I have a Profile Design base bar, with T2+ alloy ski bend clip ons. All Alloy.
Carbon setups are sexier looking, and stiffer, “aeroness” is probably negligible over my existing setup, and some are heavier (although most are not).
3x as expensive as my setup.
I was thinking of systems like: Zipp, HED, Oval, etc.
Worth it? Worth it like, I could spend the money on something else.
PS- I’m building a race bike. This will be a process over the next 6 months. A carbon cockpit would be near the last thing I would buy, and I would buy it used, probably from someone selling on this site.
I doubt they are really stiffer, and if they were, so what? The carbon vision stuff certainly isn’t stiffer than their alloy stuff
the weight hardly matters
all that matter is aerodynamics
minimize that frontal area =)
The vision basebars have the most razor thin wings on the market, their brakes upturn which is bad but you can cut the alloy ones. The easton bars are pretty nice as well and come with flat brake bars which is a plus, and they are half the weight of vision setups.
I have a Profile Design base bar, with T2+ alloy ski bend clip ons. All Alloy.
Carbon setups are sexier looking, and stiffer, “aeroness” is probably negligible over my existing setup, and some are heavier (although most are not).
3x as expensive as my setup.
I was thinking of systems like: Zipp, HED, Oval, etc.
Worth it? Worth it like, I could spend the money on something else.
PS- I’m building a race bike. This will be a process over the next 6 months. A carbon cockpit would be near the last thing I would buy, and I would buy it used, probably from someone selling on this site.
I have a PD cobra carbon base bar and T2 cobra carbon aero bars. I got both on craigslist for about $100 each. So I got $200 (and change) in a FULLY Adjustable, light weight cockpit. Not as sexy as some of the integrated models, but I can adjust height, angles, etc where as some of the higher end models are fixed and have little to no adjustment. ps. They are extremely comfortable!
I ride the oval 901s. Really like the position I get with them. Pretty minimal front end. and have a “sexier” look for sure. I don’t actually find them all that stiff, but there are few times where I am really hammering on the pursuit bars. I picked them up new for around $255, which I feel was a great deal for a “higher end” carbon cocckpit…not all that much more then a basic alloy set up like a PD or VT once you add lever which are integrated into most higher end bars. However I would never pay the retail prices for any of the bars you mentioned…just not worth it.
I switched from Vision alloy setup to HED Vantage 8. Its stiffer (not that I think that makes any difference) and there is definately some more vibration damping when on the bullhorns.
For my mind the value is that the HED has a better aspect ration than the visions and I really like the Lazy-S extensions.
The Profile carbon base bar is no better for frontal area than its alloy cousin, I would change out to something low profile like the HED, Zipp or Oval but be aware that the HED will drop your armrests by quite a bit over your current setup.
For me it was about fit and adjustability. While at Fitwerx, we worked alot on my front end comfort, and I ended up switching from a carbon Vision setup to the Zipp Vuka base and carbon S extensions. Much more comfortable for me to ride aero now…pricey yes…but worth it for me at this point.
That’s where I got this setup: Fitwerx. It is comfy, I’m just wondering if it’s worth upgrading.
Sounds like Consensus is “No” on performance, “Yes” on fit. I already have the fit aspect, so I guess I’ll just hold out until I have more cash, and want some bling.
I just went through this. In the past I’ve had the old Syntace stuff, Vision Tech and Hed. This time around I went back to the Vision Tech stuff in alloy. I never saw any difference with the carbon bars. They were far less adjustable than the VT, flexed a bit, and I didn’t like the idea of the brake integrated levers. Then there is the huge price…When did $1000 + aero bars become the norm? VT base bar and aero bars cost me about $170 new. I just don’t see the high cost and don’t believe they add anything other than some cool factor. Since I have the cool factor covered in bikes and other equipment I am not too concerned with it :).
Depending on what you need fitwise, I may recommend the Syntace Stratos CX.
For me, the Syntace CX is the best basebar because:
Comes in a narrow size(38cm)
No excess clamping area that I won’t use anyways.
Light at 185 grams
As thin as the rest at 15mm
For my position I don’t have a clue as to what clip on I’d put on it though. Zipp’s Vuka clip is pretty heavy, Profile’s Sonic CSX would be decent if they fit me, Syntace C3’s sit really high above the bar, Vision Carbons are all right but not super lightweight for a carbon clip on, etc…
There are lots of good bars, but probably half of them will fit your exact position. In the end, the gains to be had are small.