Fresh Goods Sunday - Specialized S-Works Hover Carbon Handlebars 42cm

These are my second pair of replacement Hover carbon handlebars. If you follow my blog I fitted a pair onto my blue Creo gravel bike and have been lovely and comfortable since the day of swapping them over from the standard alu version the bike come with. I have been meaning to by a second pair for my second Creo road bike for a while but a shortage of stock in the uk and full rrp prices have put me off. The design has not changed since my first pair but the rrp has gone through the roof! 

This swap was not so easy as the last time as my other bike have manual GRX shifters but on the road Creo it has Ultegra Di2. I had to remove the changing port from the bar end, pull through the cable from the left shifter and pull out the cable from the right shifter. The carbon bars have the Di2 holes at the bottom of the under side of the drops. I tried to feed the cable through the bars to the right shifter from the left side but it was impossible even with the Park Tool wire feed kit. I made the decision to run it under the bar tape then under the stem and under the tape on the right side. I don't really use the left shifter to operate the rear mech so could have just left it out. I refitted the charging point and connected all the cables and everything was working a treat. I have gone for the same size as previously 42cm which are measured centre to centre at the hoods. The quality of the bar is fantastic and cannot find fault with any of the details. There are measurement marks on the drops and an anti slip coating for the shifters. Marks on the centre section and amore anti slip coating for the stem. All the bar info is printed on the outside of the flat drop part. The torque settings are printed on the underside of the middle section of the bars. 

I have had a couple of rides on the bike and you can feel a difference compared to the alu version with the carbon tacking out some of the road buzz. I will re torque the stem bolts again and jobs a good'un. 

RRP £205 and I paid £154.50 from Sigma Sports (25% discount) inc 48hr delivery. 

Manufacturers blurb - 

In terms of both comfort and performance, anywhere that your body touches the bike is of the utmost importance. That's why we designed the S-Works Hover Carbon Handlebars to excel on both fronts. Starting with the construction, they're made from our FACT carbon fibre for a light overall weight, vibration absorption, and high rigidity. And for comfort, much of it boils down to fit. Along these lines, they feature a shallow drop & bend that's extremely comfortable, while they also have a 15mm rise to help accommodate a wide fit range.

• FACT carbon construction offers an optimized blend of durability and light overall weight.
• 15mm rise for additional rider fit range.
• Shallow Bend Drop: 123mm drop x 75mm reach