Does carbon handlebars absorb road vibrations ?

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panosk
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Does carbon handlebars absorb road vibrations ?

Postby panosk » Fri Sep 11, 2015 3:31 pm

Recently i changed my alu seatpost to a good carbon one.
Basically i wanted to save 120g of weight from the bike and hoped that it would absorb more road vibrations than my alu seatpost.
The result was beyond my expectations. I am experiencing 50% decrease in road vibration on the same roads i have ridden many times before.

So my question is:
Should i expect the same level of road vibration absorption improvement,
if i swap my alu handlebar to a good quality carbon handlebar, of handlebars behave differently in terms of vibration absorption ?
...each turn of the pedals, every single meter gained, hurts...

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Tim
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Re: Does carbon handlebars absorb road vibrations ?

Postby Tim » Fri Sep 11, 2015 4:21 pm

If you want to spend the money and you want to believe that carbon bars make a significant difference then they will make for a huge improvement.
If you are are skeptic, like me, then you won't notice much change.
I have 4 bikes, 2 with carbon bars, 2 with aluminium.
There isn't much in it.
Steel forks and steerer tube, aluminium stem and handlebars with 35mm tyres is much more comfy than carbon forks, steerer, handlebars and 25mm tyres.
Tyre width and pressure makes the most difference in vibration at the front end.
2 materially identical bikes at the front end (TCR Adv.SL and a Defy Adv Pro), carbon bars on the the TCR and aluminium on the Defy. The TCR has a minutely, slightly less buzzy feel on my hands.

Espresso_
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Re: Does carbon handlebars absorb road vibrations ?

Postby Espresso_ » Fri Sep 11, 2015 4:52 pm

It could help reduce vibrations, but probably isn't the #1 thing you could do to get a more plush ride.

Tyres would be.

E

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KGB
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Re: Does carbon handlebars absorb road vibrations ?

Postby KGB » Fri Sep 11, 2015 4:57 pm

Also consider that carbon bars are more fragile than alloy, if youre looking at proper, light weight bars and not just cheaper, heavier, carbon wrapped alloy bars.
I had a nice set of kestrel ems carbon bars that were under 180g and they developed a crack and started to crush after I had a couple of crashes. Of course, not crashing is the best solution but I went back to a marginally heavier alloy bar.
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Derny Driver
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Re: Does carbon handlebars absorb road vibrations ?

Postby Derny Driver » Fri Sep 11, 2015 5:16 pm

If like me you've seen what happens when a carbon seatpost, stem or bars snap due to being weak / cracked from overtightening,
then you wouldn't be worried about a few grams or a plush ride.
Im aluminium only for those parts but that's just me. Plenty of people use them without a problem.
But half a carbon seatpost up your anus is not plush ;)

dmwill
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Re: Does carbon handlebars absorb road vibrations ?

Postby dmwill » Fri Sep 11, 2015 7:06 pm

^^^
Investment in a pre-set torque key or wrench is a must if you plan on having a carbon stem/bar/post/etc.

zero
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Re: Does carbon handlebars absorb road vibrations ?

Postby zero » Fri Sep 11, 2015 8:04 pm

panosk wrote:Recently i changed my alu seatpost to a good carbon one.
Basically i wanted to save 120g of weight from the bike and hoped that it would absorb more road vibrations than my alu seatpost.
The result was beyond my expectations. I am experiencing 50% decrease in road vibration on the same roads i have ridden many times before.

So my question is:
Should i expect the same level of road vibration absorption improvement,
if i swap my alu handlebar to a good quality carbon handlebar, of handlebars behave differently in terms of vibration absorption ?
Handlebars behave differently - ie alloy bars flex if you have load on them between the stem and the hand positions, and they have more room to flex if you use the drops, and if you use wider bars.

No matter how much load you put on the seat, you'll only get an alloy post to bend sideways or slip, it won't compress or stretch much axially - basically they are overstrength in that direction to get the required strength in horizontal directions.

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Duck!
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Re: Does carbon handlebars absorb road vibrations ?

Postby Duck! » Fri Sep 11, 2015 8:33 pm

KGB wrote:Also consider that carbon bars are more fragile than alloy.
Only if you have a habit of hitting stuff..... One fundamental difference between metals & composites (what's commonly called "carbon fibre" is actually a composite of carbon fibres and a resin binder; neither component works without the other) is that metals are ductile - they can be bent to a new shape before stuctural failure occurs, while composites are not. All materials are elastic to some extent; when placed under stress and released, they'll spring back. When the stress exceeds the elastic limit of a metal, that ductile behaviour allows the material to bend until such time the stress reaches the material's yield point. Composites remain elastic all the way to yield, which is why you never see bent carbon bits.

Carbon bars unquestionably give a smoother ride than aluminium or steel. Metallic bars will tend to bend under low-frequency inputs from rider movements, but the rigid structure of the metal transfers high-frequency vibrations through it. Composites are the reverse; carbon is incredibly resistant to low-frequency inputs thanks to its very high tensile strength, but the resin component of the composite, being a plastic, has some compressibility, which coupled with its excellent elasticity very effectively absorbs high-frequency vibrations.
Last edited by Duck! on Sat Sep 12, 2015 4:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I had a thought, but it got run over as it crossed my mind.

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KGB
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Re: Does carbon handlebars absorb road vibrations ?

Postby KGB » Sat Sep 12, 2015 4:31 pm

Duck! wrote: Only if you have a habit of hitting stuff.....
I'd like to say I don't... But race enough and happens! :)
Last edited by AUbicycles on Sun Sep 13, 2015 9:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Admin edited for language
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KGB
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Re: Does carbon handlebars absorb road vibrations ?

Postby KGB » Sat Sep 12, 2015 4:32 pm

Derny Driver wrote: But half a carbon seatpost up your anus is not plush ;)
Quote of the year!
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silentbutdeadly
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Re: Does carbon handlebars absorb road vibrations ?

Postby silentbutdeadly » Sat Sep 12, 2015 10:20 pm

panosk wrote: Do carbon handlebars absorb road vibrations?
Dunno! My only bikes with carbon handlebars are the MTB's. And one of them has a carbon seat post...

But if they work on singletrack then they'd work on tar...
Ours is not to reason why...merely to point and giggle

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kb
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Re: Does carbon handlebars absorb road vibrations ?

Postby kb » Sat Sep 12, 2015 10:33 pm

Saw one snap today. To be fair it was on a secondhand CX that has done a fair bit of crashing the last 6 weeks. Kudos to Velo Cycles in N. Fitzroy for squeezing my friend in for a new handlebar in the middle of our ride.
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kb
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Re: Does carbon handlebars absorb road vibrations ?

Postby kb » Sat Sep 12, 2015 10:34 pm

Oh, and the new bar definitely felt harsher.
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jerrah
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Re: Does carbon handlebars absorb road vibrations ?

Postby jerrah » Sat Sep 12, 2015 10:40 pm

I've been using the same set of Ritchey carbon bars across multiple mountain bikes over many years and I've never had a failure. I do use a torque wrench. I don't fear my composite "plastic" bike parts and frames.


spider1974
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Re: Does carbon handlebars absorb road vibrations ?

Postby spider1974 » Mon Sep 21, 2015 6:31 pm

I felt the same when changing from an alloy post (Thomson) to a carbon post (Syncros - this was 15 years ago)...but didn't get the same from the handlebars - and I still don't - I have one road bike with alloy the other with carbon - feel very little difference (have a mtb with carbon and a CX with alloy as well).

So, no, imho, you won't get that silky ride you get from a carbon post just by changing bar material - there are designs thought (Bontrager isozone bars) that can do it for you....or double wrap the bars (aka p[aris-roubaix) and wrap and 1/2 (hockey tape as base, bar tape as outer) that can help too.

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