[Closed] Carbon road bars/ seat post, will it improve ride quality?

Better tires at the right pressure will make significantly more difference to ride quality.
If you want to buy shiny, just buy shiny don't do it for some specious reason.

Doubt bars will make much difference but seat post might. Does it have a carbon fork? Maybe better off with fatter rubber. What tyres and pressures you running?

Full carbon fork will soften things up for sure as will the seatpost.

It has a carbon fork, not sure if steerer is.
Pressures are 115 I think, and the tyres are some s****y Vitoria high tpi jobbies. (Bought cheap)
Does a carbon seat post need to be lay back to have a damping effect?

Some 'carbon' seat posts are just wrapped alloy. There are a few fancy seat posts that are designed to dampen vibrations- canyon ?vcls is one, but pricy.

You can also get spongey bar tape. 25c tyres at 95 psi makes a big difference.

TomB - Member

Some 'carbon' seat posts are just wrapped alloy.

Oh yes, i was amused to point this out on a friend's brand new full carbon road bike recently. 😀

I find riding in the drops seems to make a difference on mine (carbon fork blades but not steerer, alloy everything else, 25c tyres @ 100psi)

Also it is amazing what difference the tarmac can make to your comfort and indeed speed when you have skinny tyres. I am thinking of a well-ridden-on section near me (betweeen Ermington and the main kingsbridge-plymouth road) where the comfort and rolling resistance change dramatically where the 'grade' of tarmac changes. (if that is the correct term: the road is in fine condition ie no holes or cracks but the size of the stones the tarmac is made of is a lot bigger). I had never really noticed or felt this lolloping along on my 60psi 1.75" 'city tyre' crap commuter bike but its like night and day on the road bike.

115psi is pretty high for regular use surely - or if you're looking for a modicum of comfort?

keep mine at no more than 110psi or maybe let it drop a bt if its wet.

Carbon fork with carbon steerer make a difference compared to carbon fork/alloy steerer.

And I can't be certain but I'm sure the alloy bar on my Saracen Hack is contributng to the brutal jarring when the tyre pressures are high.

Seatpost would be worthwhle, drop your tyre pressures a little. Wouldn't have thought a new fork would be cost-effective. What about some thicker bar tape?

I never put more than 90fr/ 95rr with 23mm tires. The only place for going over 100 is on the track.

I've gone from carbon fork with Alu everything else to carbon everything (frame, fork and steerer, seat post, saddle, stem, bars and rims (Alu brake surface) and the difference is night and day, less noticeable on better laid Tarmac, but on coarser stuff, brilliant. I also feel less beaten up after a longer ride.

I would try a titanium seatpost rather than carbon.

I had a 27.5 Use titanium post on my steel hardtail that i used for a sportive. Can't beat that steel is real ride I thought as each pothole it hit was soaked up with a springy feeling.

I then got a Genesis Equilibrium and put that post on it - same lovely 'steel' springy ride I thought.

I then broke the clamp on the post so bought a Deda Superzero carbon post, which is suppossed to be a carbon monocoque.

That nice ride quality is gone, the post is much firmer than the titanium one.

You could also look at saddles with elastomer mounts for the rails, like some selle italia flites. And titanium rails.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/12/training-center/technology/from-the-pages-of-velo-getting-the-most-from-your-post_267560

http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/commuting/article/ww-Wise-Words---Tyres-0

http://www.vittoria.com/tech/recom-tyre-pressure/

http://www.vittoria.com/tech/faq/

Never tried carbon bars, but carbon posts make a difference. The weight difference between a carbon post and a bog standard built to a price point post can be surprising as well.

As others have said, if they will fit then bigger tyres and/or 5-10psi less in them will make a bigger difference.

Just come from a full carbon frame to an alumnium Kinesis Aithein. Heard reports of harsh ride etc.
But, im not experiencing a harsh ride. It feels as smooth as my last bike. Aluminium bars and stem. Carbon seatpost. But running tubeless tyres with 90psi front and 95psi rear. Think its probably a combo of the carbon post and tyre pressures.

Thanks all.
Will drop the pressures.
It might explain why I blew the rim tape last week.
Carbon seat post, or even titanium if I can get one cheap enough.

My experience of this is that in order of improvement the following do make a difference

25c tyres constructed using open tubular design (crucially the thread count needs to be 320tpi like the Vitoria open pave or Corsa CX or challenge criterium, or Veloflex Corsa) pumped to 100psi
The above on wider rims so that the tyre profile is less like a balloon
Latex inner tubes. Yes they really do make a difference and they are lighter
Good quality carbon stem. Mine really did dampen things a small but noticeable amount
Steel fork. My genesis equilibrium with a steel fork may be heavy but it's a sublime ride. Even makes my ti race bike feel like a lump.

Carbon forks are not all the same, how they feel just depends on how they've been made. The steel forks in the 853 equilibrium are far more comfy than the carbon ones on the regular frame (I have owned both).

I never put more than 90fr/ 95rr with 23mm tires. The only place for going over 100 is on the track.

This ^^

I race and train a fair bit on the road, I'd never use more than 100psi in a 23mm on a road, more like 90 and that's at 83kg. Switch to 25's when current ones are worn out and run at 90, much improvement.

Carbon bars and posts for comfort is complete snake oil to sell expensive gear, by all means buy them but not for comfort reasons.

Ok, cheers.

I ride a stiff ally frame with a carbon bladed fork. The comfort for me comes from lizard skin tape, belair saddle and 28mm tubeless tyres at 75/85 psi.

I did wonder the same think about seatposts a while back and found a test that had looked at several posts with just this question in mind. Google might turn up the same test. In the end, I decided to stick with my Thomson post as the fsa k force that won was over £100.

I would have thought the amount of seatpost out of the frame would determine whether its worth changing or not. If you've only got a couple of inches showing, the benefits will be small. If you're on a compact frame or a lanky git with a foot of post, then its definitely worth splashing out on a carbon one.

I found Specialized bar tape with the gel inserts helped my dodgy wrists at the front end (dodgy from years of racing old-skool mtb's with no suspension and skinny tyres before anyone comments)

http://roadcyclinguk.com/gear/photo-gallery-paris-roubaix-race-tech-part-two.html

http://cyclingtips.com.au/2014/04/tyre-trends-what-the-teams-are-using-for-paris-roubaix/

Niki Terpstra won on a 30mm rear tyre (the fattest tyre in the race) and a 28mm front tyre.
257 kilometres in just over 6 hours is still fast.

28c 4 seasons @ 80-85 psi on a Ti frame with Ti post .... "magic
carpet" ride 🙂 The previous 25c and carbon post combo was good but
this is even better ....

- Member 
28c 4 seasons @ 80-85 psi on a Ti frame with Ti post .... "magic
carpet" ride The previous 25c and carbon post combo was good but
this is even better ....

That's almost the same as me bar the Ti post.. (tripster Ti just built up the other day) was thinking how much comfier my new Ti frame was compared to the alu that it replaced.

After 25c tyres at the right pressure, they will transform your bike. My son's Cannondale CAAD8 was upgraded to carbon bars and seatpost when I borrowed it for racing, it felt like a bike MUCH more expensive. In fact, I would go so far as to say that you will get 4/5 of the benefit of a GOOD carbon frame for less outlay.

Right o, I'll have a look at some fat rubber as well.
I've always fancied a titanium frame.
I've got a raw ali job from 'triandrun', what a terrible name, and it's decaled all over it.
It really looks dreadful. I know it shouldn't matter, but I'm constantly sourcing nice bikes for my mates, whilst I ride around on this peice of poo.

I'm constantly sourcing nice bikes for my mates,

Very good at it you are too 😉

Thanks

The steel forks in the 853 equilibrium are far more comfy than the carbon ones on the regular frame (I have owned both).

I had a conversation with the guys at Mercian a few years ago when they were still adamant that one of their steel forks was more comfortable than a carbon fork, due to the stiffness. Though I notice that the now offer carbon forks a bit more readily.

I still can't afford one though!

Bit of an update.
Checked pressures before yesterday's ride, they were 85/90, so instead of letting some out, I got them up to 110/115, and it felt loads better.

My gut tells me that Ti seatpost I've been holding out on has yet to be purchased for good reason - on day maybe ...