FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Sales Overview

How is your complete bike pricing configured?

We encourage you to build your bike with all of the customization you desire. You can mix and match componentry to your heart's content.

As you go through our on-line bike buying process, you'll note that each component gruppo has a default parts configuration. Our complete bike pricing is derived from this Standard Road Kit.

What are the advantages of our Standard Road Kit? Given that we're fortunate to sell a good number of beautiful road bikes every year, our parts suppliers are keen to earn our business. We leverage the competition among our suppliers to drive down our wholesale prices on the most popular componentry we sell, which in turn allows us to offer the lowest possible prices to you. Your final complete bike price is simply a function of the extent to which you choose (or choose not) to modify our Standard Road Kit. Given that it's loaded with the lightest, most durable, highest quality components made -- Thomson, Easton, Selle Italia, Mavic, and Vittoria just to name a few -- many folks feel no needs to make any substitutions to it whatsoever.

How can I compare the bikes that interest me?

Our Kit Calculator system allows you to customize any of our bikes as extensively as you'd like. Go to the page of any of the bikes that interest you and click on the "Configure/Buy" icon. You can choose the size, color, and component gruppo that interest you. Click "Continue", and you'll be taken to our Kit Calculator where you can dial in your component choices. As you revise your choices, the weight total and the price of your bike are also revised.

Our Kit Calculator is designed to empower you to make educated decisions about your bike. Using it doesn't obligate you to purchase anything, but you have the option to submit an order directly from it if you so wish.

Will my frame be prepped?

Every frame that comes through our doors will be fully prepped at no additional charge. We chase/face the bottom bracket, we face the headtube, we hone the seat tube if necessary, and we chase the threads of the derailleur hanger and the water bottle bosses. We also check the alignment of the frame.

Will my bike be assembled?

When you purchase a complete bike from us, we assemble it at no additional charge. We prep the frame, and then build it with an extreme eye for detail. You can be assured that your bike is not being manhandled by some frustrated bike racing college kid who's doing time as a seasonal, minimum-wage employee. Rather, our staff of service personnel will treat your bike as though it's their own. Our level of commitment to an impeccable build of your bike is reflected in the number of bike industry certifications our service staff has received. Competitive Cyclist is not a sweatshop in which we "crank out" bike assembly. We take a patient approach to every bike we build -- combining our years of experience with your specific needs to deliver a bike that will shift crisply, brake solidly, stay in adjustment, and look as though it's ready for a parade lap around the Champs Elysées.

If your preference is to build your own bike, we welcome you to do so. We'll still prep your frame and check its alignment before shipping everything out to you. If you prefer to do your own build and you purchase a frameset and a complete component kit from us (this means everything except pedals, bottle cages, and computer -- with no other deletions), we will deduct $75 from the price of the bike. Please note, however, that once this $75 deduction is made, we will charge for any labor we perform on an item-by-item basis (i.e. installing a bottom bracket or installing headset cups).

Watch our video below on How to Unpack Your New Bike:

 

Do you offer a military discount?

We're so close to the Little Rock Air Force Base that we can feel the rumbling of low-flying C-130's as they skim the roof of our warehouse. We've earned the business of scores of cyclists stationed at the LRAFB. And in the years we've been in business, we've been lucky enough to befriend members of the US military all across the globe. We're deeply grateful for their daily sacrifices in defending our freedom. We want to show our appreciation by offering a 10% discount everyday on every purchase for active duty members of the US military. The discount is valid whether you're stationed in the US or overseas. Proof of service will be required. Please note that our military discount cannot be combined with any other discount.

What methods of payment do you accept?

We accept all major credit cards -- Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover. We also accept Paypal, direct bank wire payments, and certified check payment.

If you're planning on using your debit card, please note that debit cards typically have a daily limit not exceeding $1000. Please discuss this limit with your card-issuing bank, as they will often give you a brief window to make a charge over this daily limit at your request.

Card-issuing banks are very eager to prevent fraud, and they oftentimes decline cards for your protection. As such, it assists us greatly in getting your bike out the door if you proactively call your card-issuing bank to inform them of the impending charge.

Please note that Paypal funds will be transferred on the same day you place your order.

How long will it take 'til I see my order?

If you're ordering a bike or a frameset, we strive to ship it within 5 business days after you've placed the order. Some times of the year it takes a bit longer, some times it takes a bit less. We can give you a rather reliable estimate when you place your order.

If you're ordering components, clothing, or accessories, we'll do our best to ship your order out the same day you place it. Depending on our shipping volume and other factors, though, it might take as long as 2 business days for such orders to ship.

If delivery of your order is time-sensitive, please let us know in the "Comments" section of our order form so we can do our best to live up to your expectations and coordinate with you in case there is a problem.

Do you accept international orders?

Absolutely yes. We strive to provide our international customers with the same quality of service for which we're so highly regarded here in the US. For non-oversized packages (i.e. almost everything except wheels, frames, and bikes) we ship internationally via the US Postal Service. For larger packages we ship via UPS. In addition, we must ship liquids and powders via UPS since USPS will not ship these.

Please note that you will inevitably have to pay duties, customs, taxes, etc, on your order once it arrives. Given that these costs vary based on your country of residence and the value of your order, we are unable to provide you with any information or estimates of these expenses. If you refuse a package due to sticker shock over the amount of these fees, you will be charged for both outgoing and incoming shipping fees, and you will also be responsible for any refused shipment charges.

We are unable to provide any currency conversion information, as your bank or credit card will have its own methodology for such a currency exchange. You can use websites such as XE.com to get a good guess as to current exchange rates.

We are sometimes asked to minimize the declared value of international shipments in order to minimize your exposure to duties, taxes, and customs. Please don't bother to ask. We will not comply with such requests for two reasons: (1) Governments scare us. Our belief is that lying to a government is something to be saved for special occasions. We don't do it as a regular business practice. (2) The insured value of an international shipment cannot exceed its declared value for customs.

If necessary, international callers can reach us at 00 1 5015370875. The only exception is Australian callers, who'll need to dial us at 0111 1 5015370875.

Do I have to pay sales tax?

Competitive Cyclist operates in the lovely state of Arkansas. If we are shipping your purchase to a destination outside of Arkansas, you won't be charged sales tax.

Do you match prices?

We do our best to keep our prices as low as possible. But if one of our competitors goes lower, don't hesitate to ask us to match the price. Our answer won't always be "yes", but we'd at least like the opportunity to consider it.

Keep in mind that in terms of complete bike purchases price-matching isn't always as simple as it appears. We like to make sure we're comparing apples-to-apples. There can be great variance in the cost, for example, of a Red-equipped Cervélo R3 based on the choice of bar, stem, wheels, seat, etc. Our Standard Road Kit is loaded with the very highest end componentry. Some retailers choose to cut corners by using second-rate kit. When comparing prices, please make sure to keep an eye out for such details!

Do you offer price protection?

Yes we do. If you purchase a product from us, and we reduce the price of that item within 60 days of your purchase you are welcome to contact us and we will issue you a Competitive Cyclist gift card for the difference. This policy only applies if we have the same size and color of the item that you originally purchased in stock.

Please note that our Price Protection policy will not be applicable to promotional discounts. Promotional discounts are not applicable to previous purchases.

What is the warranty on my frame?

Wilier: You get a two-year warranty from manufacturing defect.

Pinarello: Two year coverage from manufacturing defect, and one year coverage on the finish. You can activate the warranties for these frames on-line by clicking here.

Ridley, Look, Scott and Bianchi: Five year coverage from manufacturing defect for all models.

Cervélo: Lifetime coverage from manufacturing defects, and one year warranty on paint and finish work.

BMC: The SLR 01, SLC 01, and SLT 01 have a three year warranty against manufacturing defects, while the SL 01 and Streetfire have a five year warranty from defect.

For all of our brands, the standard caveats about warranty coverage are applicable:

1. It is at the discretion of either the importer or manufacturer to repair or replace your frameset as they see fit. It is also at the complete discretion of the importer or manufacturer to determine whether your frame is warrantable or not.

2. You are responsible for all shipping and labor costs associated with warranty evaluation and warranty repair/replacement.

3. The warranty evaluation and repair/replacement process takes a bit of time. As much as we'd like to rush the process through as fast as we can, we're oftentimes at the mercy of the process. Please bear with us as the process runs its course.

Can I backorder a frame or item that isn't in stock?

This is a rather common situation for two reasons: (1) Our European manufacturing friends are a bit fickle about scheduling the products and quantities they ship to the US. Sometimes high-demand products get delayed in shipment, and our customers simply want to know they can get their hands on a frame the instant it shows up in the US. (2) It's no secret that the two elemental ingredients of carbon fiber frame production -- raw material and production capacity -- are in higher demand than ever before due to the aerospace industry's new fascination with composites. Because of this, we've seen some unexpected delays in the delivery of cutting edge carbon fiber frames. Again, our customers are often keen to lock in their place in line. The most definite way to ensure that you can get your hands on the frameset of your dreams as soon as it becomes available is to place it on backorder.

Backordering any item from Competitive Cyclist is no different from placing an order with us for an in-stock item. Simply call in your order or place it on-line. At the time of order placement we will authorize your credit card for the purchase, but we will not capture funds. We capture funds ONLY when your item is ready to ship to you. (Please click here to read more on the difference between credit card authorization and capture).

Our customers tend to know what they want with great certainty and they're normally willing to wait as long as it takes for a particular item to arrive. You are welcome, however, to cancel your backorder at any time with no penalty to you. There is no re-stock fee or anything similar. You are in control of your order.

The only exception to this policy is the placement of a custom frame order. Just like a normal backorder, we will authorize your credit card in full upon placement of a custom frameset order. But unlike a stock frame backorder, we cannot and will not accept a cancellation of a custom frame. Once an order for a custom is placed, it is final.

Can I visit your store?

If you're ever passing through central Arkansas, we welcome you to visit the Competitive Cyclist HQ. We’re located just a few miles south of I-40, within a stone's throw of excellent road riding and singletrack. Our address is 5050 Northshore Lane in North Little Rock. (Click here for a map.) We're open from 10am-6pm Monday-Friday, and 9am-5pm on Saturday. We encourage visitors & in-store shopping.

Take a video tour of our headquarters.

What are your hours of operation?

This is a question with 3 answers:

You can place an order on our website 24/7. We've worked really hard to provide content -- both text and photos -- that gives as much detail as possible about the products we sell. We describe products anticipating your questions, and we strive to be as thorough as possible on the web. If you have all the info you need, please feel free to place an order on the web anytime day or night.

In case you have questions, you're always welcome to email us. We strive to have staff members answer email on a quick basis 16 hours a day -- typically 6am-10pm CST. We confess this is our best method of communication, because it allows us to be the most thoughtful with our answers. If you send an email, you can be sure that you'll hear back from us very, very shortly.

If your preferred method to ask a question or make a purchase is via the telephone, we certainly welcome you to contact us this way. We answer our phones from 8am-6pm CST Monday-Friday, and 9am-5pm on Saturday.

Is ordering on-line safe?

The information you give us stays at Competitive Cyclist. We maintain strict security over the information you give us and use it only in the following ways:

  1. To send you information you request and to update you on the status of that request.
  2. To monitor the traffic on our site to help us design the best, most efficient site we can.
  3. To occasionally send you free promotional materials.

We maintain your information in-house at Competitive Cyclist. If you want to remove your information from our database, call us at 1-888-276-7130 or email us at sales@competitivecyclist.com.

We have appropriate security measures in place to protect against the loss, misuse or alteration of information that we have collected from you so you can feel comfortable and secure when shopping. We use industry-standard encryption technologies when transferring and receiving your personal information. On the Internet, when you see either a solid key icon or a locked padlock icon at the lower portion of your browser window, this indicates that the site is secured through Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). If you do not see one of these icons when entering personal information, please contact us to complete your transaction over the phone by calling 1-888-276-7130.

Shipping Guidelines

What method of shipping do you use? What is the cost?

For domestic US shipments, we ship exclusively via UPS. We can ship either to your home or office -- in fact most folks prefer having us ship to their office, as there is always someone there to sign for the package. Please note that we instruct UPS to drop off all packages without a signature unless you request otherwise.

Customers who purchase complete bikes from us are (understandably) quite concerned about our ability to ship their bikes safely. We have designed a rather ingenious system for shipping bicycles that makes them nearly impervious to damage in transit. On very rare occasions, though, such damage can occur. Please note that if damage occurs to your bicycle in shipping, we must file the claim on our end. You MUST keep all original packaging.

Our customers frequently opt to purchase a Tri All 3 Sports Velo Safe case or a Sci-Con Aero Tech Evolution travel case when they order their bicycle. Both options are ideal for UPS shipping and airline travel. We sell dozens a year and haven't heard a story yet of bike damage inflicted in transit. You can find these in our Accessories section under the "Seat Bag/Travel Cases" tab.

We offer an alternative shipping service called the "Ready to Ride" service. Ready to Ride bikes are shipped in a custom box that allows us to send them 100% built and ready to ride. The box is sized 67" x 20" x 41", so every component will be in place, and nary a bolt will need to be turned before your first ride. Your handlebars will be centered and leveled. Your wheels, seatpost, and pedals will all be installed. You simply need to remove the bike from the box and off you go. Except for fine-tuning your seat position, there is no re-assembly or mechanical work required whatsoever. These bikes are shipped via UPS Freight. Click here for more information about our Ready to Ride service.

Given our central location in Little Rock, AR, transit time for your order rarely takes more than 4 business days. We'll be glad to provide you with your tracking number so you can go to UPS.com to determine your estimated day of delivery. Please keep in mind, though, that this is only an estimate. The only guarantee offered by UPS Ground is that your package will arrive within 7 business days from the day it was shipped. If transit time exceeds 7 days, you will be refunded your shipping costs. Please be advised that unforeseen delays can occur, and any orders cancelled due to such shipping delays are subject to a restocking fee as described in our Returns Policy.

Please note that UPS chooses to observe certain holidays but not others. On some holidays they deliver/pick up both ground and air packages, and on other holidays they only pick up air packages. There are holidays, too, when they take the day completely off. Due to the volume of orders we receive, we cannot individually notify our customers when they will experience a one-day delay in receiving an order due to UPS' observance of a holiday. You can review UPS' holiday delivery schedule by clicking here. If you have any questions regarding UPS' delivery schedules, please consult this schedule and/or ask us for additional information before/while placing your order in order to avoid an easily preventable disappointment.

Once we ship your bike, an automated e-mail will be sent to you. The sender will be "ship-confirm@competitivecyclist.com". This e-mail will contain your UPS tracking number for your bike. Keep your eyes peeled for this e-mail, and you can watch as your bike makes its way to your front door by tracking it at ups.com.

Can you Express ship my bike to me?

The short answer is "yes". The long answer, though, is that you don't want to. The box we use to ship bikes is 44"x30"x11". A box of this size is weighed by what is known as "dimensional weight" -- in other words, UPS doesn't weigh the box, they measure its girth and charge their fees accordingly. A bike box is charged as though it is an 88 lb. package. A UPS Express shipment of a bike will cost somewhere between $140-$200 based on your location.

Can you ship to an APO box?

Shipping to an APO is not a problem, we do it all the time. The USPS, though, has very strict package size limitations that come into play if we're shipping a complete bike. Complete bikes will have to be shipped in two boxes -- one with the frameset and parts, one with the wheelset. The shipping charge for a complete bike to an APO is $210. The shipping charge for a frameset alone or a wheelset alone to an APO is $49.95. The shipping charge for products smaller than these will be the current USPS Priority Mail rate.

Returns & Cancellations

What is your NQA Returns/Exchange policy?

We call it our "NQA Returns Policy", as in No Questions Asked. Buy something and if it falls short of your expectations in any way, just send it back. This policy is good for 60 days after you receive a product, and it has virtually no restrictions. Bikes, clothes, components, and stuff on sale. No Questions Asked, and no fine print. We want you to be happy, simple as that.

The only exceptions to our NQA policy are special order items and custom frames (i.e. frames with non-stock paint or custom geometry).

Our address for returns and exchanges is:

Competitive Cyclist
Attn: Exchange/Returns Dept.
5050 Northshore Lane
North Little Rock, AR 72118

If you'd like to make an exchange, you can do so in either of 2 ways:

A. You can place another order on-line for the replacement items. You will be billed for these items. You can then ship us the items you don't want from your original order, and upon delivery of them here we will credit you for those items. Please use the returns form on the back of your receipt and include a copy of it with your return shipment.

B. You can ship us the items you'd like to exchange. Please include a copy of your receipt and write instructions detailing the exchange (i.e. "These Medium Assos shorts are too tight, exchange for size Large", etc.) Upon receiving your original items we'll issue a credit within 1 business day. Your replacement items will ship out within 1 business day and will be charged as a separate transaction. (We mention this detail for one reason: Our experience is that some card issuing banks are a bit slower in issuing credits to your account than they are in debiting it. As such, two charges might appear on your account for a brief period of time while your card-issuing bank goes through the credit-issuing process.)

If you'd like to make a return, please ship the items to the address above and include a copy of your receipt. We'll issue a refund to the credit card you used for the original purchase within 1 business day.

What happens to my credit card when I place an order on-line?

A credit card transaction has two steps:

(1) Authorization. When you place an order on-line, the full dollar total of your order is "authorized" on your credit card. Authorization is the process of checking for adequate funds in your credit card or bank account. A positive authorization reduces your available balance and reserves the funds for capture. Please note that an authorization does not actually deduct funds from your account.

(2) Capture. A "capture" is the process of converting an authorized transaction amount into a transaction that is debited from your credit card or bank account. In effect, a capture is our request to finalize the transaction. We can only capture authorized transactions, and it cannot exceed the authorized amount.

Our general practice is to capture funds only when your order is ready to ship out. Nevertheless, submitting your credit card information to us constitutes order placement. Once an order is placed, we reserve the right to capture funds in full. Given the fact that there is anywhere from a 3-10 day lead time on the shipment of built bikes, and anywhere from a 1-3 day lead time on accessory, component, and apparel orders, this means that we may capture funds in advance of shipping your goods.

Please note that if you check your credit card activity on-line, you will see authorized, but non-captured, transactions on your statement. These transactions will possibly be noted as "Pre-Authorized" or a "POS Purchase". However, some credit card companies do not distinguish between authorized and captured transactions. This being the case, the amount that appears to be debited to your account may in certain circumstances appear on your statement as an amount different from that of the final captured amount.

We have serious respect for the sanctity of your credit card and bank accounts. We greatly appreciate the trust you implicitly place in Competitive Cyclist by making a purchase with us. If you'd like further clarification of our credit card policies or of the basic definitions of e-commerce we've provided above, please feel free to contact us.

Technical Overview

How high will you stack my steerer tube?

Quill stems and threaded headsets have long been phased out in favor of threadless steerer systems, known best as "Aheadset" systems. From a maintenance standpoint, threadless systems are a charm -- you can perform all elements of assembly/disassembly with a 4mm or 5mm Allen wrench. The only downside to threadless systems, though, is that it's not as simple to get your bars comfortably high. Many people settle by positioning their bars a bit lower than they'd prefer, which ultimately keeps them from spending time in the position they prefer -- either the drops of their bars, or in an optimal aero position on their aero bars.

With a little bit of patience, it's not too difficult to elevate your handlebars to a comforable position. You can stack spacers between the top headset cup and the stem. By using somewhat thin spacers, you can move the spacers above or below your stem to dial in your ideal bar height. It might take a bit of time, but such efforts should result in a quality of fit that makes riding your new bike that much more pleasureable.

Given that most of the forks we sell have carbon fiber steerer tubes, we are restricted by industry standards to a limited "stack height" of spacers. We can only stack a steerer tube as high as it is wide. In other words, for a 1" fork, we are permitted to stack the fork with 2.5cm of spacers. For a 1-1/8" fork, we can stack it 3.0cm. Unless instructed otherwise, on new bikes we always stack your steerer to its maximum allowable height. After all, it's always preferable to start too high and eventually cut down the steerer tube than to start too short and have to buy a new fork.

If you are purchasing a Cervélo carbon road frame, we cut your steerer tube according to the following standard:

A cut Cervélo Wolf SL road fork needs to satisfy two requirements: (1) The distance from the top edge of the frame head tube to the top of the fork steerer tube cannot exceed 8cm. (2) The overall stack height of spacers (this measurement must incorporate the top cap of the headset) cannot exceed 5.5cm. For a new Cervélo, we will cut your steerer tube to the maximum height possible that abides by these two requirements.

Do you have touch-up paint for my frame?

Frame importers generally don't stock touch-up paint. Why? The small, expensive bottles of paint that importers supplied us in the past was no better in quality or durability than what you can acquire for yourself at your local retail hobby shop (the kind that sells scale models & RC airplanes). Look for the brand Testor's or Tamiya. A small bottle of paint is only a few dollars. You can put as little or as much work into it as you'd like -- whether you just want to protect a flaked-off spot, or if you want to go crazy wet-sanding and making it look like new. Testor's and Tamiya make an abundance of finish options. You'll have no problem matching up any color, gloss or matte.

My bike is making clicking/squeaking noises. How do I fix it?

Pro-quality bikes shouldn't make noise. Period. Silence is one of the things you're buying when you purchase a high-end bike. Nevertheless, the reality of modern bikes is that they're made from thin, oversized tubes and they resonate clicks and squeaks like a thousand dollar set of stereo speakers.

We have a standard checklist for trying to fix noise problems, and we encourage you to follow the same steps we do:

1. Pull the BB. Remove your bottom bracket from the frame. Clean the threads on the BB cups and clean the threads in your frame. Put a liberal amount of grease on the threads and re-install the cups with a nice bit of firmness. BB shells have torque settings, and you should follow them. But if you're not exactly sure how tight those cups need to be you can follow one rule: make it tight. Riding in the rain will wash this grease out, so this is something that you'll likely need to do on an annual basis.

2. Pull the seat collar. Remove the seat collar and seat post from the frame and liberally grease the collar and the bolt. If you're running an aluminum post, you want to make sure there's a thin layer of grease on the post. If you're running a carbon post, do not grease it!

3. Try different skewers. We've seen our share of noisy rear skewers. This has been the cure many times for us.

4. Grease bar/stem hardware. Make sure the stem bolts are greased, and make sure the bolts holding the stem to the fork are greased.

5. Grease headset cups. Remove headset cups and clean them, also clean your headtube. Re-grease the headset cups and re-install. This works on both integrated and non-integrated headsets.

6. Tighten the water bottle riv-nuts. Occasionally a creak can come from the water bottle riv-nuts installed in the frame. We recommend that you remove the water bottle cages and bolts and take the bike to the bike shop in your area. Most bike shops will have what is called a riv-nut gun and they can tighten these riv-nuts in your frame. Your bottle cages might not seem loose, but just a touch of looseness in those riv-nuts can create serious racket when the bike has pressure on it. Again, bolts and cages must be removed as this tool threads directly into the riv-nuts, you can’t just tighten the water bottle bolts.

One final note: If your bike is titanium, use Anti-Seize (aka Ti-Prep) instead of grease. You can buy Anti-Seize at any automotive parts store such as Auto Zone or Pep Boys.

Do you offer in-person fitting services?

The precision and the thoroughness of our Fit Calculator should reflect the seriousness with which we approach bike fit. And while our Fit Calculator can provide some excellent sizing guidelines, an in-person fit is best for revealing your body's quirks and all-but-guarantees that you'll learn what frame geometry will best suit your body.

We're glad to provide in-person fittings. Our staff has many years and thousands of fitting experiences on which to draw from. We fit bikes to riders that range from beginner to pro. We'll first do a physiological profile, including flexibility tests then (if possible) look at your position on your current bike, and lastly we can use our Retul 3D motion capture tool to analyze the synergy of you and your bike. The Retul motion capture system is the most advanced method of assessing biomechanics in 3D space.

A Retul fitting is $350. You can contact us by phone, or e-mail us at fit@competitivecyclist.com. to arrange an appointment. Conventional in-person fittings that do not include Retul 3D motion capture are included with each bike purchase.

Do I grease my carbon fiber seatpost?

No! You'll note that most every carbon post out there has a slick, clear-coated finish to it. If you grease the post, it makes this already-slick surface even slicker, meaning your post will slip in the frame, which means you'll overtighten it, which means you'll exceed its torque setting, which means it might very well crack.

Rather than greasing the post, you might very well have to take some Scotch-Brite or some fine grit sandpaper and lightly rub the lower portion of the post to give it some roughness to make it "grippier" to your seatclamp. You'll notice that Colnago carbon seatposts are rougher at the bottom part of the post, something done for this exact reason.

Another option -- one much easier to perform than the gentle art of sanding -- is to apply a light coating of Tacx Dynamic Assembly Paste to your post. We sell this in the lubricants area of our site, and it's a compound especially formulated to give anything carbon added "bite" when it gets torqued. It prevents over-torquing and component slippage. Try it -- you'll swear by the stuff. We use it by the boatload here.

Are carbon handlebars safe?

The short answer is "yes", although the longer answer is a little more complicated. For some reason, as an industry we've become fixated on the weight of handlebars. It's as though breaking the 200g barrier will allow an average rider to suddenly contend for an alpine stage of the Tour de France. This, of course, is not the case. It's an irrational obsession that has serious ramifications in regards to the care and feeding of your bike.

A lot of very nicely made & very thoroughly tested carbon bars exist today. We need to accept the fact, though, that carbon bars have their Achilles heels. For example, you clamp aero bars to only one or two carbon bar models on the market today. Most aren't built to withstand such clamping force. And while carbon bars can handle unbelievably forces pushing downward on the tops or the drops, they aren't as robust in terms of the side-loaded forces a bike has to withstand during a crash.

If you're trying to build a tricked-out, superlight bike are carbon bars appropriate? Yes indeed. But ask yourself something: Why is it when you watch the video of the Tour de France you don't see a single rider with carbon handlebars? The answer is rather easy: Pro mechanics are big believers in due diligence. They know that if one of their riders crashes (and they all do), or if they accidentally drop or tip over a bike when loading it or unloading it, the handlebar takes the brunt of the force. In either situation prudence requires at the very least that you unwrap the bars, remove the STI or Ergo, and remove the stem to closely inspect the bar to ensure that no micro-cracking occurred as a result of the mishap. Such due diligence, of course, is an enormous pain in the ass, and sticking with an alloy bar that weighs in at 20g heavier is the sensible solution.

An engineer at FSA summarized the carbon bar situation very succinctly. He said that if the consumer demands F1-quality componentry, they need to have an F1-type mentality about it. How expensive are the composite components on an F1 car? Outrageous. How many races do most of those components make it through? Oftentimes one only. The notion that such components are built to last as long as a well-made carbon or alloy frame is simply wrong and misses the point entirely. Carbon bars, like carbon rims, are made with pure performance in mind, i.e. durability isn't paramount.

So, to answer the question, are carbon handlebars safe? Yes they are. But if you crash them, or otherwise submit them to odd side loaded forces (such as having your bike tip over when leaning against your car or garage wall), do everyone a favor and replace them.