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Recent Reviews
I recently built up a couple bicycles with full internal routing using the Coefficient RR handlebars. There were limited internally routed stems available. I've had several sets of ENVE wheels and forks in the past and have always thought highly of their designs quality control.
PROS: Out of the box this stem looks great! The -7 option worked for one bike while the +12 was a better fit for the other bike. Both stems are comparable in design and filament. They also look great on the bike. The routing design is well thought out and worked very well with the Coefficient bars. I did like how ENVE separated the hose routing into two individual openings. Their tolerances were very tight but easily accommodate one brake cable. Adding a second shift cable would be tight but doable.
CONS: I was very diligent to maintain the same bolt configuration when disassembling these stems. In the build process one bolt was out of sequence and I found it wanted to cross thread easily. You will want to put each bolt back in the factory location when re-installing. Not a difficult task but a touch annoying. The spacers are cheap plastic and look that way. At this price point a higher quality material would be welcomed.
It will be interesting to see if this design holds up as more manufacturers join the internal routing game.
I own 4 pair of the time atac xc6 pedals and one pair of the xc4 pedals. I love the pedals, but they both have one flaw. Over time the hollow pin that holds the spring clip in the pedal backs out and the pedal will come apart, if you don't notice it. I have remedied the problem, by reseating the hollow pin, and running safety wire through the hollow pin in a loop, and twisting the ends into a pigtail. The wire prevents the pin from backing out of the pedal. After safety wiring the pin, I have had no issues with the xc6 or the xc4 pedals. Maintenance free, and performs flawlessly. Hope this helps out with time pedal purchasers.
I have used Lizard Skins handlebar tape a few times and have not been disappointed. A little more expensive that some of the others but easy to install, lasts a long time and very comfortable. Totally worth it.
To test the bars, I did a 45 mile gravel ride with 3K of climbing. I was surprised and amazed how comfortable the bars are. I had a marked reduction in shoulder pain (bone on bone sucks). The back sweep works magically. I rode much more on the tops utilizing the thumb grooves on flats with bent arms in an aero position. I was able to hold this position longer. For climbing, the hands on the tops position was fantastically comfortable and provided a leverage point to pull on. The extreme bend where the hoods and tops meet create a great perch for hands, its a larger than the area on traditional bars. Lastly, the slight flare was perfectly aligned when dropping hands down from the hoods to the drops. I can't speak empirically to the aero benefits but there are plenty of studies that prove the aero design of these bars will save you a few watts. I can say the bars look very cool though!
Common questions answered here! unless your old bars reach and drop are significantly different, No, you don't need to adjust your stem, No, you don't need to adjust your stack height. You may need to tweak the grip position on the bar slightly since the bar has a slight forward tilt. But otherwise, measure the reach on your old handlebar setup; front of the saddle to a point on the shifter grips and also the previous handlebar tilt (digital level is best). The integrated GPS holder is brilliant but with the bars almost level, your GPS will slightly tilt forward (away from you) but using a Garmin 1040, I had no issues reading the screen.