Bar End Plug for 31.8

Felt_Rider said:

I got a Pro Vibe Carbon road bar that is 31.8 all the way down (no taper).
The one thing I overlooked before the purchase was the availability of 31.8 plugs.

I did see this on a Google search, but are the lock rings my only option or can I cleanly insert more wrap into the bar end and use a regular bar end plug?
And will that hold?

Don't think they are 31.8 all the way to the end or you wouldn't be able to put any brake/STI/ERGO lever on them.

I got a message back from the vendor that normal bar end plugs should work fine.

I thought it was 31.8 all the way down, but you are right it may taper somewhere after the turn down to the shifters. The taper is not as obvious as most OS bars if there is a taper, which is why I bought the bar. My current bar that has the typical taper next to the stem and is an aggrivation since my Powertap Computer mount slips and slides constantly because being mounted on the taper even with a rubber insert. I have an Edge 305 mounted on the stem.

I hope the levers will fit. Everything is still in the box at this point.

Felt_Rider said:

My current bar that has the typical taper next to the stem and is an aggrivation since my Powertap Computer mount slips and slides constantly because being mounted on the taper even with a rubber insert.

Did you REALLY tried to mount/clamp your computer on the taper?!?

alfeng said:

Did you REALLY tried to mount/clamp your computer on the taper?!?

I think he means that the present hbar tapers quickly after leaving the stem and the Powertap mount is pretty wide so it's hard to get it completely on the 31.8 part. Altho he could mount it on the small section of the hbar.

Peter@vecchios said:

I think he means that the present hbar tapers quickly after leaving the stem and the Powertap mount is pretty wide so it's hard to get it completely on the 31.8 part. Altho he could mount it on the small section of the hbar.

You are correct.
The taper on my bar goes from the edge of the stem all the way to the point where you would start the tape so there is not an exposed area that is the same diameter that I can get a good clamping surface.

I just found a good picture of the Pro Vibe bar and added to my blog and it does look like it tapers at the turn down. Pictures

Felt_Rider said:

You are correct.
The taper on my bar goes from the edge of the stem all the way to the point where you would start the tape so there is not an exposed area that is the same diameter that I can get a good clamping surface.

I just found a good picture of the Pro Vibe bar and added to my blog and it does look like it tapers at the turn down. Pictures

FWIW. I believe the TOP of the bars are flattened ... that is, the part you want to install the clamp on is bigger than OS.

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alfeng said:

FWIW. I believe the TOP of the bars are flattened ... that is, the part you want to install the clamp on is bigger than OS.

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That is one reason I purchased that particular bar is because it has the same diameter all the way across.

The hbar that I currently have mounted and referring to having a taper is a Cannondale Alum. OS.

I feel kind of foolish now for starting this thread, but when I glanced at the package when it arrived it looked like 31.8 all the way down.

Anyway I finally got it out of the box tonight, mounted the new bar, stem, computers and wrapped it with Deda tape.

The top bar provided a much better mounting surface than my old tapered bar and with the OS surface all the way across it almost has as much grip surface area as the FSA Winged bar that I have on my Felt. I hope if feels a little more comfortable on the longer rides than the older bar as well.

I posted some pics, but I didn't get a good comparison shot between the FSA and Pro Vibe bar surface areas.

Pictures

Felt_Rider said:

I feel kind of foolish now for starting this thread, but when I glanced at the package when it arrived it looked like 31.8 all the way down.

Anyway I finally got it out of the box tonight, mounted the new bar, stem, computers and wrapped it with Deda tape.

The top bar provided a much better mounting surface than my old tapered bar and with the OS surface all the way across it almost has as much grip surface area as the FSA Winged bar that I have on my Felt. I hope if feels a little more comfortable on the longer rides than the older bar as well.

I posted some pics, but I didn't get a good comparison shot between the FSA and Pro Vibe bar surface areas.

Pictures

Semi flat or flat top handlebars seem quite popular these days. We sell a lot of Ritchey ones, Streem an Evolution. I think it's a good idea, making a more comfy place to put your hands.

Peter@vecchios said:

Semi flat or flat top handlebars seem quite popular these days. We sell a lot of Ritchey ones, Streem an Evolution. I think it's a good idea, making a more comfy place to put your hands.

I was very interested in the Streem an Evolution, but could not find either locally to look at them. I wish my LBS carried more Ritchey products.

I did find the Pro Vibe bar to be comfortable today even though we only did 53 miles. The real test will be when we start doing centuries. With it being 31.8 across the top and then adding tape it really did feel as if it had the same feel as the FSA winged bar that I use on the Felt.

By the way I saw a good write up a few months ago on a blog about the Vecchio's shop.