In the search to save seconds, getting behind the right bar can put you ahead of your previous best, and the competition. Cervelo’s All-Carbon Handlebar reduces drag just about every second the bike is moving
Installing this set of bars on your road bike will save you 4.4 watts over conventional handlebars when traveling at 30mph. The wing shape makes it hard to install an “out front” style computer mount, but this is hardly a drawback. While a few may be jiggered to fit, Cervélo found in wind-tunnel testing their Garmin team in 2014, that the Garmin 800 computer, when mounted atop a stem with Garmin’s conventional quarter-turn mount, further reduced drag by another 20g at 30mph.
The wing-like top is designed to work with a conventional oversized handlebar clamp. So long as the face-plate can be removed, the bars should fit. Cervélo tested various stems, including ones with shaped face-plates. Their finding was that a conventional stem with this shape was more aero and easier to work with than other options.
The wing fits within the UCI-mandated 3:1 ratio, so it’s UCI legal. It can be used on the track and in triathlons as well. Though they are fine for triathlons, the wing is not designed to accept any clamps put around them, so extensions are out of the question.
Also helping keep the bar as aero as possible is internal cable routing. While the bar was designed to integrate perfectly with Cervélo’s Aero Cable Management System (found on the P2, P3, and S5) it should work with any bike. There are guides making routing easy. Just install housing before mounting levers, taking care to leave extra length.
The bar are most aero when the wing is parallel with the ground. The drops are designed for the levers to sit near the top, creating a nearly flat shelf from the stem to the hoods.
This is a compact, ergo bar, with 80mm of reach, and 128mm of drop. The drops has been shaped so hands big and small can find it comfortable. Riders with shorter stems, or a more forward position, can also remove excess material at the ends of the drops, and Cervélo has screened cut lines on the bars to make this operation easier.
As the bar is carbon, it is both light, and vibration-damping. While tape is recommended for the drops, the top is designed to be left naked. At the same time, if you want more comfort or better grip, know that wrapping the tops will only result in a marginal aero penalty.
The Cervélo All-Carbon Aero Handlebar will ensure that less is stopping you.