danch13

Looking for feedback on these bars. Comfort, vibration, weight, installing computer etc...
Also what are people paying for them
cheers

gremelm

Hi, I'm a newbie to this forum but have been lurking for several months. This is my first post.

I have the K Wing Carbon on my 04 Binachi XL Carbon and I would highly recommend it. My 44mm size bar fits me very well replacing the original ITM Four Super Over 40mm bar that was too narrow for my shoulder width. Now I can breathe better when climbing or sprinting and I can go through corners with more confidence because if feels more stable having a wider bar. The bar works for me very well.

The internal cable routing works great with Nokons and should also be good for standard cabling. A big plus if you don't like unsightly cables or the feel of cables under your palm/fingers. The indentation in the corners of the bar is a great place to rest your thenar muscles (thick muscles at the base of the thumb [I looked this up on the net]). The wing part of the bar is set too high of an angle but I don't mind since my palms seems to conform to the angle without any problems anyway. Some people don't like it. The ergo bend radius seems a little too large for small hands to reach for the levers but I haven't had any problems reaching for the lever with my small hands. (I'm 5'9'' and have Campy Record levers). When in the drops it's very comfortable and I can shift my hands to the ends of the bars when I want to go faster in a more aero position. Note that my setup has the bar ends at a slight angle to the ground which I find more comfortable than parallel to the ground. There's also minimal road noise (vibration) in my setup (all Carbon fork, Ritchey WCS stem, and plain cork bar tape) but, of course, you'll feel larger bumps and cracks in the road. Also, the finish will get scratched up so expect it. I taped my bar a little pass the corners (going inward, near the wing) so to protect them and formed a small hump on the upper part of the bar (just before the indentation) with the tape so that I can better grip this area. It works very well. I haven't experienced any numbness with my setup if that's a concern.

Others may have different experiences with the bar's deficiencies, but I like using it.

Installing the bar does take some time if you want to do it properly. Since I installed it myself, I took my time and installing Nokons will definitely take longer than installing regular cables. Your mileage will vary. It wasn't terribly hard to do but taking apart all the cabling and unbolting the derailleur cable bolts and then adjusting everything just right will take time...that's a given. But it's not hard. It helps if you're a little mechanically inclined though.

My bar came in at about 265g. Heavier than advertised but I didn't mind since the rest of the bike is fairly light anyways. The bar is over sized (31.8) so you might have trouble installing a computer. I bought the FSA Control Center attachment and it works very well, only wish it was all in carbon fiber. I have 2 computers on my bike, one on the stem (Sigma) and the other (Specialized) on the Control Center.

Price? Well, I got mine at Hellen's Bike Shop in SoCal. They charge a little more than others locally but I got a good deal on the bar when I purchased other stuff (2 stems and Nokon cables). I got the bar for about $225. Of course, you can find it for less online.

Well, that's my 2.5 cents on my experiences with such a very good product.

OC Roadie

Specialized and Easton both also have the "wing" style carbon bars. They are similarly priced. I have the Specialized (05 S-Works Carbon Bar) version and really like them. They are still round for a couple of inches past the area where the stem clamps, this allows for easy cpu mounting. I think the Easton ones just came out, I haven't heard anything on them. I've heard nothing but good things about the FSA K-Wings.

skydive69

I love mine. My cateye computer installed perfectly with cateye supplied hardware, but FSA has a universal adaptor if you have an issue.

I constantly get comments on how beautiful they are. MY LBS charged me $12 to install and wrap them - I can't afford to waste my time for that kind of labor pricing.

I looked at others like the S-works, but they seem to come up short when put alongside the K-wings. The drop and reach are a bit longer than most, so it is possible that you might need a minor stem adjustment with them. I went from a 100 mm to an 80 mm stem to be exactly in the slot that I wanted to be in.

I think Pricepoint.com has the lowest price anyway on them - as I recall something like $209.

MerckxMad

I've been trying them on my Six13 for the past few rides, and I've decided that I do not like them as compared to traditional bars. I do most of my riding on the hoods, and these bars extend the reach, as compared to my 3T's, quite a bit. As a result, I'm forced to grip the bends above the hoods which twists my wrists inward. The flat sections on the tops are nice, but they tilt slighly down and towards me which doesn't allow me to keep my wrists and plams flat. They look cool, but I find them stiffer and less compliant than aluminum bars and they transmit just as much road chatter up through to my hands.

Leviathan

Do any of you guys have a picture with a K-Wing installed on a Shimano equipped bike? I would like to see how the internal routing looks on such. Thanks.

skydive69

They tilt anyway you tilt them. I have tried mine in various configurations.

Lectron

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...205#post983205

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...light=fsa+wing

gremelm

Sorry, not pic, but just an observation from a Campy guy. Wouldn't you only need to route the brake cables? You could not really get the shifting cables in the K-Wing unless you cram them in there and then you'd have a couple of tight turns which decreases shifting capabilities. Not a good thing.

I suppose you can route the shifting cables into the K-Wing if you're using Nokon cables but it's so much easier and cleaner with Campy stuff anyways.

The_Convert

Huh?? Where?

OC Roadie

I think I saw them in the newest issue of a cycling magazine, checked Easton's site and couldn't find them. Maybe my bad, I'll see if I can find the ad or review or whatever it was and put it up here.

The_Convert

On my team order there isn't anything like that. I would assume it would be on there if it existed. I would absolutly get one if they made it....

OC Roadie

Hmm, I went back and looked for the ad I "thought" that I saw and couldn't find it. I swear I saw them somewhrere, maybe I made them up in my dreams. Sorry to have misled anyone, I guess Easton will just have to come out with some EC90 Wing Bars, I bet they will.