Merida Scultura 5000: FSA K-Force Compact Road Handlebar

I am always on the lookout for good online deals, such as clearance sales from ChainReactionCycles or other online websites. Occasionally I do come across deals that are so good that it is better to buy first and think later. This new carbon handlebar is one of those purchases.

The stock handlebar on my Merida Scultura 5000 is a FSA compact aluminium drop bar, which is a good drop bar that I also use on my Dahon Boardwalk. I usually stick to aluminium drop bars, as I don't have to worry about handlebar damage if the bike falls over accidentally and hits the ground. I have been told that carbon handlebars should only be used if you can afford to replace it if damaged. This usually holds true as good carbon handlebars usually cost more than 300 dollars each.

However, with a good discount available, I decided to go for it, just to try out a carbon handlebar.

FSA K-Force Compact Road Handlebar, with its own special pouch packaging.

Overview of the handlebar

Centre clamp diameter of 31.8mm, 400mm width, 125mm drop and 80mm reach. Typical compact drop bar dimensions, same as the FSA aluminium handlebar that I have.

Compact and shallow drop shape for easy and more comfortable access to the drop portion of the handlebar

Unidirectional carbon lay up design is used for this handlebar

Recessed groove under the handlebar for hiding the cables from the shifter

Extra rough surface at the centre clamp area for extra friction when clamped in the stem

Same rough surfaces at the bends, to allow the shifters to be tightened properly to the handlebar without slipping.

Very lightweight carbon handlebar, at only 204 grams!

Removed the shifters from the stock handlebar, and removed the handlebar from the stem.

The stock FSA Gossamer aluminium handlebar weighs 297 grams, almost 100 grams heavier than the new carbon handlebar

Comparing the compact aluminium handlebar with the new compact carbon handlebar

Similar shape at the drops

Similar handlebar dimensions too

The carbon handlebar has a groove under the handlebar for cables, while the aluminium version does not

A flatter profile on the top of the carbon handlebar.

When installing bolts, especially on carbon products, it is important to use a torque wrench to prevent over-tightening of the bolts.

With the new carbon handlebar installed on the bike!

Close up view of the carbon handlebar and the carbon faceplate of the stock Merida/ControlTech stem.

With the original Ultegra shifters reinstalled onto the carbon handlebar. I did not have to disconnect any of the cables from the shifters.

Reusing the original bar tape! This bar tape is nicely designed and is also comfortable.

Reinstalling the K-Edge Aero Garmin & Camera combo mount onto this new carbon handlebar

The new carbon handlebar has been successfully installed and the bike is ready to go again!

With the weight savings from this carbon handlebar, this lowers the weight of the bike by a bit.

Upgraded bike inclusive of PD-A530 pedals: 7.7 kg
Upgraded bike with no pedals: 7.3 kg

As for the performance, I can't detect any difference in stiffness between this carbon handlebar and the original aluminium handlebar. Both the handlebars are already stiff enough for my usage. What I do like is the flatter surface on the top of the handlebar which is more comfortable for gripping.

In conclusion, the carbon handlebar is very similar performance-wise, when compared against the aluminium version. If weight savings is not a priority, the aluminium version is good enough, and saves you quite a bit of cash. However, if you want to save weight, and don't mind paying more, the carbon version would be what you are looking for.

Avanti Inc 3: DT Swiss R 24 Spline Disc Road Front Wheel

In a previous post, when I upgraded the disc brake rotors on my Avanti Inc 3 to Shimano RT81 Ice-Tech rotors, I took the chance to weigh the stock wheels on the bike. It was only then that I realised how heavy the stock wheels are!

With a stock front wheel weight of 1124 grams and a rear wheel weight of 2711 grams, those wheels are heavy! By reducing the weight of the wheels, it will improve the acceleration of the bike. However, due to the fact that the rear wheel is specially laced to the Alfine 11 internal hub, there is no way to change it easily, unless I choose to lace the hub to a new rim, which is troublesome.

As for the front wheel, it is possible to change it quite easily, as it is just a normal front wheel. The front wheel of this bike has a standard 700C rim, with a disc brake front hub. All I need to do to replace the front wheel is to get a 700C front wheel with disc brake mounting.

Due to the increasing popularity of hydraulic road disc bikes, 700C wheels with disc brake mounting is becoming more common. Thus it was quite easy to find a suitable front wheel to replace the stock wheel on the Avanti Inc 3.

The front wheel that I chose is the DT Swiss R 24 Spline Disc Road. Why did I choose this wheel? Read on to find out in more detail!

Overall view of the new DT Swiss front wheel

Each wheel comes with a card that is individually signed by the wheel builder

Large logo uses the entire rim profile. Without a rim brake track, the logo can be much bigger even though this is not a high profile rim.

Internal rim width is 18mm wide, which is good for wider tires, such as the 32C Schwalbe Marathon Supreme tires.

Hub with straight pull spokes, and Centrelock disc brake rotor mounting!

This front wheel weighs 820 grams as claimed by DT Swiss. This makes it 300 grams lighter than the stock front wheel, which is a big deal!

Comes with rim tape, QR axle and an adaptor for 6 bolt disc rotors.

Adaptor is provided, if you want to mount a 6 bolt rotor on the Centrelock splines.

The rotor adaptor, which allows the 6 bolt rotor to be mounted on this hub

Together with the lockring, a 6 bolt disc rotor can be fixed onto the Centrelock hub.

Comparing the wheels side by side. The stock front wheel with 32 spokes vs the new wheel with 24 spokes.

Rim height and width are similar, but the old wheel has a boxy profile while the new wheel has a smooth toroidal rim profile.

Bladed spokes on the new DT Swiss wheel. Also, with Centrelock disc brake mounting, the RT81 Ice-Tech rotors can be installed easily.

High quality cloth rim tape, which I use on all my wheels to avoid punctures from sharp spoke holes.

New DT Swiss wheel with the tires and disc brake rotor installed!

Seen as installed onto the Avanti Inc 3 bike

Appearance mis-match between the front and rear wheels, but this makes it unique too.

I really like this new DT Swiss front wheel, as it just looks so good with the large decals. In fact, it will match a road bike really well! This large decal is possible even with a low profile rim (around 25mm), as there is no need to have a rim brake track. The entire height of the rim can then be used for the wheel decals.

Also, the new front wheel weight of 820 grams is a lot lighter than the stock front wheel, which is a nice touch. I am not expecting any speed boost with this wheel upgrade, but it does feel better to be using a lighter and more high quality front wheel. I wish it was possible to upgrade the rear wheel to the same rim too!

Lastly, with Centrelock disc brake mounting, I can continue to use the newly upgraded RT81 Ice-Tech rotors. With the use of just one centre lockring, the brake rotor can be installed easily!

K-Edge Aero Garmin & Camera Combo Mount

On the Merida Scultura 5000, I have mounted the Garmin Edge 510 cycle computer using the supplied plastic out front mount. Together with the K-Edge Go Big GoPro handlebar mount, I am able to fit both the Garmin and the Shimano Sport Camera on the handlebar.

Although it fits, it looks really crowded, with the devices taking up a lot of the space. As a road bike, I would prefer it to be less cluttered, but I find it hard to dispense with either the Garmin or the camera.

Both the Garmin and the Shimano Sport Camera fits, but it is very crowded.

Is there a way to reduce the number of clamps on the handlebar?

I found that there is actually a combo Garmin + camera mount available, made by K-Edge. As K-Edge products are expensive, this time I tried to find a similar one on Taobao, but there was no similar combo mount available. Also, a camera mount needs to be made of metal for better video quality, as plastic mounts tend to vibrate too much, resulting in a shaky video.

In the end, I decided to contribute to the revenue of the K-Edge company, and bought the K-Edge Aero Garmin and Camera Combo mount. Hopefully this will tidy up the handlebar area of the road bike!

K-Edge Aero Garmin and Camera Combo Mount. However, I am not too concerned about whether it is aero or not..

Simple and sleek looking aluminium mount

Plastic insert for the Garmin. The mount is made of plastic to avoid damaging the plastic back cover of the Garmin computer unit.

GoPro style of mounting at the bottom

You can use a bolt or a knob to tighten the mount. I prefer to use a bolt as it is smaller and more secure, although it cannot be adjusted as easily without an Allen key.

Designed for diameter 31.8mm oversized handlebars. A low maximum tightening torque of 2 Nm is recommended.

Adds 53 grams to the bike, but this replaces 2 mounts and so it is actually a good deal.

Garmin mount on top, Shimano camera mount at the bottom

Side view of the combo mount. Quick release mount for the Shimano camera.

With both the Garmin and the Shimano camera mounted on the K-Edge mount.

Front view of the setup. The Shimano camera hangs below the Garmin, just in front of the cables. Does not block the front lights that are mounted on the stem spacers.

Best seen from the top view. Very much neater than the previous set up! 

What I like most about this new mount and setup is that from the rider's point of view, the handlebar area is much neater. The Shimano camera is nicely hidden under the Garmin, out of sight and out of the way, but still very much functional.

Although the Shimano camera is mounted upside down, it will auto rotate to the right side up as it has an angle free feature. I am also unable to see the indicator LEDs on the camera, but it is still OK as I can hear the beeping sounds that indicate the start and end of the video recording.

This combo mount is highly recommended for those who have both a Garmin and a GoPro/Shimano camera on the bike, as it greatly improves the tidiness of the handlebar area. Although it is pricey, it should not be an issue if you can already afford both a Garmin and a camera on your bike.