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Pro Vibe Aero Carbon handlebar

8
£299.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Top-flight performance from a handlebar designed primarily for Di2 users
Weight: 
261g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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The Pro Vibe Aero Carbon handlebar is a stunning piece of design and engineering, in form and function. Both shape and material have been developed to create a watt-saving front end without sacrificing stiffness or comfort. This level of excellence costs, though, and is probably the Vibe's only downside.

In the professional peloton everything is about performance and integration, which is exactly why the Pro Vibe handlebar was found on so many bikes at the Tour de France. Designed with aerodynamics in mind, the Vibe uses various ways to cheat the wind by profiling certain areas and some pretty well-thought-out internal cable routing.

> Find your nearest dealer here

> Buy this online here

With the majority of top flight riders using electronic groupsets, it is no surprise to learn that the Vibe has been aimed primarily at that market.

Shimano has recently released its latest Dura-Ace Di2 groupset, R9100, which now has the control box positioned in the end of one of the drops, replacing the bar tape plug. Pro, being one of Shimano's brands, has positioned the routing holes to reflect this, for a near-hidden gear cable system at the front end – well, when paired with the matching Vibe stem (review to come). The neat hole at the rear centre of the bar is the trick.

Pro Vibe monocoque UD carbon handlebar - detail 6.jpg

The cable guides you can see in the photos are positioned for you to feed the cables through. There is actually a really detailed video which shows the best way to set the bar up, along with the Vibe stem and fork steerer-mounted battery.

Pro Vibe monocoque UD carbon handlebar - detail 5.jpg

It's not just Di2 that works with the Vibe, though; I used it with a mechanical Shimano 105 5800 gear and brake setup.

The routing holes could do with being maybe a millimetre bigger all the way around to make threading the fatter cable outers through, but it isn't that arduous a job. Half an hour of fiddling with a torch and a paper clip, and it was job done.

The entry and exit holes are positioned exactly where they need to be, and although I was initially worried about tight cable bends, the gear shifting has remained spot on and there doesn't feel to be any sponginess in the braking.

The sandpaper-effect grips for stem clamping and the brake levers do an excellent job of keeping everything in place.

Pro Vibe monocoque UD carbon handlebar - detail 4.jpg

So, it looks the business, but does it deliver on the performance front?

Absolutely. The way it feels is remarkable, with certain areas offering a little flex for comfort while other parts are stiff enough for a full-on, eyeballs-out sprint.

Pro has incorporated Innegra fibres into the carbon fibre. What's that then? The manufacturer says: 'A high performance fiber used in composite and textile applications which can be converted into many different reinforcements.' Its benefits are said to be light weight, vibration damping, and excellent energy dissipation – which could explain why the Vibe bar feels so comfortable.

Pro Vibe monocoque UD carbon handlebar - detail 7.jpg

There is no road buzz felt through the bar at all, and even big jolts from the tarmac don't seem to jar as much as with the ITM X-One bar it replaced. And that wasn't exactly uncomfortable. On the Vibe you get a tiny amount of flex when on the hoods, which just takes the edge off if you are out for a long ride.

> Check out the handlebars used by the pros in 2017

In terms of aerodynamics, Pro has used a kamm-tail design for the tops. This is an aero section but with the rear end chopped off rather than finishing in a taper. The UCI – professional cycling's governing body – has a 3:1 ratio limit for aero sections on a bike, so this shape gets around that, with the theory being that the air will be tricked by the square cut-off into continuing to flow as if it was a full teardrop shape.

You might not be able to tell from the pictures, but the section of the drops facing the wind have also been narrowed into an oval shape. This feels odd at first, when you go from the hoods or round section of the bottom of the drops, being a skinny hand hold, but it's something you get used to.

Pro Vibe monocoque UD carbon handlebar - detail 3.jpg

Right, let's talk money.

To be honest, carbon fibre handlebars are really an extravagance as you very rarely save any weight over top-end aluminium alloy versions, and although the Vibe is very comfortable you could probably just stick some thicker tape on your existing bar.

If you are prepared to drop 300 quid on the Vibe, though, you won't be disappointed. It is really, really good in almost every single aspect. The the ITM X-One I mentioned earlier is a massive £110 cheaper, though, and it's the price of the Vibe that costs it that one star compared with the ITM.

Verdict

Top-flight performance from a handlebar designed primarily for Di2 users

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Pro Vibe Aero Carbon handlebar

Size tested: 42cm x 31.8mm

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Pro says: "An ultra-high performance handlebar constructed with Innegra fibers to ride the most punishing conditions. The new PRO Vibe Aero handlebar is built to meet cycling's highest demands using state of the art technology. The Vibe Aero is developed with Di2 in mind offering ultimate integration for maximum aerodynamic performance and ultra-clean styling."

Exactly what I look for in a performance handlebar with excellent stiffness and comfort. The attention to detail with regards to the cable routing is a neat idea too.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Pro lists these features:

Full carbon monocoque handlebar as used by the top ProTeam professionals

Full one piece T800 UD carbon fibre monocoque construction

Kammtail cross section and slimmed frontal area on the drop section

Internal cable routing options for both Di2 and mechanical cables as well as brake cable or hose

Innegra fibres woven into the lay up

31.8mm diameter

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
6/10
Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
9/10
Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

This bar is absolutely beautiful to use, offering stiffness and comfort.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The ride quality.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Mechanical cabling is a tight squeeze.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your score

On performance alone this Vibe handlebar is absolutely brilliant, but you can get some very close performance levels for a fraction of the price. The Di2 integration is a real gem for a smooth, clean front end.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 38  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike  My best bike is: Kinesis Aithein

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed

As part of the tech team here at F-At Digital, senior product reviewer Stu spends the majority of his time writing in-depth reviews for road.cc, off-road.cc and ebiketips using the knowledge gained from testing over 1,500 pieces of kit (plus 100's of bikes) since starting out as a freelancer back in 2009. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 170,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him, he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. With a background in design and engineering, he has an obsession with how things are developed and manufactured, has a borderline fetish for handbuilt metal frames and finds a rim braked road bike very aesthetically pleasing!

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6 comments

Avatar
Muzzledoctor | 4 years ago
0 likes

I see you mention that the internal routing worked with Shimano 5800. I'm trying the same with 6800 shifters and cannot see how the gear cables can bend into the port without damaging both the internal and external cables as well as the shifting quality. Do you have any tips?

Avatar
Stu Kerton | 6 years ago
1 like

Hi @Hxs,

1. These bars have no flare at all.

2. These bars measure up as per Pro's technical document - https://www.pro-bikegear.com/content/dam/probikegear/technicalmanuals/ro...

Pro measure their bars centre to centre unlike some others which measure from outside to outside. The three sizes available are 40cm, 42cm and 44cm.

I am with you on width though, I prefer a narrower bar like 40cm outside to outside.

regards

Stu

Avatar
Hxs | 6 years ago
0 likes

*Edit for Typo after Stu Kerton answered, so my question appear below his reply.

1. Does the bar have any flare angle at all? I prefer a bar that has at least 4 degree flare angle from top to drop. Currently i see only Zipp SL-70 Aero and ENVE SES Aero Road that list flare angle of at least 4 degree for this catagory of aero road handlebar.
2. Seeing it weight over specified. Does the width and other dimension accurate? I'd be glad if it is narrower than specified because i like 38cm bar more than 40cm one. which they don't offer here.

Avatar
Biggus-Dickkus | 6 years ago
0 likes

Where do you mount your Garmin?

 

Avatar
Spangly Shiny | 6 years ago
0 likes

Nah, nowhere to fit my bell.

Avatar
RoboRider21 | 6 years ago
0 likes

The ITM X-One are £168.98 on Pro Bike Kit smiley

 

https://www.probikekit.co.uk/bicycle-handlebars-stems/itm-x-one-carbon-r...

 

Seriously considering

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