to be stuck on the side of the road with a broken bar waiting for the team car.

3. If you're going carbon get a torque wrench and some compound when mounting.

4. +1 on Ebay. You can get them for 1/2 retail. GL

Wrong question.

Try: Has anyone here gone from carbon to alloy because they had a catastrophic failure with a carbon bar?

I think you've already had a few answers.

As for comfort - try different wheels, tyres... they're the bits that make contact with the road.

Ready to pull the trigger on a Shimano PRO Stealth Evo.

http://www.comtat.co.uk/live/products/stealth-evo.jpg

I'm currently using a 110mm stem.
I have a choice between a 130mm stem and a 90mm stem.

I'm thinking the 130 would be too far of a stretch for me.

Will the 90mm push me back too much?
Note: I'm going to use a slightly set back seatpost,
I'd think this would make up some for the loss in the stem.

Thanks in advance for any advice. :thumb:

Pushing your seat back is going to impact your relationship to the BB and will impact your pedal stroke and may end up causing pain someplace or a decrease in power. Just something to consider...

Rob

I went from a carbon bar to an aluminum bar when I under-torqued the carbon ones, and they slipped. It was a bummer, not just for the bank account, but also for ride quality. But it wasn't night and day, it was more like night and the period right after the sun sets, before twilight. Unless you do most of your riding in the drops, it might not be worth it. You should borrow your friend's bike and confirm or invalidate my prediction. :D

Right. If you turn green and double your size ( ripping your shirt to tatters ) when you get angry, and also if climbing hills makes you angry, then your Incredible Hulk strength might snap your bars.

Don't do it. Even if the stem was the perfect length and height for you, it really shouldn't be one piece. This one doesn't fit you, though, and it's amazing how sore that can amount to after three or four "short" hours in the saddle.

Hi SF.
Wow...So 20mm makes that much of a difference?
This isn't something I could offset by moving my saddle back a bit
(which is something I was going to do anyway)?

It can

You should never try to correct reach with saddle adjustment. Saddle position is selected for pedaling mechanics and weight distribution, and bars are placed wherever they need to be to get the desired reach from that position.

I have CF bars in one bike and aluminum in the other.
Not difference about "road dampening".

There are gel inserts that you can put under the tape. Those make a difference.
And I agree, it's better to have a separate stem and handlebar, not one piece.

I would throw the 3T offerings into the hat as well but they are not flat top. I have an alu Rotundo bar and I love that thing. If you're looking for ergo, their bars are the only ergo ones I've ever tolerated.

I don't think I could justify the price difference just for a tiny bit more dampening. I ride a CAAD9 and have all aluminum parts - from seatpost to stem and bars. The vibration is something you deal with for a stiff and agile frame. I would just deal with it until you do upgrade to a carbon bike.

I was close to finishing the HHH 100 and a young rider in front of me crashed. His handelbar broke! It was aluminum! He was riding normally on a flat road.

Either carbon or aluminum can break.

At 110, I feel that I'm at my limit.
130 is out of the question for me.
I wouldn't mind drawing back in my cockpit a bit.
My previous stem was 100 and I felt more comfortable.


Questions:
1. Is there anybody here who's actually used an integrated stem/bar combo?
2. How do they compare to a traditional stem/bar combo in your opinion?


The Shimanos seemed to get great reviews by people who tested them.
Comfortable & stiff are the words that come up in all their reviews.
In fact, I haven't found one bad review on them to date.

How'll you flip it? :D

Proper fit changes sometimes, with age, your level of fitness, injuries, etc. With a one-piece bar(s?) like this, your only option will be risers, which isn't a great one. But if you really want to get this anyway, make sure that the angle is the same as what you have now. If the length is right, but the bars are too high or low now, that's probably not ideal.

This.

I vote the K-wings. But I'm biased.

http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/s...g?t=1284432210

Profile design cobra drop bars. I have them and I love them