| These handlebars are ridiculously light weight (130g) The TLO hand built carbon handlebars are manufactured by Schmolke and distributed by Apollo Components in the USA. TLO carbon bars have been ridden by Jan Ullrich for the past three years because of their superior construction and quality. Having passed some of the toughest carbon testing available, German bike magazine, Tour, gave them glowing praises. The Schmolke TLO carbon handlebars are offered with either 40cm or 44cm as measured from the outsides of the tubes. The stem clamping size is 26mm, which will fit stems ranging from 25.8 mm to 26.2mm in diameter. Handlebars may be clamped with a torque of up to 7 Nm. However, with most stems 4 Nm is enough. TLO offers a reinforced area where the brake levers are clamped to the bar. These bars are not compatible with aero clip on bars. Oversized vs. Standard Diameter... Recently there has been a trend for oversized handlebars with a diameter of 31.7 mm or 31.8 mm. This increase in diameter is meant to increase stiffness of aluminum bars. Carbon fiber is tested and proven to be 4 times stiffer than aluminum. Therefore, there is not a need to increase the diameter to achieve greater stiffness as you would with aluminum. While metal bars profit from over sizing because the walls of the tubes may actually be chosen thinner (thus saving weight) this is not possible with carbon fiber bars. If the walls of the TLO carbon fiber handlebars were made any thinner the fiber structure would suffer from the pressure exerted by the clamping of the stem. Hence over sizing of the TLO carbon bars will result in a weight increase of about 6 g. By keeping the standard diameter you save weight and you are more aerodynamic. |