Price Paid:
$40.00
at Competitive Cyclist Favorite Ride:
Winter rides in Auburn Bike Setup:
Serotta Nove Summary:
First off, if you want to investigate the phenomenon of compact bars, it’s pretty hard to go wrong with a $40 bar from FSA. Handlebars are like saddles, in that you can read all you want but until you park your body on it and try it out you’ll never really know. An expensive proposition with a lot of saddles (and handlebars) costing well over $200.
That being said, I’ve found myself spending more time in the drops lately, and not really loving my “anatomic” full drop bars with the big flat portions in the drops and the big reach to the brake/shift levers. I thought I’d try this out and see if I could find a better combination of stem/bar for my current riding trends. I combined this with a Specialized adjustable angle stem, for which I have a full set of multi-angled sleeves from a past purchase. The Speshy stem may not be the lightest or stiffest, but it’s a great tool for tweaking your setup.
So where do I stand on the bar? I spend the majority of my cruising time on the hoods or just behind, and I absolutely love the feel of these bars in those positions. Perhaps there are fewer options there with the shorter reach, but it just feels right regardless. I mounted them with the drops at the same height as my old “deep bar”, and the tops a bit lower as a result of the shallow drop. Now I spend some time on the tops when climbing, which I rarely did before. So I’ve effectively added a viable hand position with this bar, and the slightly narrower width at the hoods and tops (the drops angle out slightly) doesn’t bother me at all as my elbows are typically bent when I’m “up there” anyway which opens up my arms at my chest and allows me to breath just fine.
Drawbacks? OK, they are really stiff – and I do mean REALLY stiff. If you’re used to carbon bars, you’ll feel way more road sensation on these, but again this is just an experimental bar for me. I can live with the road feel for now. Perhaps the slightly shallower difference between the tops and drops is a drawback, but for me it’s opened up another hand position on the very top (which I rarely used previously) so that’s a wash. In the drops, it’s better than the anatomic bars but not quite a perfect solution. My hands still aren’t quite content for extended periods in the drops, but maybe some more stem height/reach tweaking will solve that. It is better in the drops, just not perfect.
Bottom line. . .it’s interesting, it has potential, but it’s not exactly a slam dunk. Hey, for $40 it’s been an incredibly cost effective experiment. When was the last time you bought something new for your bike for $40 that was worthy of your interest? Bar tape? Inner tubes? One tire? It seems to me that if I so much as look at my bike from across the room, $400 is automatically deducted from my bank account. This is the good side of UGI – the side I can actually afford.
Strengths:
Cheap, stiff, and accessible on a budget Weaknesses:
See Strengths? Similar Products Used:
3T Alloy bars, FSA Carbon bars 
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