Best aero carbon handlebar + clip-on TT extension combo

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lighht
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Feb 22, 2024 5:01 am

by lighht

Hi all,

I’m looking for the best clip-on TT setup for my new Gen4 Supersix Evo, which I’ll be taking on a bikepacking trip this summer and on other long ride events.

I’m trying to find aero carbon handlebars that are compatible with clip-on TT bars. The bars should be:
1) No wider than 38cm (38/37cm is ideal, 36 is slightly too narrow and would be a last resort)
2) Preferably 65-80mm reach
3) Preferably flared
4) Comfortable for very long rides (good at absorbing/deflecting road buzz, not overly stiff)

So far I’ve been eyeing these 3 bars (listed below), but they all have their downsides, so I’d be interested to hear your experiences with them or any other recommendations.

Enve SES Aero bars
  • - Seem to fit the bill but not sure how they are comfort-wise
    - The compatible Enve clip-on TT extensions don’t seem to be adjustable. Is there any way to adjust the pad angle & setback? Or switch out the extensions for different ones with a more upwards angle for higher hands? Can you raise the stack height?
Pro PLT ERGO CARBON HANDLEBARS
  • - Don’t know how they are comfort-wise
    - Need to decide on which TT clip-ons to buy
    - Only 4 degrees of flare (38 in the hoods, would that be ~38.5 drops?? Idk)
    - Can’t find where to order any 38cm’s online and my LBSs don’t have any
Cervelo AB09 FLARED CARBON HANDLEBARS
  • - Again, don’t know how they are comfort-wise
    - Need to decide on which TT clip-ons to buy
    - Quite heavy at 303g
I’d also appreciate any recommendations for clip-on TT bars for any of the standard 31.8 clamp bars (like the Pro PLT or AB09) that don’t have their own specific corresponding clip-ons (unlike the Enves). Would love to see pics of your setup if you have any as well!

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spdntrxi
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by spdntrxi

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Upcountry
Posts: 170
Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2023 10:59 pm

by Upcountry

Ironically, I've ran all three of the bars you've mentioned, and with clip-on aerobars on each of them...

Enve SES Aero:
These are my favorite handlebars... I've got two pairs of the 35/40's on my road bikes, and then two pairs of the 37/42's on gravel type bikes. The flare is really nice for descending, and the hood transition is the best I've felt, for my Shimano Di2 levers. The clip-on aero bars are really solid, but do require some tweaking. The one piece, "cut to your desired length" extensions are just not great, and I swapped those out immediately, with something with a sharper bend. Due to the mounting position(and thus shorter length) of the extensions, you lose a bit of adjustability and I wasn't able to get some of the newer forearm shaped extension to fit. You also have pretty much zero ability to alter the stack of the arm rests, and if you do shim that, you are left with a fixed position of the extensions, so you can't get too extreme with that. I have sourced some 10d wedges from Europe that I have mounted under the arm rests, and combined with the 50 degree bend extensions, it gets me to a more "elevated hands" position comfortably. These will be my go-to for road use until I see something "better"... The Black Inc setup looks worthy of a try, but $800 is tough to commit to.

Image
Image

Pro PLT Ergo Carbon:
Prior to my first pair of the Enve SES bars, I had these on three bikes, and they were my favorite for a year or two. Again, they work really well with Shimano levers, creating a nice little platform at the back of the hoods for your palms to rest. I ran 36cm's on the road bikes, but had a pair of 38cm's on the Crux for a while, and did run some Profile Designs Sub Sonic Clip-ons on them. The 36's don't have room next to the stem, but the 38's just barely do. After usign the Enve's I grew to love the flare, and have since replaced all three of these with other bars.(I happen to have a set of 36's and 38's in boxes if you're interested)

Cervelo AB09:
I had a pair of the standard AB09 on a road bike for a while, and they were okay. I appreciate the simple routing via the deep groove underneath. This also makes for easy plug in of 11 speed di2 systems, as you can fit an extra wire in there out to the extensions and linked to a shift lever. They have a noticably longer reach than the above mentioned bars, and I don't love the feel of the transition to the levers. I now have the AB09 Flared on my Mosaic gravel/29er build. They are probably the "simplest" to mount clip-ons to, with the routing as mentioned, and a fairly generous width of clamping area. Again, I've only used Profile Designs Subsonic and Super sonic brackets, with a mixture of extensions and arm pads(the newer Ergo+ and Race+ are worth the upgrade for extra comfort).
I've only ran the flared model with GRX di2 levers, and they feel pretty good. The levers are a bit of a reach in the drops, but not horrible. I've done some pretty rowdy riding on these, with zero issues. The amount of flare feels appropriate for mixed surfaces, but would be too much for road use in my opinion, but that is obviously up to the riders preferences.

Image

Other random one the Prime Primavera Aero, I ran these in the 36cm version, but they do/did? make a 38cm. No flare on these, so I came to the same place as I did with the Pro PLT's, in swapping them out for others.

Image

I'll mention one other one that I just got in the mail two days ago...
Salsa Cowbell Carbon 38cm:
I'll be putting these on my Epic "gravel type build". I've had the 37/42 Enve SES bars on there, but this bike is built for some more technical type riding, and the longer reach and minimal flare has me wanting to try something a bit more compact and maybe with more flare... Just a theory, so I don't know yet. I definitely wanted to mainain the ability to add Clip-ons, as I foresee doing some FKT type 200+ mile routes on this bike. The Cowbells have like 100mm of clamp space for a stem and clip-ons. No internal routing, but this bike is now wireless, so only brake hoses, which tape against a flat spot on the front of the bar. These were less than $200, so worth experimenting, also lighter than the Enve's which was surprising...

lighht
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Feb 22, 2024 5:01 am

by lighht

Upcountry wrote:
Sat Mar 30, 2024 3:51 pm
Enve SES Aero:
These are my favorite handlebars... I've got two pairs of the 35/40's on my road bikes, and then two pairs of the 37/42's on gravel type bikes. The flare is really nice for descending, and the hood transition is the best I've felt, for my Shimano Di2 levers. The clip-on aero bars are really solid, but do require some tweaking. The one piece, "cut to your desired length" extensions are just not great, and I swapped those out immediately, with something with a sharper bend. Due to the mounting position(and thus shorter length) of the extensions, you lose a bit of adjustability and I wasn't able to get some of the newer forearm shaped extension to fit. You also have pretty much zero ability to alter the stack of the arm rests, and if you do shim that, you are left with a fixed position of the extensions, so you can't get too extreme with that. I have sourced some 10d wedges from Europe that I have mounted under the arm rests, and combined with the 50 degree bend extensions, it gets me to a more "elevated hands" position comfortably. These will be my go-to for road use until I see something "better"... The Black Inc setup looks worthy of a try, but $800 is tough to commit to.
Thanks, this was really helpful.

So I think I’m gonna go with the Enves, but I’d want to swap out the extensions like you did. Will any extensions with a standard 22.2mm clamping diameter (like all the Profile Designs) fit? Which ones did you use specifically, and did you cut them? (just curious since your 1st pic basically looks exactly like what I’m after).

Also, what are those wedges you said got for the arm rests as well as that bottle holder/garmin mount? Pretty much just looking to copy your setup haha.
My biggest concern is about the stack height of the arm rests, since they look to be almost right on top of the bars. I guess I’ll have to get some thick pads or figure out something else.

Upcountry
Posts: 170
Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2023 10:59 pm

by Upcountry

With the Enve setup, you do lose some stack adjustment. I was pretty comfortable with the "puppy paws" position on my SL7 in which this setup is ran, so I was okay with the low stack. Ergon make replacement pads for the Profile Designs cups that are quite a bit thicker, and would net you maybe 5mm more stack as well. I have pretty slim forearms, and prefer the Race or Race+ cups, but the Ergo cups are comfortable as well, but not as locked in of a feeling. I ditched the Enve arm cups immediately. They're just too flat and don't offer as much adjustment.
Correct that any 22.2mm extension will work, thankfully Enve didn't try to re-invent the wheel there... You definitely will need to cut them shorter. The ones pictured on the SL7 are Profile Design's 50A bends, but actually cut and inserted "backwards" to get a bit more rise and less extension. They're nice as they do have some inward/outward offset if you want. I have since swapped to some even steeper bend 60 degree ones(maybe USE? or SpeedShop), again, with the "wrong" end inserted into the clamp.
The bottle holder is some cheap aluminum aerobar bridge type things, simply ziptied to the extensions, and with a 3d printed bottle cage type garmin mount bolted to the top side. XLab makes some similar bridges that would work for this. I dont recall the brand I've got mounted there.
Garmin mount is this, which I had from my prior 3T build:
https://www.shapeways.com/product/LYT5E ... 1&li=shops

Took a little digging to find them again... These are the wedges I used. You have to buy longer bolts(be careful on length, so they don't protrude through the clip-ons into the top of your handlebar). I don't think the 15 degree ones would work, as your sort of relying on the recessed portion of the arm cup to allow the countersunk bolt head to nest in there, and the steeper angle might not allow that. The 10d does work though.
https://www.wardperformanceuk.com/produ ... est-wedges

TheBelgian
Posts: 95
Joined: Wed Apr 26, 2023 9:09 am

by TheBelgian

It seems the ENVE SES Aero is no longer for sale? The only one I could find is this one:
https://enve.com/products/aero-handlebar

and I don't really see how to clamp aero bars on that one.

For the Prime Primavera Aero, isn't the center part too narrow to clamp aero extensions? I can't find the dimensions of the center part.

@Upcountry, I see big differences in the distance between the 2 aerobars on your setups. I run mine super narrow (they clamp right next to the stem so I can't put them any wider as my bar is flat) because I have no choice. For me it's mainly for performance, not for bike packing or endurance cycling. What do you prefer?

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by Noctiluxx

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spdntrxi
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Joined: Sat Jul 20, 2013 6:11 pm

by spdntrxi

those are basebar/TT bars dont think the op was looking for those
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lighht
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Feb 22, 2024 5:01 am

by lighht

TheBelgian wrote:
Fri Apr 05, 2024 10:36 pm
It seems the ENVE SES Aero is no longer for sale? The only one I could find is this one:
https://enve.com/products/aero-handlebar
Correct, those are the enve bars I was referring to. I don't know why they're called Aero "In-Route" bars. I just assumed more people recognize SES Aero, since that seems to be their previous, more recognizable name. Mine just came in today after ordering from the enve website 2 days ago and they still have a small SES decal on them.

They have a compatible clip-ons here: https://enve.com/collections/road-compo ... extensions

TheBelgian
Posts: 95
Joined: Wed Apr 26, 2023 9:09 am

by TheBelgian

Seems they just rebranded them:
https://legacy.enve.com/product/aero-handlebar/
pictures look identical.

Upcountry
Posts: 170
Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2023 10:59 pm

by Upcountry

TheBelgian wrote:
Fri Apr 05, 2024 10:36 pm
It seems the ENVE SES Aero is no longer for sale? The only one I could find is this one:
https://enve.com/products/aero-handlebar

and I don't really see how to clamp aero bars on that one.

For the Prime Primavera Aero, isn't the center part too narrow to clamp aero extensions? I can't find the dimensions of the center part.

@Upcountry, I see big differences in the distance between the 2 aerobars on your setups. I run mine super narrow (they clamp right next to the stem so I can't put them any wider as my bar is flat) because I have no choice. For me it's mainly for performance, not for bike packing or endurance cycling. What do you prefer?
The Enve SES Aero bar is the same as the Enve In Route Aero Handlebar... they've added a hole to the back of the bar at some point a year ago as a rolling change, and have now decided to name it differently. I have two pairs that have no hole, as well as one pair with a hole. You're not going to see anything special regarding how to clamp aero bars on... Their clip-ons are shaped to sandwich the flattened aero portion of the bars. I do one wrap of a thick vinyl tape to prevent scuffing, and then torque to like 3nm.

On my 36cm Prime's there was room to clamp, not much, but as shown, it worked fine.

There isn't much difference as to where the arm pads are, and where my hands end up... Whatever the extensions do prior to that don't really matter, so don't be throw off by the visual difference there. With the Enve bars, you simply can't put the clip-on clamp directly next to the stem, for the reason I mentioned above, hence why the extensions are angled inwards on the reference pictures to get the hands narrow. Where as on the Prime setup shown, the clip-on clamps are directly next to the stem, and thus, the extensions are close together, and then flare out at the hands.

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xsnailx
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by xsnailx

new tririg stem (the one with extension mount) + handlebars of your choice (enve)

TheBelgian
Posts: 95
Joined: Wed Apr 26, 2023 9:09 am

by TheBelgian

xsnailx wrote:
Sat Apr 06, 2024 6:45 pm
new tririg stem (the one with extension mount) + handlebars of your choice (enve)
Good idea, but I don't see them selling the aerobars separately on their site? Only the stem + the "riser" to install the aero bars.

Upcountry
Posts: 170
Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2023 10:59 pm

by Upcountry

^A $1000+ stem and riser package available in one single length and angle...? I'd glady go with the Black Inc Integrated setup, which includes an actual handlebar and extensions, is available in twenty sizes... for less money.

@TheBelgian, they have extensions listed in a separate tab... six styles to choose from, but obviously you could use any 22.2mm extension, and any handlebar.
See here...
https://tririg.com/collections/extensions
Last edited by Upcountry on Sat Apr 06, 2024 10:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.

by Weenie


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TheBelgian
Posts: 95
Joined: Wed Apr 26, 2023 9:09 am

by TheBelgian

Where are they on the site?

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