Competitive Cyclist Reviews FSA Compact Handlebars

[tucnasam]

Hi,

I Ride a 56cm Madone 5.2. I have a 70mm stem and I am still 2.5-3 cm to short for my reach. Would these bars shorten the reach enough? Or Will I have have to go to a 54cm frame.

I am 5'11 and have 34.4 in inseam...

Thanks

[scootermus1]

240p, im out'a here.



[ARX7ARBALESTZ7]

I couldn't reach the levers on my GIANT but then i changed the angle and tilted it so i could. Is that bad? I'm used to it and ride drops 80-90% of the time.

[wubai565]

Today I got FSA K-Wing Aero 31 Compact Carbon. I don't know if it is sold in your country but my local shop chose for my Look565 bike and I like it. As you say it is very comfortable to stay in the dropbars and I can reach the brake and shift levers with my fingers.

[thecastman97]

i ride fixed gear and i dont worry bout gears and all, but i see in this video the gear wires go in the bar tape or w.e and i wonder how do they change gears? im really interested lol

[DRRDDR]

3.02-3.10. get a life, please. Smells like....sales BS.

[funkycoldm3dina]

Hi to all! I have a question.. My road bars are the GIANT brand and I have to say that I am getting a lot of pain around the hand/wrist area whenever i rest them on the hoods or the flat part of the bars. Also I am really a newbie to road riding. Any advice/solutions would be helpful. Thanks to all in advance.

[competitivecyclist]

@funkycoldm3dina I would love to help, but this is a topic we could cover much better via telephone. Could I give you a call, or could you call me? My number is 5019168544

Andy

[pearlygti]

@funkycoldm3dina I too have this issue and have recently started road riding after 15yrs of mtb.. my bike is a specialized allez comp any advice??? im from the UK so calling could be costly!

[pablorohwain]

The compact curve on the FSA´s handelbars is the same curve on the 3T ergonova?

[competitivecyclist]

They're a bit different, actually. I can send you an email with a few images and a quick comparison - could you drop me a line? I'm since you can't reply with web addresses or emails, I'll try to spell mine out - it's: andy at competitive cyclist dot com. Make sense?

[pablorohwain]

@competitivecyclist Perfect!. try to send it at pablorohwain at yahoo dot com. I really like the FSA SLK compact, but i don´t know...i heard good lines about the 3T Ergonova carbon. I would like you can help me in my choice.

Thanks!

[SuprimaFalcon]

@competitivecyclist the FSA is more like 3T ergosum.

[jinxkal]

Hey andy whats the different btween Omega and Wing Pro.. I know both alloy buy what else? Cheers

[competitivecyclist]

@jinxkal the only difference is that the Wing Pro has an ovalized top that provides more surface area than the round tops of the Omega. The tops resemble 'wings' rather than just a round pipe.

Does that help?

Andy

[jinxkal]

@competitivecyclist Yup thanx andy. I still would be able to mount my polar watch on it I hope. They have 2 wings.. one just wing and the other one wing pro both alu.. do you know whats the diff? Thanks alot

[FoxeyeReview]

God knows why I love these reviews. I'm a poor and novice cyclist. Oh well, one can dream. Andy is a legend.

[competitivecyclist]

FoxeyeReview thanks! I'll do my best to live up to your expectations!

- Andy

[jomoj70]

if you're a cheapskate there's also the FSA Vero, same bend but lower price. I like these bars but there are two negatives IMHO - 1) is that they aren't so good with older levers that don't have the hood designed to blend into the top of the bar so well so be aware of that, 2) is that the tight bend at the top makes a narrow surface for the heel of your hand. I got around this by adding a strip of old tape under my wrap to fatten this out a bit. Still, good bars.

[TemplarRican]

FSA K-Wing FTW!

[dardobartoli]

I waswaiting for "and for today only, you will get two pairs and a free carbon polish kit"

That was a glowing review, but surely there must be negatives?

[Nicool333]

I bought the omegas and love them. ONe of the great features is that they are 2cm narrower on the hood than on the drops.

[swimbikerun4life]

I agree Andy - I always thought I just had personal issues because I was never really comfortable in the drops. I have wing pros on my new Ridley X-Fire I picked up from you guys and wow - these are comfortable and I feel comfortable and in total control in the drops. You guys do a great job in spec'ing your complete bike packages. Keep up the great work.

[ironmanc5]

what kind of stem would you suggest to compliment the chunky look of these bars as my current stem just doesnt look right it looks out of place

[bantam700]

I have wing pro compact bars on my cx bike and you weren't kidding about how much more comfortable it is to be the drops on those bars than standard. I need to get some compact bars for my road bike for my road bike before spring gets here.

[dironman86]

so how long exactly is a country mile? similar to a new york minute? =D

[ReneeNme]

I love my FSA Compacts. They are sooo comfy. Can't stand ergo bars. Not only are they fugly, they just feel so darned awkward.

[kawika33]

Andy rocks. Unfortunately, the carbon compact handlebars do not. I bought one and quickly found out that when the drops are parallel to the ground, the tops angle upward putting a lot of strain on the wrists. Also, the reinforced section on the front curve for the shifter bracket is too small and low. This prevents mounting the shifters up at a comfortable angle. Good idea, not so good implementation. Keep the reviews coming Andy.

[ReneeNme]

@kawika33 You must not have toyed around with angling your Compacts much then. Set them ( if you still have them ) to where they are not quite parallel to the ground ( plug holes tilted slightly down and forward ) and you will find the happy medium. Once I bought my carbon Compacts I too found the drops uncomfortable with the drops parallel to the ground and began questioning my purchase. Once I found that happy medium ? Sweet !!!

[craigsj]

I guess if you need access to the brakes during your out-of-the-saddle sprints then this bar is for you. You can get the "pro look" of the overly long stem while you are at it.

If that's "way too much information", it's way too much of what I don't want.

[MeganPoore]

An excellent review. Really helpful in explaining just what to look for in a compact bar.

[tenseken]

nice

[briandrumsandbikes]

Andy's great. Love his reviews.

[balaenoptera65]

fabulous is the word - what a good review.

some may say - way too much information. But for all the cog lovers and spinning aficionados out there; plunking down the green before really knowing what you get is tough.

andy's my free wheelin' man.

[ericrd1989]

very helpful! can't wait until my bars come in