This is completely unrelated (mostly) but I can't resist.

I just picked up a FSA K-Wing carbon bar for my road bike (still unbuilt). I saw the bar in my LBS and got major wood. I can testify that it barely weighs anything, looks cool as hell and has an ergo top that feels like it will be very comfy (due to it's surface area and design, not necesarrily because it has carbon bling). And it has internal cable routing. If it was a chick I'd marry it.

Buy because it fits well or you simply want it.

Don't buy into the comfort thing. Pure marketing. Any material can be designed and built for a specific trait. Carbon could be built so that is more stiff than any aluminum bike. It could also be built so as to be a noodle.

Carbon is good for intricate shapes, is getting cost effective. (actually already is to the manufacturers, hence the reason you see it on everything now, huge built in margins) and carbon is good for looking cool which is a good enough reason for me.

   

This is kind of what I was thinking. I think carbon might be a smidge over-rated.

SM

I am not a technical or materials expert, but I have heard/read that things such as tire pressure( free) and bar tape( a few $) have a bigger impact on how a good bike feels than the addition or subtraction of some material in a bike component.

Fleck

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

This won't make much difference as far as 'comfort' goes, but then comfort isn't really a design goal for aero bars. Carbon is also a very malleable material, meaning the engineer designing the part has a lot of control over how it will perform and act. Carbon can be stiff or flexible, strong or not so strong ... etc, all depending on how it's used.

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