![]() Combined, they should provide long-distance gravel racers and tourers with everything they need.įor alloy lovers, the new Pro-Wing AGX builds a bar and loop into a single piece for a 472g ergo/aero cockpit. It includes the new bolt-on AGX Loop aero extension, which has a round nose for easy accessory mounting, and included pads and cradles give your forearms somewhere to rest. The bar comes in 42/44/46cm widths with 25º flare, 100mm drop, and 70mm reach. With sculpted grooves and indents for multiple hand positions, both the K-Wing AGX and K-Force Loop AGX offer very comfortable hand positions, but the new Loop bar goes wider with a massive 25º flare for a 50mm offset at the tops (double the Loop’s 12º flare and 25mm offset). ![]() The new top-level K-Force Loop AGX handlebar and carbon fiber aero extension are upgraded from its already extremely ergonomic K-Wing AGX handlebar. It also showed off its massive array of integrated headset options, new aero wheels and cockpit pieces for road and tri, and a few other bits worth seeing. You really can’t go wrong either way.FSA’s AGX lineup gets more aero for gravel bikes and long-distance “alt road” adventures and is comfier with vibration-damping stems. ![]() The only downside? The same bend can be had (along with another 30g or so, but without the flattened tops) in the $45 Omega Compact bars. Against $300+ carbon bars, the FSAs’ roughly $95 price tag makes them look like a bargain. While they can’t offer the vibration damping potential of a carbon bar, the invention popularization of wider rims, 25c tires, and more comfort-oriented frames makes this much less of an issue than it was even five years ago. While fit is inherently personal, I feel like FSA have really nailed the shape of these bars. The bars mate nicely with SRAM’s (previous generation) hoods and the drops’ ever-increasing radii provide plenty of hand positions on longer rides. The relatively shallow drops makes the transition from the tops or hoods less dramatic- and means that I spend more time tucked out of the wind than I would with a deeper bar. Ultimately, it’s the 125mm drop and slight (4 degree) flare that have made love the Energy Compact bars. Given their width, the bar’s graphics disappear under the tape, but that’s a minor complaint. The 31.8mm clamping section is a nice, accessory-friendly 120mm wide, and transitions comfortably to a semi-flat top. Despite coming in the bar’s widest width (44cm), our sample weighed in at 274g: 5g more than claimed for the 42 and within 40g of the brand’s $350 SL-K carbon bar. The real attraction here, however, is the Energy bar. While it may not be an obvious upgrade, the $100 Energy a no-brainer and should be considered before splashing out on bigger-name alternatives. Despite a weight that would put most carbon stems to shame, the Energy is most impressive for its stiffness- it is noticeably stiffer than the OEM Ibis stem it replaced. The matte/polished graphics are handsome- though a more neutral color option might be nice for some of the brighter bikes now available. 3D forged out of 2014 aluminum, the stem should be stronger than a similar-weight machined model (and kinder on the knees). And what better compliment to a nice new set of bars than a light, stiff matching stem? Hit the jump for more on FSA’s best alloy set.Ĭomplete with titanium hardware, our 100mm Energy stem hit the scales at an impressive 113g. While I hadn’t thought much about FSA’s aluminum offerings, the raves of a local shop owner about the near-perfect shape of the company’s shallow-drop Compact bars had me taking a closer look. Better still, giving racing’s appetite for handlebar destruction, going with metal ‘bars could even be considered Pro than destroying a set of carbon bars in your regular Tuesday night pileup crit. After all, it takes some time to decide if a bar’s bend is right for you- and several hundred dollars is a big commitment if things don’t work out. April 22 Update: Brifter and bar angles fixed!Īs much as we would all love to be riding around on carbon fiber wunderbars and unobtanium stems, our fiscal realities often dictate more… defensible purchases.
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