The highly-contoured, ergonomic shape is built to provide the perfect racing position and the EC90 carbon, makes for a lightweight but very, very stiff bar
And their EC90 bars are among the flagship wares which have helped propel the California-based company to the top of the sport – quite literally, in fact, given Philippe Gilbert was using a set as he stormed into the rainbow bands at the 2012 UCI Road World Championships.
The version featured here is the long-standing EC90 Aero CNT handlebar, built – as the name suggests – to help cheat the wind, but also packed with a host of other cool features. The bar launched as a revision of the EC90 SLX3 and was built to sit alongside it at the top end of Easton’s range.
Its highly-contoured, ergonomic shape is built to provide the perfect racing position and the EC90 carbon, mixed with TaperWall technology, makes for a lightweight but very, very stiff bar indeed.
The striking red colour comes from the special finish designed to protect the carbon from bar tape adhesives, and fine-tuning of the bar’s angles ensures it’s compatible with Shimano, SRAM and Campagnolo without any noticeable difference in the transition from bar to hoods.
The tops are anatomically sculpted wing-shapes, while there are further finger-shaped grips on the aero sections of the drops which Easton say improve comfort. Of course, when wrapped these are much-less defined, but in testing we found you could still feel them when gripping tightly.
Compared to the round-tube profile of the EC90 SLX3, the aero-profiled tubes add a barely noticeable 17g to the weight, at 216g. But in exchange for that you get a light, super-stiff bar – you really can’t shift it whether you’re pulling on a steep incline or sprinting at full gas – with a smattering of wind-cheating properties. The latter also includes indents underneath the flats of the bars for the neat tucking away of cable housing, allowing for a clean look.
Available in four sizes (40cm, 42cm, 44cm and 46cm), such high-performing bars do come at a price, but shop around and you can bag yourself a relative bargain.
And if you like your components to match, then the stem and seatpost also featured here come highly recommended. Easton’s EC90 Offset carbon seatpost features 20mm of setback to help riders optimise their bike fit and costs £159.99. The Easton EC90 SL stem, meanwhile, tips the scales at just 115g. Yours for a further £199.99.
