Rodale

Friday, May 27, 2011

3T Ergonova Team handlebar review

The Ergonova Team is designed with comfort in mind. While it’s plenty stiff enough when honking on the bars, whether climbing or accelerating fast, it’s at its best on long rides.

The smooth curved top section is wide enough to provide a stable platform for your palms, making it much more comfortable when riding on the tops than a flat wing or standard round bar.

It’s also one of the most comfortable for riding in the hoods, the wide oval shape continuing through the transition between top and drop, tapering down to a standard diameter and angling away from where the gear hoods sit.

The drops themselves are 122mm, and the reach is 77mm. The compact shape has a tight radius, angling back at around 60°, with very short flats. The combination of this shape and the diagonal corners means you don’t bash your wrist when riding in the drops.

The graphics and red painted sections look great straight out of the box, and having been applied under the final lacquer coating, they should stay that way too. To reduce the chances of slipping there’s a coarse, sanded resin finish on the hood placement area and at the bar’s centre for better clamp purchase. The oversized centre section extends for an inch and a half either side and is reinforced to make the Ergonova Team safe for clip-on tri-bars.

The Team’s 203g weight (42cm) for a clip-on safe carbon bar is impressive, especially one with the complex shapes of the Ergonova. A lighter ‘Limited’ version is also available, weighing in at a claimed 180g, but it’s not recommended for clip-on use and costs £60 more; we’d opt for the Team, pocket the 60 quid and live with those extra 20-odd grams.

There’s a wide groove on the underside of the bar for cable routing, and it’s available in a narrow 38cm width (as well as 40, 42, 44 and 46cm options), making it a great option for narrower shouldered men and women. It comes in two colour options too: black/red and white/red.

This article was originally published in Cycling Plus magazine.



Original: BikeRadar.com Road Bikes & Gear

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