Talk to me about the Cervelo carbon aero handlebar

Apr 6, 15 13:53

Post #1 of 25 (15155 views)

So I get the design of the handlebar to maximize the 3:1 as Cervelo found the handlebars to account for around 30% of the drag. Makes perfect sense. Anyone know if there is any data comparing something like the Cervelo version against the Zipp, Specialized or Bontrager aero bars? I would assume they would all be fairly close, but that the Cervelo would still come out slightly ahead? Especially with the leading edge of the Cervelo aero bars covering the front of the stem.

Are there any downsides to the Cervelo bar that I might want to know about since I am potentially considering purchasing one?

Anyone have saddle time on a bike with one? How comfortable was it?

Re: Talk to me about the Cervelo carbon aero handlebar [Ahillock] [ In reply to ]

Apr 6, 15 13:59

Post #2 of 25 (15142 views)

No downsides that I can see except for 1 kinda big one:

They're not clip-on compatible.

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Re: Talk to me about the Cervelo carbon aero handlebar [Ahillock] [ In reply to ]

Apr 6, 15 14:05

Post #3 of 25 (15124 views)

Ahillock wrote:

.

Are there any downsides to the Cervelo bar that I might want to know about since I am potentially considering purchasing one?

It's only available as a "compact drop" (Boo).

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Re: Talk to me about the Cervelo carbon aero handlebar [Ahillock] [ In reply to ]

Apr 6, 15 14:18

Post #4 of 25 (15096 views)

No place for your iphone or bell

Re: Talk to me about the Cervelo carbon aero handlebar [nublar] [ In reply to ]

Apr 6, 15 14:25

Post #5 of 25 (15085 views)

I do think not being able to put a Garmin on a Barfly/K-Edge mount is a drawback. Seems like a waste to have such a sleek setup and then have to strap your computer to the stem.

I would also be curious to see the aero impact of an out-front mount vs on the stem.

/kj

http://kjmcawesome.tumblr.com/

Re: Talk to me about the Cervelo carbon aero handlebar [Ahillock] [ In reply to ]

Apr 6, 15 14:48

Post #6 of 25 (15048 views)

Are there any downsides to the Cervelo bar that I might want to know about since I am potentially considering purchasing one?

One that quickly came to my mind when I first saw these, but that the smart engineers at Cervlo most likley factored in was stem-face-plate and bolt access competitibility.

Is it universal, or will it only work on certain stems/face-plates?

Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Re: Talk to me about the Cervelo carbon aero handlebar [Fleck] [ In reply to ]

Apr 6, 15 14:50

Post #7 of 25 (15046 views)

It's basically universal.

Cervelo has also stated that the computer on the stem is not aero "negative." I think.

Re: Talk to me about the Cervelo carbon aero handlebar [James Haycraft] [ In reply to ]

Apr 6, 15 15:30

Post #8 of 25 (15007 views)

James Haycraft wrote:

It's basically universal.

Cervelo has also stated that the computer on the stem is not aero "negative." I think.

Cervelo has also excluded riders with SRM or Pioneer head units, which do not have a stem mount option. Not that I would ever mount my Pioneer head unit on a stem anyways, it would look way clunky.

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Re: Talk to me about the Cervelo carbon aero handlebar [Tom A.] [ In reply to ]

Apr 6, 15 15:31

Post #9 of 25 (15005 views)

DarkSpeedWorks wrote:

No downsides that I can see except for 1 kinda big one:

They're not clip-on compatible.

Maybe. For me, it will be used as a road bike. But I could see for someone wanting to use for tris. But if you run Di2, wouldn't be too hard to throw a set of integrated tri bars on it.

3T Aeronova and the Bontrager XXX Aero are the only "new" aero road bars that take clip ons that I recall? I know the Zipp SL-70's doesn't take them. The Specialized Aerofly doesn't have any clip ons that fit it if I recall correctly? I could be wrong about that.

Tom A. wrote:

It's only available as a "compact drop" (Boo).

True. I think it would still work for me. I need to look at the numbers again.

Re: Talk to me about the Cervelo carbon aero handlebar [ In reply to ]

Apr 6, 15 15:45

Post #10 of 25 (14990 views)

The Zipp SL-70 is the other one I was considering. Cervelo is claiming 7.7w reduction and Zipp is claiming 6.4w reduction both at 30 mph over a round tube handlebar.

I haven't seen any claims from Bontrager, 3T or Specialized regarding their aero road bars.

Re: Talk to me about the Cervelo carbon aero handlebar [Ahillock] [ In reply to ]

Apr 6, 15 15:58

Post #11 of 25 (14965 views)

Ahillock wrote:

The Zipp SL-70 is the other one I was considering. Cervelo is claiming 7.7w reduction and Zipp is claiming 6.4w reduction both at 30 mph over a round tube handlebar.

I haven't seen any claims from Bontrager, 3T or Specialized regarding their aero road bars.

I owned the SL-70 prior to the Cervelo bar and I must say I vastly prefer the Cervelo bar. For whatever reason the "hood" position is much more comfortable (I can set it up to be overall a little "flatter" in the transition area between bar and hood) and the flat bar section is much more comfortable (a little deeper and grippier due in part to the decals/paint job having multiple "layers" so to speak).

Re: Talk to me about the Cervelo carbon aero handlebar [James Haycraft] [ In reply to ]

Apr 6, 15 16:08

Post #12 of 25 (14945 views)

James Haycraft wrote:

I owned the SL-70 prior to the Cervelo bar and I must say I vastly prefer the Cervelo bar. For whatever reason the "hood" position is much more comfortable (I can set it up to be overall a little "flatter" in the transition area between bar and hood) and the flat bar section is much more comfortable (a little deeper and grippier due in part to the decals/paint job having multiple "layers" so to speak).

Cheers. Thanks for the personal note regarding your experience with the Cervelo aero bar. Do you ever miss being able to put your hands on the tops when riding (specifically climbing)? Or do you feel there are enough comfortable hand positions on the Cervelo bar to keep you happy?

James Haycraft wrote:

Cervelo has also stated that the computer on the stem is not aero "negative." I think.

Below is Damon's response to that question regarding where to place the bike computer when he was still working for Cervelo:

damon_rinard wrote:

Would be nice to test your barstem, but no promises - we already have more ideas than testing time. ;-)

Regarding your stem choice, we found a "streamlined" clamp resulted in more drag overall. So we canned the "aero" stem part of the project (niiice - that was a structural nightmare).

In fact, when we added a Garmin 800 on top of the stem (standard quarter turn mount with rubber O-rings), the drag went down again, saving 20 grams (at 30.0 mph).

Bottom line, we recommend using a standard 4-bolt face plate and a Garmin with your Cervelo drop bars.

Cheers,

Re: Talk to me about the Cervelo carbon aero handlebar [Ahillock] [ In reply to ]

Apr 6, 15 16:10

Post #13 of 25 (14942 views)

Yea, I meant negatively affected drag. Sorry, poor choice of phrasing.

I prefer the Cervelo bar in every way compared to the Zipp. Every hand position, except for the drops, is different. The drops' position is basically the same, but I have better bar tape now. So it's more comfortable.

Re: Talk to me about the Cervelo carbon aero handlebar [James Haycraft] [ In reply to ]

Apr 6, 15 16:32

Post #14 of 25 (14922 views)

I figured that is what you meant. I just thought it would be worthwhile to have Damon's comment in here as well if anyone ever came back to this thread in the future.

Re: Talk to me about the Cervelo carbon aero handlebar [Fleck] [ In reply to ]

Apr 6, 15 16:35

Post #15 of 25 (14918 views)

Fleck wrote:

One that quickly came to my mind when I first saw these, but that the smart engineers at Cervlo most likley factored in was stem-face-plate and bolt access competitibility.

Is it universal, or will it only work on certain stems/face-plates?

It looks like it will work with most stems.

I'm pretty sure it won't work with a Ritchey C260 which has a clamp that wraps around the bars 260 degrees instead of the usual 180.

There definitely wouldn't be a faceplate bolt access problem with the C260 since the bolt head is on the stem side instead of the face place side.

Last edited by: j.shanney: Apr 6, 15 16:38

Re: Talk to me about the Cervelo carbon aero handlebar [Ahillock] [ In reply to ]

Apr 6, 15 18:41

Post #16 of 25 (14825 views)

I have both the zipp Vila sprint and the cervelo bar. Both are fantastic. I like the shape of the tops on the cervelo bar more. I wish there was an elegant garmin solution out front, but am getting by just fine with it on the stem. One thing to consider is that the edge of the tops on the cervelo extend beyond the stem faceplate while zipp ends at the stem. The reach in the tops is further out while the hoods are in the same place.

Re: Talk to me about the Cervelo carbon aero handlebar [Orbilius] [ In reply to ]

Apr 6, 15 20:51

Post #17 of 25 (14731 views)

I am just trying to decide if the price increase of the Cervelo is worth it over the Zipp SL-70 aero bar for myself. I can get a discount on the Zipp, which would end up making it $120 cheaper than the Cervelo handlebar. The performance aspect between the two seems minimal (although slightly in Cervelo's favor). Just trying to decide if one will be easier to work on and actually be more comfortable to ride with on a daily basis. If it is a wash, I'll just as happily go with the cheaper option.

Re: Talk to me about the Cervelo carbon aero handlebar [Orbilius] [ In reply to ]

Apr 6, 15 20:58

Post #18 of 25 (14714 views)

I thought the point of the "bridge" in front of the stem was to mount a garmin using a mount and the rubber bands so its as close to being "out front" as possible?

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Re: Talk to me about the Cervelo carbon aero handlebar [Ahillock] [ In reply to ]

Apr 7, 15 1:51

Post #19 of 25 (14629 views)

Ahillock wrote:

3T Aeronova and the Bontrager XXX Aero are the only "new" aero road bars that take clip ons that I recall? I know the Zipp SL-70's doesn't take them. The Specialized Aerofly doesn't have any clip ons that fit it if I recall correctly? I could be wrong about that.

Enve SES Road Aero bar does take clip-ons as well, however, only the ones made by Enve specifically for that bar :) Total price for such a set isn't too inspiring, though.

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Re: Talk to me about the Cervelo carbon aero handlebar [mrlobber] [ In reply to ]

Apr 7, 15 9:15

Post #20 of 25 (14513 views)

Good catch. I forgot to mention the Enve one.

Re: Talk to me about the Cervelo carbon aero handlebar [Ahillock] [ In reply to ]

Apr 7, 15 10:27

Post #21 of 25 (14452 views)

What kind of warranty does Cervelo have on those bars?

Re: Talk to me about the Cervelo carbon aero handlebar [Ahillock] [ In reply to ]

Sep 20, 19 13:29

Post #22 of 25 (5442 views)

Hello, it has been some time since there was activity here and I am hoping there is a solution to getting TT Triathlon bars on to the AB04 bars?
I have an S3 and recently learned about these bars and wanted to get a pair, but would like to also be able to get clip-ons on from time to time.
Please let me know if anyone is aware of a compatible set of clip-ons.

I have found this mount so it is nice and clean for your bike computer
https://barflybike.com/...-fly-4-cervelo-mount

Fingers crossed

Re: Talk to me about the Cervelo carbon aero handlebar [Vanbc] [ In reply to ]

Sep 20, 19 13:39

Post #23 of 25 (5415 views)

Nothing is available as I looked down this road a while ago.

Re: Talk to me about the Cervelo carbon aero handlebar [BMANX] [ In reply to ]

Sep 20, 19 13:49

Post #24 of 25 (5394 views)

BMANX wrote:

Nothing is available as I looked down this road a while ago.

Thank you @bmanx, hopefully this is not too broad of a question but are you aware of a similar bar to the AB04 (i.e. flat top section) that has a compatible clip-on bar?
I like the aesthetic look of the flat top section but I also think it would be more comfortable for your palms and wrists when riding in that position.

Re: Talk to me about the Cervelo carbon aero handlebar [Vanbc] [ In reply to ]

Sep 20, 19 14:08

Post #25 of 25 (5365 views)

There are a lot of options available for aero drop bars that will accept clip on style aerobars. You might even be able to create your own without having to have armrests and being able to use the aero top of the drop bars. I am thinking about going this route but these days I have been informed that all bike related purchases have to be revenue neutral.

If money was no object like in the older days, I would have these.

https://www.haero-carbon.com/...thlon-lenker-h380-tr

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