Thomson

Carbon Road Handlebar

As one of the first Thomson products to diverge from their aerospace-grade aluminum mainstay, the Thomson Carbon Road Handlebar represents the company's foray into masterful carbon road bars. Retaining the renowned quality that makes Thomson famous, these carbon bars are manufactured by Toray, which is the same company that produces carbon fiber for aerospace giants such as Boeing and Airbus. To be sure these bars stand up to Thomson's stringent quality-control standards, they're certified to rigorous EN and tested to DIN+ standards.

Created from a Nano Epoxy Resin for the utmost in impact-resistance, these bars feature a one piece lay-up. In comparison, the competition often uses three pieces co-molded and glued together to cut costs. Adding extra strength, 1.5K woven impact ends prevent structural damage to the uni-directional carbon fibers in the event of a heavy impact.

The bars themselves feature a mild wing shape along the topside, with a clamping area that's suitable for aero bars, yet small enough as to not restrict hand movement when you're riding along the bar's topside. Furthermore, this subtle wing shape allows for bar angle adjustment without "locking out" your wrists. Additionally, the shaping along the bottom side of the wing facilitates the housing to be taped out of the way, without resorting to the use of narrow housing channels or internal routing, both of which shorten bar life over time.

The drop is proportional to the widths, being 137-millimeters for the 40-centimeter width, 140-millimeters for the 42 and 44-centimeter widths, and 143-millimeters for the 46-centimeter width bar. Reach is 78.5-millimeters. Thomson recommends a torque of 5nm, and they come with friction paste for installation.