Zipp's new Service Course bars are nice, light, blingy, and available in a couple shapes.... I'll be using them on my next build.

http://www.zipp.com/bars/service-course-sl-bar/

They look nice but they are round bars. I have been spoiled with ergo carbon bars. Bars with large flat wings. Doesn't anyone make ergo aluminum bars?

Specialized and Easton both make "wing" style aluminum bars. I'm sure there are other companies as well.

Bob

I believe Cinelli makes a flat top alloy bar.

3T ergonova pros should be what you are looking for. the pro model is alu while the team model is carbon

I know a 2x national champ that's been riding on carbon bars for years, including his mountain bike, and never had a failure. He prefers them to aluminum bars because he has carpal tunnel and the vibration reduction and slight give provide a lot more comfort than aluminum, recently he's been training on both and he really noticed the difference. And he's had some really noodly aluminum bars, he went through a bunch on his track bike before he found a set that was stiff enough.

He's seen carbon break and he's seen aluminum break. He watched the anti carbon folks rail when Hincapie's bars came off at PR when the steerer broke then had a really good chuckle when it turned out the steerer was aluminum.

He's of the opinion that not all carbon or aluminum bars are the same, and that making generalizations based on material shows a lack of experience with both products.

He also likes writing about himself in the third person.

BTW, quite a few pros are on carbon bars these days.

Yes, this looks ergo enough that it would work. I looked at the Specialized and Easton and they looked like round bars to me. The Cinelli bars look great but the only ones I could find that I liked were carbon. The down side to all of the bars I have seen lately is that they largest size they come in is 44cm. I suppose I could get use to them but I have been on 46cm bars for the past five years. I was told that 46 was my size when I did a bike fit a little over five years ago.

Easton's "wing" bars, with the flattened flats, are called "Aero" -- check out the difference between the EA70 and EA70 Aero to see what I mean. I've got some EA30 Aeros on my commuter.

But, I'd say that the 3T bars have a more natural angle to their flats. They won't kink the wrist back as far as the Easton bars do, at least not with the forward bend-to-hood section set up roughly level with the ground. I saw a bike with Ergonova bars at an LBS, and was told that the rider greatly preferred the resulting wrist angle.

I will take another look at the Eastons but I really like the 3T bars especially the drops. I am fine with the the tops of the Windwood bars I have but have never really liked the drop position mainly because I can put my hands comfortably at the bottom of the bars near the end. There is a bend right where I want to put my hands. The 3T doesn't have any bends more of a gradual curve. I think I would like that better.

I agree, actually. If I switch away from these Eastons (I put some EC70s on my road bike just 'cuz I got them for a good price, and decided to match the commuter with its EA30s when I converted it to drops), 3T is at the top of my short list.

For me, far more comfortable than the aluminum bars I've experienced, damping, shape & price;
Got this FSA K-Wing Compact for $185./shipped:

http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1299867079

http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1306448416

http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1306448460

in the case of these bars, do you have to re-adjust your fitting to accomidate ( they look like they extend forward after the clamp ), if not, do the tops feel that much better? I know you can pseudo make aero by running the cables in front and back of the bar making a plane of sorts. Are the cables on this bar internally routed?

I remember at a crit a couple of years ago a guy crashed because his aluminum bars snapped on him. He broke his collar bone. I honestly think carbon can handle certain stresses better than aluminum.

These bars are more what I am use to. The 3T bars are the only aluminum bars I have seen so far that look. I have been on a bike with aluminum bars in more than 30 years so I don't really have anything to compare my carbon bars with.

I do like that the drops better on your bars than the ones I have. I don't like drops that have bends in them.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...e/DSC_0943.jpg

These were under $100 on bonktown. Under 200 grams and stiff as far as I can tell.

Then there's the instance, posted here on BF, of aluminum bars that had corroded so badly under the shifters that the bartape was practically the only thing holding them together.

I feel that the main difference regarding damage is that it's easier to see when alloy bars are damaged (provided that the tape gets peeled back now & then, of course).

Actually, IME (and I'm no expert on the subject), when carbon is stressed or damaged there are very obvious signs. Usually in the form of cracks. Aluminum doesn't always show fatigue.

That seems like a ridiculous price.

I scored some Salsa CF risers for my mtb about 4 years ago for $60. They were a takeoff from a new bike and the same deal nowadays would be about $80. My buddy just bought some CF bars for $120 for his road bike, and I scolded him for that.

My first bar was a standard curve.
My 2nd bar was an ergo bar which I much better preferred, but was to low.
This compact is the perfect combination for me and I can ride in the drops much more comfortably now.
FSA has the "Compact" design in far less expensive models as well.
When I go aluminum with my race bike, I'll opt for a Compact design.

:)

It was easy for me to go from my previous low quality bars to The K-Wings personally speaking.
The pictures don't really do the shapes justice.
My cables are internally routed and they operate fine.

Andy Da' Debil (because if you listen to him, you'll spend money)...

Controltech makes some nice hydroformed aluminum bars:

http://www.controltechbikes.com/test...asp?pro_id=168

I have those bars ^ as well as some FSA K-Wing bars, I like both of them but I prefer the shape of the FSA's a little bit more.

i have arthritis in my cmc (carpometacarpal) joint - where the thumb meets the hand, and my zipp carbon bars have made a huge difference in being able to ride long distances without pain. to dismiss carbon bars as a fad, fashion statement, pro only item, fred only item, or to worry about carbon splinters seems very short-sighted. All components carry with them a risk of failure (do people worry about carbon splinters from carbon frames?), and consumers should understand the risks and rewards of any item they purchase for their bike. there are always isolated cases of failure of items of any material, and most of them (at least in our sport) are few and far between.

if you think you might like carbon bars for some reason, and have the $ to spend on them, why not try them and see what you think. you can always switch back. trying new components is one of the things I enjoy about cycling, and I know I have been able to make the best decisions by trying things out and making up my own mind about whether or not they were worth keeping.

Agreed. Carbon works. My aluminum framed bike now has a full carbon fork, seat post, stem, handlebar & pedals.
I've ridden full carbon bikes costing twice as much as my bike and it's hard to see much of a difference.
I would dare to guess (from reading others' experiences) that the differences would be more noticeable
after much longer riding and in extremely highly competitive riding (racing).

My CAAD is much more comfortable today than OEM. It cost me a grip, but it was well worth it.
(Still, $3.,500. for a great frame with top of the line bits is actually very cheap relatively speaking.)

Don't forget cheaper to replace when there IS a problem.

In a sport where $60 bottle cages are no longer a surprise, a few hundred bucks for a nice cockpit doesn't seem all that crazy.