Cinelli Integralter Handlebars

DESCRIPTION

Integrated threadless stem and bar

USER REVIEWS

Showing 1-10 of 15  
[Sep 07, 2005]
aaronbarker
Recreational Rider

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
Strength:

stiff, strong, cool-looking

Weakness:

heavy, hard to install

wanting to upgrade from the stock stem and bars originally on my bike, i lucked into a cheap set of unused integralter bars on ebay. 120mm, black. i wanted a set of these for their stiffness and aero characteristics. certainly a nice 'cool' factor as well. they have performed admirably and have survived one accident that would've broken carbon bars (likely). the only downside i can say is they're a bear to install. snaking your cables and housings through the bars can be and arduous task - took me a few hours. my advice is to run the cables through first then the housings over them. i can get up out of the saddle and really hammer on these bars with full confidence - no movement or creaking at all. the flats are nice to rest on during long rides as well.

Similar Products Used:

low-end cinelli's that were stock on my bike

[Aug 10, 2003]
CritLover
Road Racer

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
Strength:

Incredibly stiff, great for sprinting, break aways, or any other time you need an aero advantage.

Weakness:

People always staring at it, asking lots of questions (or is that a strength). No way to adjust. Weight (don't know the exact numbers). Makes me want the Cinelli Ram.

I waited until the right size came on ebay and then jumped on them. The price definitely makes the rating higher. They are really stiff, almost too stiff, but I have adapted. The local training crit has rough roads and after the first time using them my hands were killing me! That hasn't happened on any of my training rides, so I don't have much to complain about. When I'm climbing and using the tops, the bar shape is so comfortable that I can't imagine having to go back to a regular shaped bar. When you lean your forearms over on it, the tuck is super aero and still easy to control. I also picked up the Checkpoint extension from Cinelli to put my computer on. Originally, I had it strapped to the stem, but then got a power meter and it needed a regular shaped bar holder.

Similar Products Used:

Bontrager Race Lite, Salsa Poco, Icon Graphite

[Jan 05, 2003]
lugnut866
Recreational Rider

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
Strength:

Comfortable.

Weakness:

Cost

Bought because of and in spite of the reviews here. I do not compete, or really do a lot of climbing (In the midwest there isn't a hill higher than 300 ft) so pull on the bar for climbs is not an issue. I do like a stiff responsive bike and like to rest my arms on the bar while chugging along the flats (which is most of the ride) so in this respects the bar was an interesting option. I have only ridden a couple hundred miles with them and have not been disappointed. They fit my body and riding style perfectly. Also as far as road vibration, I typically only ride 40 mile rides on decent Illinois back roads so I haven't really noticed much in this area. As mentioned mounting the computer is a challenge but I found a decent solution similar to those mentioned. Overall I am pretty pleased with the bar and hope I don't experience the breaking problem. After looking at the welds, it looks pretty solid and am suprised to hear of the problems.

Similar Products Used:

Easton, TTT bars and Ibis, Cinelli stems

[Jun 30, 2002]
Dirk_M
Triathlete

OVERALL
RATING
1
VALUE
RATING
1
Strength:

It' s very stiff

Weakness:

Weld will break

It was the greatest handlebar I ever rode ..., until it broke!

Similar Products Used:

Cinelli Alter/ Nerve I'll try the Cinelli Ram

[May 23, 2002]
ehd
Commuter

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
Strength:

Stiff, comforatable, really cool looking, stiff

Weakness:

you feel the road a lot more (which I personally like, viva aluminum!), that creaking I hear, and the computer mounting. Also, you can't stick a niterider (or any other headlight) onto the bars either, they're just too big.

These bars are really awesome. They're nice and stiff (come on! they have to be--Cipo uses them, after all), and the flatter tops are really comforatable for chugging up long hills, or just taking a break. I haven't had any weld problems, and I've ridden at least six thousand miles or so on them. I don't notice any flex (I'm 5'8", 158#), although larger people that ride my bike seem to. There is an annoying creak that shows up when I crank the bars hard uphill, but I think it has more to do with the aluminum-on-aluminum fork-stem contact. You also have to be creative with the computer mounting, unless you want to spend fifteen bucks or so to buy their mount. I just set my flight deck into the hole on the stem and secured it with some twisty-ties.

Similar Products Used:

ITM Millenium, Ritchey Logic Pro, Icon, Deda Newtons

[May 20, 2002]
usnAgent007
Recreational Rider

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
Strength:

Stiff. Light. Aero (top bar and internal cable routing). It feels good. It looks good. It''''s sexy. I like also that it is not out-of-the-ballpark expensive like the Cinelli Ram (400 USD?). I payed about 80 USD for a new one on ebay. *You will learn patience while threading the cables internally :)

Weakness:

some people may not like the stiffness? I feel more road vibes with this than my traditional handlebar/stem setup despite having an all-carbon fork. Some people may not do well with the predetermined sizes? Some people may not like the Checkpoint computer mount? (I don''''t; it wrecks the streamlining--see what I did to alleviate this above). Some people may have a problem with having the top of the bars not wrapped? (I don''''t--again, streamlining). If you can''''t handle that, maybe YOU are weak?

What a great idea, and well executed. I haven''''t had any problems with the welds coming apart, it makes me wonder what these people are doing? It''''s been great. One thing: you will have to be as innovative as the designers were if you mean to mount your computer without using the "checkpoint" computer mount. I bought a Specialized 02 Speedzone Sport and secured it _inside_ the hollow part of the stem...the tachometer-like display portrudes from the top, while the part that would normally mount to the handlebars is secured around the spacers below the stem by a Tri-Zone velcro strap. The setup works great. If you want pics or other ideas email me.

Similar Products Used:

traditional handlebar/stem configurations.

[May 06, 2002]
off242
Road Racer

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
Strength:

Comfort in hand positioning -- especially in the drops, is fantastic. That nice, wide bar up top is great for climbing and will just plain spoil you for other bars. Not having to worry about a creaking stem when sprinting or climbing is pretty nice, too.

Weakness:

Make sure you have a forgiving frame (ie: non-aluminium) if riding longer distances on a regular basis -- the shock will really do you in, especially on the rougher roads so common in Texas. Also, for mounting your computer, you''''''''ll need to purchase (separately) the Checkpoint bracket that bolts on to the bar. While it is double-sided, allowing your ''''''''puter to go on one side and your heart monitor on the other, it also adds a bit more weight, and the mounting screw strips rather easily. And, if that weren''''''''t bad enough, if you''''''''ve both those pieces of electronics installed, you''''''''ll need to get creative when mounting lights, hence the reduced overall rating.

Best bar/stem matchup evah.

Similar Products Used:

Cinelli Alter stem & ITM 260 bar. There is just no comparison, though; the Integralter rocks.

[Apr 10, 2002]
scotti
Recreational Rider

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
Strength:

comfy tops and bar shape, good looking, neat pin-up

Weakness:

no adjustability, cable routing bigger pain than I expected, tops are slippery if not taped

I really like the bend of these bars. The brake levers can be high enough to be comfortable from the top and the lever is close enough to the drop to still use. It seems that alot of bars end up with the end plugs pointing down when you get the brakes situated up top, these have ample flat area at the end to get a comfortable hand position. The flat top works well too, however, you may want to consider going to the next longer stem length. The flat part is wide enough that when you lean on it your palms will be about 2 inches away from the front of the bar. The pin-up feature is an added bonus, it''''s a nice distraction slogging up long hills.

Similar Products Used:

ritchey, 3t, profile, itm, generic

[Nov 14, 2001]
Ed
Road Racer

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
Strength:

STIFF. Holy cow... it''s really comforatable on the tops to ride on, also. If looks are your thing, this can''t be beat (except by the Ram)

Weakness:

it CREAKS a LOT. Whenever I''m climbing out of the saddle it creaks as I lean the bike right and left... that scares me. It''s a little heavier than normal bar and stem configs...

I bought this because I was looking for something stiff and fun.

Similar Products Used:

Ritchey Logic Pro, Deda Newtons

[Oct 14, 2001]
David Parsons
Road Racer

OVERALL
RATING
1
VALUE
RATING
2
Strength:

Comfortable. When it breaks, it won''t just completely snap without warning.

Weakness:

Weld will break.

I loved this thing until it broke. I''m 6''3", 210. I thought this would last forever. After about 1 year with this bar, I rode through a little pothole and heard something crack. I kept riding, slowly, and the next bump in the rode the left-side weld gave way. It was still attached so this failure might not have resulted in a crash if I had been up to speed. Better then the TTT bar I had that snapped with no warning...

Similar Products Used:

TTT (broke it), Profile

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