ENVE Compact Road Bar

ENVE’s Carbon Road Bar looks like a normal handlebar when taped. When you see it naked, you get a much better appreciation for it. The bars are light at around 205g, depending on width and shape, but the intent wasn't to make the lightest bar, but a light, stiff, durable bar, that meets ENVE's targets for fit, stiffness, and comfort. Start with the handlebar's ends. Notice how they’re domed, with an integrated rubber end cap?  That's instead of a square-cut circle. The old style end is reflective not of what should be done with carbon-fiber, but what has been done with steel and aluminum since forever. The dome is stronger, and the integrated cap both smarter and safer. The clamping area for the brake levers is treated to minimize slippage, and the range allows for customizing the lever position. This kind of thinking can be found throughout the bars. The bars are barely round, except where they have to be-by the stem clamping area and the brake clamping area. The hooks are slightly ovalized for greater comfort, while the tops are flattened a bit both for comfort and to better route the shift and brake cable housing. In terms of the curve, it's a shape we think of as smart-ergo, as there are two neither of which fit narrowly as classic or ergo bends. They’re a hybrid. The reach is short, 79mm, mated with a 127mm reach. While the standard has an 85mm reach and 144mm drop. and the tops create a flat shelf to the brake lever body. Then there's a steep drop, and a gradual curve that seems to split the difference between traditional and modern ergo bends. The drop is a fairly deep, by modern standards, 144mm. The end result is that everywhere you can place your hands on these bars is comfortable. The center section, which is 105mm wide, is clip-on compatible. The ENVE Road Bar is anything but normal, and that's why it's so good.