Cheaper carbon fibre handlebars

[Bike Dewing]

Howzit lads.. any body got experience with these cheaper carbon bars.? Safe or stay away.? 
 

I would really like flat top drip bars as I spend a lot of time just chilling or climbing with my hands there.. struggling to find budget friendly stuff though.. 

let me know, thanks 😃🤘🏻

[Martin PJ]

I had some, which I used for years, they were fine. Not the same brand. A mate had another Aliexpress one which had a massive flex in it, the bar broke while he was riding. I would prefer to check out the bar first, see how strong it is, what is the weight. Must not be too light, obviously.

[Bike Dewing]

1 hour ago, Martin PJ said:

I had some, which I used for years, they were fine. Not the same brand. A mate had another Aliexpress one which had a massive flex in it, the bar broke while he was riding. I would prefer to check out the bar first, see how strong it is, what is the weight. Must not be too light, obviously.

I would also like to inspect first but I’m the other side of the country..🥲

[Andreas_187]

I tried those bars years ago, the transition part from the round hood bar to the flat bar is very uncomfortable 

[DieselnDust]

What benefit are you looking for in these bars?

the aero benefit is minimal unless you ride in the drops a lot. 
 

[bleedToWin]

1 minute ago, DieselnDust said:

What benefit are you looking for in these bars?

the aero benefit is minimal unless you ride in the drops a lot. 
 

Why would you think that?

[DieselnDust]

33 minutes ago, bleedToWin said:

Why would you think that?

Your hands on the tops wouldn’t be doing much for drag reduction be a conventional bar, if anything at all. Drag reduction comes from your arms obscuring your chest . May as well opt for the more comfortable option in that case

[bleedToWin]

16 minutes ago, DieselnDust said:

Your hands on the tops wouldn’t be doing much for drag reduction be a conventional bar, if anything at all. Drag reduction comes from your arms obscuring your chest . May as well opt for the more comfortable option in that case

Comparing equal positions the bar tops will always be in the wind and round is slow...

[DieselnDust]

1 minute ago, bleedToWin said:

Comparing equal positions the bar tops will always be in the wind and round is slow...

In a 40km TT at 45km/hr…. I’m sure there 2W benefit

[bleedToWin]

[DieselnDust]

Oooooooooh you wiki’s this one didn’t you

Proves nothing. Steady state and nothing In front of or behind those shapes.

Round bars typically have cable routed in front and behind and wrapped in bar tape. This flattens the shape considerably.

what Reynolds number is the Cd for?

the reference area is also a factor.

if we weee talking about aircraft wings we wouldn’t be having this discussion but since it a bicycle handlebars…..

[Bike Dewing]

3 hours ago, DieselnDust said:

What benefit are you looking for in these bars?

the aero benefit is minimal unless you ride in the drops a lot. 
 

It’s more about having a flatter section on top to rest my hands when climbing or a steady incline and I’m just not hoofing it.. which is a lot of the time if I’m honest🤣🤣

so mellow velo just sorted me out with some SRT carbon ones for a very good price(******* love that shop).. spent the afternoon installing and just did a quick up and down the road.. very happy but they are very different feeling.. can definitely notice the usual bumps in my road felt a little more muted, which I can only guess is the carbon as a posed to alloy which I’m used to.. wasn’t expecting to feel much there but it’s noticeable.. the tops feel very comfortable so I’m happy as this is what I was hoping for.. and I seem to have achieved it.. will see after a proper ride with them..😃🤘🏻

[DieselnDust]

A carbon aero bar will definitely dull the road buzz.

if it was aero gains you are after then I’d have suggested an aero helmet which will deliver a much higher watt saving than a flat top handlebar.

[Bike Dewing]

1 hour ago, DieselnDust said:

A carbon aero bar will definitely dull the road buzz.

if it was aero gains you are after then I’d have suggested an aero helmet which will deliver a much higher watt saving than a flat top handlebar.

Unless I get an aero bike one day, aerodynamics would not be a good enough reason to change something out for me.. and even then I don’t know.. 🤔🤣

 

[cadenceblur]

6 hours ago, DieselnDust said:

What benefit are you looking for in these bars?

the aero benefit is minimal unless you ride in the drops a lot. 
 

Apparently hands on hoods and forearms parallel to ground , trumps the hands in drops position, but takes time to make this position work for you, 

drops more comfortable though and does offer some benefit 

[DieselnDust]

1 hour ago, cadenceblur said:

Apparently hands on hoods and forearms parallel to ground , trumps the hands in drops position, but takes time to make this position work for you, 

drops more comfortable though and does offer some benefit 

That is correct. It offers a smaller frontal area with hands on hoods and forearms parallel to the ground. However it is more energy intensive without forearm supports.

with the bars higher and a longer reach the hands in drops position can deliver similar frontal area to low bars with hands on hoods.