Stiffest Bar/Stem combo?

[Provence]

Word of warning, if you like a flat transition avoid the shallow version. I messed about with lever positions for ages trying to find a comfortable angle but failed cos of the very steep angle of the sweep.

Did you ever find a bar with a flat transition and shallow drop? Any experience with the ITM 4-ever strada?

Looked everywhere but I've yet to find a pair of light, short reach, non anatomic alu bars without the stupid steep angle on them.
Despite the weight I was seriously considering buying a pair of old school, classic style Cinelli bars, the sweep looks just right for me but the extra grams put me off.
Had to compromise for the time being with a pair of Deda Big Piega's. They weighed 328 g on my scale but have a flat transition and are very stiff as you would expect for such a heavy bar. The over short, anatomic drops annoy me though but I'll have to put up with this for now.
Going by the number of related posts on this forum I think there's certainly a gap in the market.
I haven't tried the ITM's cos they make bars with too great a reach for me.

[BBAGDAN]

i love my 3ttt less XL bar and stem combo. lighter than most, ultra-stiff, and ultra cool looking. perfect bend on the ergo bars.

i noticed a big difference right away after switching to oversize. i didn't know my old setup flexed that much!

[peterf1963]

Count another vote for the 3TTT Less XL Bar Stem. I was on a Ritchey WCS OS and noticed a huge difference when I switched to the 3TTT. The Ritchey was a noodle compared to the 3TTT. I gained 24gms with the 3TTT stem, but lost 21 grams with the 3TTT bar. For a net gain of three grams, it's not even close. Even though it's a two bolt front, the hardware is oversized steel and it really grips well. Plus on my Pinarello with Campy, the Italian 3TTT is piece of art compared to the black pipe WCS. Hard to find in the USA, but worth the search.

[MagPinna]

I've used the deda newton bar and stem combo in a 12cm/44cm handle bar...It flex's like a wet noodle after a decent season of hard riding..I like to think of myself as a sprinter..The combo that I have on both of my bikes now is the Pinarello Dogma stem(Made by WR Composites) Deda Magic bar(branded Pinarello)..It' silly stiff..A good second choice would be the alloy Stella Azzura stem 31.8 with the Profi handle bar..

[jeffmla]

Why not try stem and bar Bontrager XXX lite carbon
Couple is really stiff in 31,6 and looks nice
Bar weight is 182g in 42cms
Stem weight is 125g in 90mm

[divve]

...it's all a matter of perspective. For instance, that 219g aluminum 3T bar that some users above consider to be stiff, is a noodle compared to my 217g ITM Millennium carbon SO bar. In my opinion, you won't find a stiff aluminum road bar below 260-280g and to match a stiff carbon bar you're looking at something closer to 300g.

(Stiff as in defined by torsion along the horizontal axis of the tops. You can feel these things clearly by pulling one of the hoods up and pushing the other down. Also, in the flat section of the drops when pedalling heavier gears you'll notice softness.)

[kgt]

3TTT less combo. The reference in terms of weight+performance+aesthetics

[PNuT]

The Thomson X2 stem is NOT stiff. I bought one after reading the praise for it on this board & have regretted it. I am a sprinter that really likes to toss the bike around when in a sprint & this is the flexiest stem I have ever used. The 26.0 Ritchey WCS (4-bolt) & the 3T Forgie were much stronger. I have a new OS stem that I just bought to replace the Thomson, but I haven't ridden on it yet. If you are looking for stiff then DON'T get the Thomson. My weight is 70kg (154#).

That reminds me, I need to get that 120mm Thomson X2 onto eBay.....

i would send it back to thomson..... sounds like a duff one to me