Beacon in first pic, FSA K-Wing AGX in second.
I’m of the general mindset that the more comfortable you are on a given bike, the better control you have. I’ve had a bike fit and am comfortable on my rig, but really not wild about my current FSA handlebars, which don’t have quite enough ovality at the tops, and generally send too much “road feel” into my arms, so I find myself constantly switching up hand positions to alleviate that.
I run 650b/47mm tires & use the Silca pressure calc as a guide for optimal pressures, so everything is plush on that end. So, I’m looking to improve:
• Vibration reduction
• Comfort on the tops, control in the drops
• Hand/wrist position options
I like that both of these are more ovalized than my current bars, and that the Beacon would be much wider in the drops, which might help when descending sketchy gravel on the XC trails I sometimes find myself on.
Would like to hear from folks with experience with the Beacon, and from others who use carbon.
I’m most likely going to supplement either option with Fizik Bar Gel and some thicker bar tape. Any flaws with the somewhat extreme shape of the Beacon? The K-Wing looks like it’s really going to eat up trail chatter, but the drops are lower & narrower, which doesn’t look much different from my current setup.
TIA!
by sticazzi-ragazzi
11 Comments
I have the k-wing and I find them to be very comfortable
Heavily padded tape has always given me(I know not everyone) more hand numbness. Gloves do the same thing to me with more padding making them worse. Carbon bars are a must though.
*I still largely descend on my hoods. I tried wide flared bars on my gravel bike but I just never liked using the drops. I know I’m a minority here. But if I’m riding trails that are super technical, I’m going to be on a mountain bike.
Hmm, don’t have either of these, but considered Ritchey WCS Beacon; I have a Redshift Kitchen Sink handlebar in 470 mm. I was told todayin a bike shop it’s wild, but the point is that I want even wider handlebars. I am a commuter, not a cyclist, but part of my commute goes through light gravel. So I have a steel bike and can go like a moose on the trail. I ride only on the tops.
I have the Beacon Comps in 46 and like them a lot. They are definitely super stable for techy descents and I like the wider profile in general, but I think I will eventually try to find a bar like them in carbon.
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Beacon is shit for anything more than your yearly quarter half century ride, get something with a bit more modest flare
Moving to carbon bars was a big upgrade for reducing chatter for me Doubt I will ever go back to non carbon bars. After the seatpost it is the most important part of the bike to be carbon for me.
Ritchey Corralitos are awesome.
A suspension stem will give you more vibration dampening than carbon bars
Beacon all the way. I have those on three different bikes.
Are you currently running the FSA-X wing in carbon? That is a solid high end bar with good carbon. I have found that the cheap carbon bars you can get from Amazon work but offer a very stiff and harsh ride feel.
Aluminum will be harsh – no matter the brand. The Ritchey ones are nice but I don’t think it will dramatically change your ride. A Redshift stem could help but it depends a lot on where your hands are on the bar.
From your description, you don’t seem comfortable on the bike. I often see people who have issue with hand comfort because their shifters are too high up putting the wrist in an uncomfortable position. How comfortable are you when in the drops?