Coefficient RR bar

What do you think about this thing? https://coefficientcycling.com/products/rr-road-race-handlebar

Even at that price, they're going to sell a goatload of them after Ian Boswell won Unbound using one. I'm somewhat tempted myself, as I just had a windfall from selling some old parts at prices I didn't expect to get (seriously--doubled what I paid two years ago for a Sram Red 22 shifter, even though I'd scratched it and tore up the cover).

Those look interesting (but not $400 interesting).  I'm running Forte Corsa bars at under $100 and under 200g.  They have been fantastic for me.

I don’t think a lot of gravel riders are going to shell out $400 for a bar with no flare and is hard to mount lights etc. to.   I could be wrong.

They have 7° of flare.  That's not a lot, but probably enough to keep the tops out of the way while in the drops and still maintain a narrow aero position.

These ones aren't for me, but my FSA AGX bars have no place for a light mount either.  They both serve similar purposes.  I could see them going on race bikes.

Personally I think they're running the backsweep on the tops the wrong way. Backsweep is awesome on wide mtb bars, but when my hands are are as close as they are on road bars, ergonomically it should be a forward sweep, if anything, to keep the hands/wrists/forearms in line. I noticed it when running Crust Towel Rack bars, which are relatively quite wide, and I was still wishing for less/no backsweep. Only bars I've seen with forward sweep currently are pursuit track bars. 

ljsmith wrote:I don’t think a lot of gravel riders are going to shell out $400 for a bar with no flare and is hard to mount lights etc. to.   I could be wrong.

Clicked the link again and it has that Go Pro mount that you can add Nite Rider lights to.  Maybe other brands too, I dunno.

avatar78 wrote:Personally I think they're running the backsweep on the tops the wrong way. Backsweep is awesome on wide mtb bars, but when my hands are are as close as they are on road bars, ergonomically it should be a forward sweep, if anything, to keep the hands/wrists/forearms in line. I noticed it when running Crust Towel Rack bars, which are relatively quite wide, and I was still wishing for less/no backsweep. Only bars I've seen with forward sweep currently are pursuit track bars. 

Interesting, One of the reasons why I'm thinking about this is precisely the opposite. I really dislike how traditional bars feel on the tops, to the extent that I hardly ever use that position on my current bars, which I'm otherwise happy with (Easton EC70 AX). If I look at how my hands sit and feel on the tops, it really seems like the thumbs want to go forward and up, which is what these bars do.

Agreed about mounting stuff. That would be a challenge.

Welp, I got a little silly, and acquired these bars. Pix:
     
Setting them up was pretty easy. Cable routing is straightforward, but I just had to do it with brake hoses. For full mechanical, it might be challenging.

So far, liking them a lot. On the hoods, they feel identical to a regular bar. For a long time, I've struggled using the tops, but with these, I just want to hang out on them as much as possible. They're very, very comfy, even in a pretty extreme aero position with my thumbs touching each other just behind the computer. Testing them on a big hill that I ride a lot, the bike now goes faster than it did with the Easton EC70AX, even when I'm in the drops. 

The appearance took some getting used to, but now it seems normalish. It's definitely odd seeing it with the ShockStem, but makes the ShockStem more effective in the drops, since it moves your hands forward and so there's a bigger lever.

I found a solution to the light problem--Specialized Stix with a spacer mount. Had to glue that mount onto the spacer right nice after I lost one light when it flung off somewhere. I'm going to get a Canyon bar-end bell when those things are available. For the record, you can get a Wolf Tooth Encase sleeve into the bar ends.

With the thick bar tape I'm using, the thumb notches on the drops are nigh imperceptible. There's not much flare, but I hardly miss it. I guess that could be a deal-breaker for people who like lots of flare. Well, the main dealbreaker is that these are spendy. I sold a couple sets of old bars and it wasn't too bad with that, but still.

So there ya go.

I was actually interested in their other bar, the AR bar.........the old wave bar. But yeah, not at almost $400. If they made an alloy version, maybe. 

Shaun wrote:I was actually interested in their other bar, the AR bar.........the old wave bar. But yeah, not at almost $400. If they made an alloy version, maybe. 

Yeah, no idea why the AR especially is that much money. The RR has some pretty sophisticated carbon shaping, so maybe that justifies the cost somewhat, but the AR--can't be that tricky to make, right?