I stumbled across a pair of these for a stupidly good price, and decided to take a chance & buy them unseen based on reviews from interbike. They are very, very nice: I don’t think they are as aero as the HEDs–a larger frontal section, however it is not like a regular round base bar but more like the wing of an aircraft; but they are wider & are definitely stiffer. Really beautiful construction, and they have a couple of touches which I really like: they come with slide on grips, and there are finger indentations built in under the bottom of the drops by the brake–no more sliding around + there is plenty of room to grip–something I find very lacking in the HEDs. The built-in brakes are very sweet, but a serious PITA to setup + it seems as if they used a previous generations instructions as either I was missing parts or they redesigned them & the current version doesn’t need them (99.9% sure of the later). Pretty sweet built in DA 9sp barcon system as well (which is also a negative as if I want to use my old Profile grip-shift style system I have going to have to have some extensions fabricated).
Negatives:
You have to make sure you buy the right size–I’m a big guy & I got a medium & they fit perfect, but you can’t adjust the extension length, only the pad width (and can’t change the rise of the extensions (like the HED) or the pads either).
Retail is stupid expensive–they are already on ebay for under $600, and should go lower.
Doubt if they are as aero as the HEDs–more frontal mass on the pursuit bars.
Not as adjustable as the HEDs or Profile.
Pros:
Beautifully built. Really a work of art & everything well thought out.
Built-in grips are great & offer a nice feel–but how about other colors?
Rock solid–a feel of stability & control that is far above all other one-piece & combo designs.
Lightweight–I’ve heard 650-900 grams–they are probably 1/2 a lb lighter than my old Carbon Stryke/188/stoker/barcon/bartape setup.
Hmmm, check your sources. That I am aware of these are not yet available at retail- although I could be wrong (as I have been often lately). I would wonder if you are getting a production sample or prototype. Most of the time there is no problem with this, but sometimes…
These came in the retail box (which is a waste—box weighs more than the bars & doesn’t allow the user to touch the bars) & from a trusted source. I’d be interested in your opinion when you see them.
I saw prototypes of these bars quite some time ago and then saw a sales sample in person here at Bikesport. Our Veltec (Easton’s U.S. distributor) rep., Kelly O’Brien had a pair to show. I asked him if I could order some to try, and told him if I liked them I would buy six more pairs. He took the order but that was three months ago. I haven’t seen anything. It is “vaporwear” season in the bike industry, when the best ideas of many ambitious companies and designers are showcased but few ever really make it to prime time. This year there was a huge influx of “vaporwear”. When will we see this stuff? Tough to say. Some of it soon, some of it never. If these are retail-ready bars this does conincide with Easton’s original promised release date, so that is promising. In any event, the example of the bars I saw was quite impressive. Just because I don’t have a set doesn’t mean they don’t exist- it just means mine aren’t here yet. I look forward to seeing them in the final retail version and in my store so I can try them! Good luck!
Easton had a few in Kona for sale. Wow they were sweet, nice and light and just smoked everything out there as far as cosmetic construction. I actually didn’t like the pads too much and all though at first I thought my HED pursuit grips were way to small I now can’t see the point of anything bigger. But those molded slip on grips were something i’d love to have integrated into my HED bar. Definetely not as aero as a HED though and out of my price range.