Originally Posted by
PeteHski
Carbon bars damp out a lot of road buzz compared to alloy bars. For example I currently have 2 very similar road endurance bikes (Giant Defy and Canyon Endurace as per my sig below). My Defy has alloy bars and my Endurace has an integrated carbon bar/stem. While both of these bars are endurance/comfort oriented, the Carbon bar on my Canyon is far better at isolating my hands from road vibration. I notice it most riding on chip-seal roads. Even with thicker bar tape on the alloy bars, it's not as good.
The other issue I have with alloy bars is corrosion. I used my Defy on a turbo trainer over winter and sweat pretty much destroyed the alloy bars. While that was my fault and could have been avoided, it's one less thing to worry about with carbon bars.
Thanks for the explanation