Hi
My bike is quite 'firm' in the front end - Baum Corretto with Enve 2.0 fork, Vibe bars (alloy) and Deda Zero 100 stem - and every bump is transmitted fairly directly. (Getting a bit more sensitive as I get older).
I want to take the 'road buzz' out without resorting to a carbon bar. My bike will be doing some travelling so don't want to risk something damaging the bar in transit and only finding out when it fails and my face is kissing the road.
Was thinking about using the Enve stem - will match the bike and bars in the looks department really well - I know it is stiff but being carbon I was wondering whether it will take the edge off road bumps(?)
Anybody have a view?

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Dear Noah,
We are certain you said the boat left at 5pm,
yours sincerely
The Unicorns

My experience is that it makes much less if any notable difference in the buzz compared to swapping to the carbon bar. Bigger tire, less air, bar tape (DSP 2.5mm) I find all make more of a difference. I am assuming your fit is well dialed in considering the quality of bike you ride (Okay, I am fully cognizant that this is a stupid thing to say, just trying to be respectful).

Let some air out of your tires! Try 5 psi lower, then 10, then 15 and see what works.

Tyre pressure is the "obvious" first point I'd be looking at...

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"It never gets easier, you just go faster..." - Greg Lemond

"Because technology alone is a poor substitute for experience." - Richard Sachs

Tire pressure first.

Bar tape (experiment brands or double tape if you are that sensitive/riding crappy roads) second.

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Cervelo R3, Campagnolo Chorus/Record mix... pastatrails.blogspot.com
And you can call me Macktastik Honey Pete Kicks, thank you.

There are ofcourse downsides to thick bar tape and low pressures, like the front end feeling very mushy, noodly and undistinctive thru turns. Killing the buzz with carbon bars, for most bars, doesn't have this downside.

If you are very sensitive, you will pick up on this.

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Roadbike
Kinesis RaceLight T2

Mountainbike
Van Nicholas Zion Ti

The difference will, most likely, be not even humanly detectable.

25mm FMB Competition CX on some lowish profile rims. Now you're done. Like butta!

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

I have a Baum Corretto. Mine is super comfortable - I'm 48yrs old. I think your best bet is to experiment with tires and pressure. I ride carbon rims with tubular tires. The bike rides very smoothly, even with 22mm tires.

I ran a Ritchy WCS before going to an Enve stem. Road buzz, no difference, The Enve stem was noticeably stiffer. FYI they were both 110

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WW Velocipedist Gargantuan

FWIW I run about 105-110 psi up front and double bar tape with alu bar and stem on a cervelo s1 and its comfy as anything

I use double tape. The alternative is to use the Fizik gel pads. But for me the biggest difference is tyre pressure. I run 90 front, 100 rear. Any more than that and I find it compromises ride quality. Of course having nice tyres helps.

Carbon bars make a substantial difference. Tires and their pressures do. Try some 25mm tires or some Vittoria Evo Corsa CX. Stem would make little difference.

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N+1 It Never Stops

Road imperfection are generally ok for me but not the road strips or small potholes. Avoid the big potholes as they can dangerous. So what road buzz are you trying to kill?

I am using deda zero alu stems and bars and my tyres and inner tube make the bigger difference for comfort. I'm running michelin pro3race and latex tube at 100psi. Sometimes it feels like I'm cycling on carpet. Btw I weigh 70kg for comparison.

Thanks everyone - call me perceptive but I am guessing the consensus is no
Thankyou for your suggestions - this is really a last touch item for me - the frame is a custom geometry which was designed by Darren to take my upper body (and huge noggin) weight off my hands by moving the saddle behind the BB and elevating the front end subtlely compared to a stock frame so the fit and position have been considered.
I have concentrated on subtly tuning the bike for long distance riding over the mast 6 months with the aim of reducing fatigue - I am not a quick rider and for me the aim is to ride longer rather than quicker. The cockpit is really the final fine tuning.
I'm running low profile alloy wheels (ditched my 45mm carbon clinchers) with bigger tyres (using both 25C and 28C Schwalbe Ultremos), changed my saddle to a carbon rail version and fitted a Syntace P6 vibration suppressing seatpost. I swapped to the Pro bar beause the drop position is so much comfier than the Deda it replaced - would never have considered fitting a 290g bar to my bike in the past but things change.
I have a couple of carbon bars and found that the Zipp in particular really made a difference to ride quality - just trying to avoid a carbon bar for the reasons given. The Deda Pressa has far less difference - but then it is a pretty solid carbon bar.
The bike handles beautifully but was just looking for a little less directness in relation to feeling all of the road surface through the bars.
Will have a play around with some different bar tapes.
Many thanks for all suggestions

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Dear Noah,
We are certain you said the boat left at 5pm,
yours sincerely
The Unicorns