Carbon fiber has undoubtedly changed the face of cycling with almost everything now available in the material and Alex Paton has looked into whether carbon fiber is always better or if more traditional materials are just as adept at catering to our needs.
One of the components that frequently finds itself at the center of this debate is the humble handlebar. Up until very recently even the pros couldn’t agree on which material was better suited to the bars of a bike, however, since the dawn of the one-piece integrated cockpit, carbon fiber has been taken over.
The key factors most riders take into consideration when choosing which bar to adorn their bikes with are often cost and aesthetics. This actually neglects the true differences in the material properties of an aluminum or carbon bar.
What should you consider when buying a new bar?
Although it is easy to get caught up in buying things that look the nicest or fit with the overall aesthetic of the bike, other factors are more important to consider. The most important thing regardless of the material of the bar is the size. The handlebar market can be overwhelming, there are a lot of choices including the shape of the bar, width and depth of the drops, as well as whether to go for an integrated bar and stem or a traditional separate bar and stem combo.
Another thing to consider when buying new bars is if they accept fully internal cable routing if your bike is configured in this way. All of these considerations rank higher than the material of the bars as they will all arguably make more of a difference to how you feel on the bike.
Are carbon fiber bars always more expensive?
As a general rule, carbon fiber handlebars cost significantly more than their aluminum counterparts. This is partly due to the cost of materials but also the increased cost of manufacturing. With that being said, it does not mean that some brands or even unbranded carbon bars are not available for less than some premium brand aluminum bars. However what you might gain in cost savings comes with the price of not knowing the quality of the bar and its manufacturing process.
Buying from an unknown brand, especially from an unbranded manufacturer has its own risk as you do not have the security that comes from buying from a large and reputable source. These bigger brands have thorough and stringent quality controls to ensure the products meet the necessary standards of safety, something that unknown brands might not do.
How much can I expect to pay for an aluminum or carbon bar?
Depending on the exact brand and style that you go for a typical aluminum bar will cost around £/€/$50-75 however as always there are plenty of brands that will sell premium aluminum bars for considerably more than this. A carbon fiber bar represents a significant increase in cost over an aluminum bar with a branded carbon bar costing in the region of £/€/$300 and above.
Are carbon bars lighter than aluminum bars?
It might not come as a great surprise to learn that carbon fiber bars are on average lighter than aluminum ones. That said, the gap between the two might not be as significant as you are expecting. If you take comparable bars from a brand’s range, the carbon fiber bar will save around 50-100 grams over the aluminum bar. This means that a weight saving of 50-100 grams costs around £/€/$250 which is certainly not the cheapest way to shed weight from your bike.
Unlike the previous points that can easily be generalized, the strength of a bar cannot. Some carbon bars have failed before aluminum bars have and vice versa. Regardless of the material, there are always going to be exceptional cases where products fail. However through the rigorous testing that most products go through they are tested to ensure that the point of failure far exceeds that typically experienced riding in the real world.
Something that has skewed the argument in the past is the failure mode of carbon versus aluminum. When a carbon fiber bar fails it is likely to crack and snap due to its material properties. Aluminum, in contrast, is likely to bend and warp rather than sheering altogether.
What are the advantages of carbon fiber bars?
If carbon fiber bars are significantly more expensive and not a lot lighter or stronger than aluminum bars what are their advantages? The main one is the design flexibility of the material. Unlike aluminum, which has to be formed from tubing, carbon bars can be made into much more complex shapes and have tailored material properties across the bar itself.
Unlike aluminum which is an isotropic material, meaning it has the same material properties in every axis, carbon can be rigid in one axis but compliant in another making it ideal for dampening out road buzz and increasing comfort at the hands of the rider. Similarly to the weight-saving point, fitting carbon fiber bars to reduce road buzz is not the most effective way to go about things. Instead, fitting wider tires would be a cheaper and arguably better alternative in increasing the comfort of the whole bike, not just your contact point with the bars.
Which type should you buy?
Far be it from us to tell you what to spend your money on but if it was down to us, the argument for a carbon fiber bar is at slight best. If you are on the hunt for every weight saving and aero gain possible then for sure a carbon bar is the natural choice. For everyone else the money you could save by fitting an aluminum bar could then pay for more significant upgrades on your bike, such as wider tires and TPU inner tubes that will increase comfort and save weight more than a carbon bar can.
What handlebar do you use and would you ever consider swapping? Let us know in the comments section below.
