jaxgtr

Yea, when I did mine, I waited until I knew it was time to replace the bar tape, then I did my search, found the best pricing, and had everything ready to go.

Sy Reene

I think it's big bike -- they needed more differentiation between CF and alloy to justify big price hikes on the CF options.
Basically all bars are heavier than they used to be able to be. A Zipp SL carbon bar in 2006 was about 165g.

beeballman

So after two rides on the new bars: I can tell a definite difference in the vibrations on the road are noticeably better under the carbon bars than the aluminum bars they replaced. Good solid feel, and comfortable.

Psimet2001 

It's funny because i remember the opposite. All carbon bars were heavier than comparable alloy bars. Maybe back in '06 that wasn't the case but I feel like from '10 on it definitely was the case. I sat there so many times wondering why anyone would ever buy carbon for bars. Now it seems like they are the same to slightly lighter so meh. Still not something I am running out to put on a bike that has a high potential of hitting the deck.

Polaris OBark

The case for carbon fiber bars is stronger than the case for carbon fiber frames.

Psimet2001 

Oh? This I would like to hear.

From my point of view carbon frames are markedly lighter than Alloy frames.
They are way more repairable than alloy frames
Pricing - they really aren't much more expensive at the lower end at all and we can always argue the higher end is expensive because of marketing and price pointing.

SoSmellyAir

Really!? The Zipp Contour SL (SS) CF handlebar (42 cm C-C) I previously bought (in 2019) is < 200 g, and the Deda Elementi Superleggera CF handlebar (44 cm O-O) I just ordered (thanks WhyFi) is also supposed to be < 200 g.

That said, there are also quite a few CF "aerodynamic" handlebars which are > 200 g, some almost 250 g, which gets very close to a lightweight alloy bar.

Sy Reene

Just for kicks another datapoint. A 2005 Easton EA70 handlebar was 225g; today Comp Cyclist shows the weight for same nominal model at 280g.

Polaris OBark

You will doubtless be appalled to hear that the alloy frame material I had in mind is steel, and what I had in mind for comparison was ride comfort.

Dean V

Despite it being rather strange to refer to steel as being an alloy frame I will say that carbon can out perform steel (alloy) or aluminium (alloy) in every respect if it is designed to do so.

Psimet2001 

Well I'd sharpen your doubt sensors then as you should have doubted my appall..ness..es.
Steel is great. Always has been but it truly is just left for a tiny market segment on the high end or for the throngs of Bicycle Shaped Objects (BSOs) on the lowest end. It's a bit like saying, "You think traveling by airplane is neat then I'm going to blow your mind with going by sailboat."

Because of where it dropped to steel seems to be harder to find, more expensive than carbon if we are talking something nice, and less repairable (only from the standpoint of finding someone with the skill, knowledge and time to repair it correctly) than carbon.

As for ride comfort - that's subjective. I am more comfortable on a bone shaker stiff as possible crit bike with steep angles than I am on a lay-z-boy cruiser with soft steel. I totally understand how for some they want the most muted feel possible. It's why those old Cadillacs drove like boats. Sail boats you might even say.

Polaris OBark

Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon (and often other elements such as chromium and molybdenum).

Bronze is an alloy of copper, tin and zinc.

An alloy is defined as a mixture of metallic (and sometimes other) elements. It is not unique to aluminum, so "alloy" is not a synonym for aluminum, nor is "alu" or "alum", the latter of which is a sulphate salt of aluminum.

Aluminum (or aluminium) has a very simple and convenient IUPAC abbreviation that appears on the periodic table: Al

There is no need to invent non-standard terminology or abbreviations, and then get annoyed when someone doesn't adhere to it.

(For the record, I was suggesting that one advantage of carbon vs. aluminum alloy handlebars is that in many cases they are more comfortable, despite being more stiff, even if there isn't a significant weight advantage. Carbon frames, on the other hand, do tend to be more fragile than metallic frames, and in my very subjective opinion, more comfortable than aluminum alloy, and typically less comfortable than iron alloy. Those who don't like a bit of flex generally prefer stiffer carbon frames, but now some of those carbon frames, like Trek's Supercaliber and Domane, have flex properties engineered into them by design. Perhaps they are starting to mimic the inherent properties of steel that some people covet.)

tomato coupe

Thank you for those definitions, Captain Pedantic. In cycling, it is widely accepted that "alloy" refers to aluminum alloy frames, "steel" refers to steel alloy frames, and "titanium" refers to titanium alloy frames. Your crusade to refer to them all as alloy frames is pointless.

Polaris OBark

Normally, I refer to them as steel, aluminum and carbon.

Alum isn't a great frame or handlebar material, but it might be helpful to staunch the bleeding of your wounded ego.

tomato coupe

Why would my ego be wounded, and how does aluminum staunch a bleeding wound?

Camilo

And his pedantic statement is as old and about as clever as calling carbonfiber plastic.

WhyFi

Alum blocks (potassium alum) have been long used in traditional wet shaving to stop bleeding from small cuts. They're handy.

Polaris OBark

But there is one crucial difference:

Calling carbon fiber plastic is factually inaccurate.
Calling aluminum alum is factually inaccurate.
Stating that steel is not an alloy is factually inaccurate.

So the analogy applies, but opposite to the way that you presumably intended.

Oh, there should be a space in "carbonfiber", and one ought not to start a sentence with "And".

Dean V

But calling steel an alloy is also pointless because just if it wasn't an alloy it couldn't be steel.

Camilo

Sy Reene

Why don't Ti and Aluminum Alloy materials have catchy names like 'steel' also?
Tilar and Alzine or something

tomato coupe

People that start sentences with "But" shouldn't complain about sentences that start with "And".

tomato coupe

Titanium alloy does have a catchy name, but it is only revealed to true believers.

mstateglfr 

bruh

Polaris OBark

Then of course there is the "scandium" bike frame material, which, as it turns out, is yet just another type of aluminum alloy, and a small amount of Sc is indeed included (pun intended). Scandium sounds exclusive and expensive and has snob appeal, while aluminum sounds cheap, (which is probably why people call it "alum" or "alloy"). So put a trace amount of Sc in there, and raise the price. By similar logic, that iron alloy could be sold as a carbon frame, with a Fe matrix to add fiber-like strength, but as a regular three-dimensional array for added durability.