Are carbon fiber handlebars worth the money?

Question

I am thinking about purchasing this for my mountain bike. Anybody have opinions about it?

Answer 1

Personally, I find carbon bars to be a bit too flexy. Kind of creeps me out. But it is really a matter of taste. You can buy aluminum bars much cheaper that are almost as light, and don't flex. Since most mountain bikes have front suspension at least, road vibration is not really an issue as it would be on a road bike. If you are riding rigid, it might be more of a concern. Also keep in mind with carbon bars that you may not be able to use bar ends, if you normally do, though some come with inserst on the ends so you can.

Answer 2

I bought a set of carbon bars from price point and to be honest, I DO feel a difference. They DO smooth out the ride a little and they are a lot lighter than the Syncros bars that I removed. I only ride XC and typically don't do any drops. I only paid 50 bucks for mine so that's not a big deal, but bottom line...after riding both, I would say that from a money stand point, just buy a good set of aluminum bars. You won't notice that much of a difference in performance for the amount of extra money that you'll spend on carbon bars.

Answer 3

NO! Instead, use the money to buy lighter tires and tubes. The performance gain between a good alloy bar and a carbon fiber set is zerrrrroo. CF bars also fatigue and will need to be replaced every year or so.

An ounce off each wheel (easy and cheap to do) provides a performance gain of a POUND off any non-rotating mass.

On the other hand, if you are a no-hold-barred weight freak, then go for it.

Answer 4

If you know you need them to lighten up your bike, then yes they are worth the money.

My fiance purchased carbon fiber bars when he was racing xc. He also had a light weight frame (Jamis Dakar Team), wheel set, cranks, seat post, and fork. Yes it was costly but it gave him the edge in his races.

One of the down sides is he had to change them out after 4 years or so because they had some scratches. The scratches didn't seem like much to me but he stated since they were carbon fiber, the scratches were enough to damage the integrity of the bars and he did not feel safe riding them.

Answer 5

NO..well not in my opinion, carbon bars flex more then 6061 or cromo bars..also the weight it saves can easly be made up in other ways..when I used to race DH I had a set of carbon bars..one crash and they were trashed..try like the other guy said look at your tires and tubes 1st also look at your fork and wheelset..these are the biggest places where you can shave off the weight.. also I don't know how crazy you want to go but there is always a lighter frame

Answer 6

it depends, are you a weight weenie ? are you those that go for looks ? Carbon fiber handlebars are usually for weight and lookers. Practicallity, its all boils down to Alu, Easton has handlebars which weighs as much lighter than a carbon.

My opinion is that, i have friends who had em and changed em the week after, and i have friends who had em and used those carbon bars for good, remember Carbon material has lifespan. It all depends on your preference ! Cheers

Answer 7

I don’t think they make a bit of difference, I have a nice set and can’t feel any difference but they look cool! Also, if you wreck you might need to replace that expensive carbon bar much sooner than an alu bar

Answer 8

only if you do serious XC riding. the average person wont care about shaving a few grams off the bars. if you ask me, the handlebars are not the best place to shave weight either. i would rather have those strong instead of light

Answer 9

Nah.. too expensive, and you can find aluminium bars that are almost as light but more reliable and cheaper...

Answer 10

If you have the money to spend , yes....but they're mostly for looks. Hope everything works out