Prime Primavera X-Light Carbon Handlebar

Prime's Primavera X-Light handlebar is really, really light. And cheap, especially at its current selling price of £89.99. Keith Bontrager's old axiom – 'Strong, light, cheap – pick any two' – comes into play to a certain extent here. It's not that the Primavera bar isn't strong – I haven't broken it or anything – but it's certainly not stiff. For lighter and less aggressive riders that'll mean extra comfort, but it won't suit everyone.

Under 200g for a handlebar is proper superlight territory. Our 42cm bar tipped the scales at 183g, and Prime claims that the 40cm bar is just 169g, which is certainly believable. The 125mm drop and 78mm reach is a pretty standard compact geometry, and the drop position is easily accessible; there's no outward flare to help with that but the drops are reasonably long along the bottom. There's a drilling to house a Di2 box.

The only thing that isn't standard is that Prime uses a triangular profile in the curve of the drop, which the company says 'heightens comfort while also allowing you to benefit from a greater feeling of control'. I can't say that I particularly noticed it, but an aggressive position in the drops – hands forward holding the curved section – felt comfortable and fairly natural. The hoods and the flat section of the drops both offer comfortable holds too; I prefer a couple of degrees of flare on the drops but that's a personal thing.

Now there's not a lot of material in this bar. The first time you pick it up you end up throwing it at the ceiling because it's so much lighter than you expect. Prime says that the bar is 'a strong and stable platform for you to maximise every pedal stroke'. I say that the bar is pretty flexy: flexy enough that you can lean on the drop and see the lever move; there's even slight movement just by resting on the tops.

That's a double-edged sword. If you struggle to stay comfortable on the bike over rough surfaces then this is a really comfy bar. I fitted it to a Carrera Crossroad E which had a horrible bar and a harsh front end, and it completely transformed it. It's so much more comfortable now, and dropping to the lower position gives even more damping over rough surfaces.

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The flip side is that this really wouldn't be any good for a lot of faster ride scenarios. If any part of your ride involves winding up the watts and muscling the bike about then the Primavera is just not stiff enough. I'm a big rider (95kg) with a reasonable sprint (1,300W) and there's no way I'd use this bar in a race. If you're a lightweight hillclimber looking for marginal weight gains on a budget, it might be just the ticket though. Horses for courses.

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Its rrp is £149.99 but Wiggle has reduced it to £89.99, which is cheap for a carbon bar. It's a very different beast to something like the £450, 147g Schmolke Roadbar which is light and stiff and, you guessed it, not cheap. Even mid-range carbon bars like the Pro PLT are pushing towards £200 normally, and the Pro isn't as light as this Prime. Although it is a lot stiffer.

Conclusion

All in all, I can see it appealing to some riders and not to others, so it's hard to score overall, but if you want the extra give to soften up the ride of a harsh bike, or you're happy to put up with it for the weight gains, then it'll do a good job.

Verdict

Incredibly light for the money and comfortable, but will be too flexy for some