Quick Look: Enve carbon compact handlebar

By Caley Fretz
Published Jun. 21, 2011

No "ergonomic" bends here, just a nice wide sweep for comfortable hand placement. The drops flare out just slightly for improved comfort. Availability is set for this fall.
ENVE was conscious of the tight bends caused by compact bars, and how difficult placing hoods perfectly can be made by those bends. Their new compact bar is designed to work well with a number of hood positions.
Clamp diameter is 31.8, and both deep and compact bars feature brake and shift housing grooves along their undersides.
The new compact bar gets the same built-in end-plug treatment.
The new compact bar will come in 40, 42, and 44cm widths, all measured at the hoods rather than the drops. Drop is 127mm, compared to 144 on the deep-drop version, and reach is 79mm, down from 85mm.
The new bar extends backwards more than the deep-drop version to help avoid wrist-strike against the top of the bar when sprinting in the drops.
ENVE composites is debuting a new compact road bar for 2012 (right). The company's current deep-drop road bar (left) will remain in the line. The new bars retail for $350.

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FILED UNDER: Bikes and Tech / Quick Look TAGS: handlebar

Caley Fretz

Caley came on board with the VN tech department in September 2010. Beyond his journalistic pursuits, Caley is a category 1 road, 'cross and track racer, and pro mountain biker.