Has anyone put carbon handlbars on their Levo? Good, bad and/or cost?

[Oldmanlevo]

Thinking to change out my bars soon to carbon. Can't really find exact replacements, but close...
My question is more towards
1) if anyone has done this and if so, do they feel better, as in less vibration?
2) beings they are a bit lighter and more rigid, do they free up some energy on the steering?
3) was the price(?) Worth it?

 

[levity]

I find these to be very nice, especially if your LBS gives you a good price on them...
S-Works DH Carbon Handlebars | Specialized.com
38mm (1.5") rise, 6-degree upsweep, 8-degree backsweep

 

[Oldmanlevo]

Wow they are wide...can they be cut down to 150-160mm?

 

[All Mountain Coaching]

Wow they are wide...can they be cut down to 150-160mm?

150mm?

 

[DanDilla]

Wow they are wide...can they be cut down to 150-160mm?

Please do this! I‘m waiting for pics, which grips do you plan to fit?

I got the Enve M7 (40mm rise/800mm/6/8)) with a 35mm Stem, eliminates small vibrations very well while feeling much stiffer and more direct (May also be the shorter stem) than the standart alloy one.
Was riding a Truvativ Jerome Clementz on the bike before and the standart Cockpit just felt bad in every way and was replaced after a week or so.

 

[ccrdave]

i have a nukeproof horizon bar on mine
Nukeproof Horizon Carbon Riser Bar | Chain Reaction Cycles

 

[Oldmanlevo]

150mm?

OOPS...I meant 750-760mm, closer to the stock size. (it's what I get for doing 3 different computer tasks at the same time).

 

[drjarvis2003]

You might want to look at the Spank Vibrocore bars, they eliminated the arm pump that i was getting and got them from amazon for £42 at the time.

 

[TheBikePilot]

I’ve got a spank vibrocore bar as well. Highly recommend.

 

[Thomas]

Didn't even try stock handlebars.

Don't remember when I last had a bike with Alu bars.

 

[Mcharza]

You might want to look at the Spank Vibrocore bars, they eliminated the arm pump that i was getting and got them from amazon for £42 at the time.

Didn't even think the carbon bar, I think it's too stiff. But vibracore is good

 

[Northumbrian]

Didn't even think the carbon bar, I think it's too stiff. But vibracore is good

Not all carbon bars are stiff, I run 2 sets, and on my xc bike flat bars with carbon bar ends ( yes, I know it’s old school) but you can feel light flex when climbing aggressively, they also kill loads of vibration.

 

[Oldmanlevo]

Not all carbon bars are stiff, I run 2 sets, and on my xc bike flat bars with carbon bar ends ( yes, I know it’s old school) but you can feel light flex when climbing aggressively, they also kill loads of vibration.

Thats the thing, I'm not planning on buying 20.00 chinese knockoffs, which tend to be hard and inflexible...my stumpjumper carbon expert is extremely smooth compared to the alloy version, so quality of carbon is the key...

 

[All Mountain Coaching]

I've been running renthal carbon for far too long, they must work and are lightest in class with proven background. There is definitely flex in them. I often check the stem is still tight thinking the movement is from that, not flex.

You can only truly tell if you test back to back products. Which is pretty time consuming and expensive.

As with biking and many other hobbies, people are only going to comment on what they have and big them up, when reality is they've no experience of other products. No one likes to admit they're not happy with their bike/product.

 

[Mcharza]

Not all carbon bars are stiff, I run 2 sets, and on my xc bike flat bars with carbon bar ends ( yes, I know it’s old school) but you can feel light flex when climbing aggressively, they also kill loads of vibration.

That was my opinion and i'm riding downhill

 

[gregjet]

I have been running almost exclusively carbon bars since 2000. By far the most reliable are Easton bars. I am still using TWO sets from about that date ( monkeylites). I do run them much shorter than the current fashion so there is less leverage.
Quite a while ago one of the american magazines ran a test where they covered AL,C and steel bars with tape, on identical bikes so you couldn't tell which was which, and got a number of riders too ride them. Almost ALL riders rated the carbon bars as less harsh and more comfortable. Now that was before the current unnecessary fat centre which stiffens bars considerably, and carbon bars more than the other two, as the carbon bar is constant wall thickness and the other two are thinner at the expanded centre.
Either way if you use Eastons they will last for years.
Yes they will break catastrophically but the force needed is way above that which will turn Al into mush. Well made carbon bars don't fatigue ( well not in ordinary service) , Al does.
Note: the resin in carbon bars can degenerate from prolonged exposure to UV, so keep them out of the sun when not using the bike. I live in North Queensland and both my ancient Eastons are still in full service so it takes a fair bit to do the damage.

 

[Oldmanlevo]

I have been running almost exclusively carbon bars since 2000. By far the most reliable are Easton bars. I am still using TWO sets from about that date ( monkeylites). I do run them much shorter than the current fashion so there is less leverage.
Quite a while ago one of the american magazines ran a test where they covered AL,C and steel bars with tape, on identical bikes so you couldn't tell which was which, and got a number of riders too ride them. Almost ALL riders rated the carbon bars as less harsh and more comfortable. Now that was before the current unnecessary fat centre which stiffens bars considerably, and carbon bars more than the other two, as the carbon bar is constant wall thickness and the other two are thinner at the expanded centre.
Either way if you use Eastons they will last for years.
Yes they will break catastrophically but the force needed is way above that which will turn Al into mush. Well made carbon bars don't fatigue ( well not in ordinary service) , Al does.
Note: the resin in carbon bars can degenerate from prolonged exposure to UV, so keep them out of the sun when not using the bike. I live in North Queensland and both my ancient Eastons are still in full service so it takes a fair bit to do the damage.

Thank you for the info...I will look into Easton. I have/had Renthal on the top of my list, more from my m/c days than anything but until I purchase something the search continues...one question though; with the increase in size to 31.8 or 35mm clamp size, are the AL bars as fatigue reducing as carbon or is carbon still better? I am not too worried about weight, more the feel over longer saddle times...
Thank you...

 

[gregjet]

Al tend to be harsher BUT it depends on the stiffness of the carbon layup. Not all bars are the same just because they are carbon ( perhaps more correctly BECAUSE they are cabon). The wider the bar the more flex ( Hooke's law). I prefer narrow carbon bars with 25.4mm middles, but the current, and completely without any real reason, fashion is very wide bars. Find what's comfortable and go that way.

 

[MarbellaGardens]

SYNCROS HIXON SL iC 50mm
UP SWEEP 6° up BACK SWEEP 9° back

 

[outerlimits]

Spank Vibrocores were the closest I got to stock bars. 30mm rise with a bit less upsweep. Stock bars have 27mm rise with a bit more upsweep. I cut them from 800 down to 780 and they have lines on them for cutting.
They are definitely better at vibration dampening than the standard ally bars. And heaps lighter too.
Most difference is not feeling high frequency vibrations from fire roads ect.