Easton EC70 SL Di2 Handlebar

Easton's EC70 SL Di2 handlebar is a comfortable carbon bar for road cycling and cyclo-cross, with a shallow, ergonomic drop. It features clever cable routing and impressive strength alongside excellent stiffness, though the Di2 integration isn't as good as others. 

• Pros: Strong; comfortable; stiff
• Cons: No huge weight saving here; only Di2 for a 1X system

Borrowing design features from its more expensive EC90 sibling, Easton's EC70 SL Di2 is your carbon handlebar upgrade with a decent price tag but not a crazy one.

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So, what's the difference between the two, and what do you lose when you save £80 by picking the EC70 SL? Well, for starters you lose one size option, the 38cm width that is becoming increasingly popular with racers as everyone tries to get tiny at the front end to save some watts. For the average rider this won't be a problem, but as one of those watt-saving racers, I'd have to look at the carbon Pro PLT at the same price for a 38cm option.

The other difference is in the carbon – Easton doesn't state exactly what carbon it uses for its bars, it's just EC70 carbon instead of EC90 – and an extra 25g.

Apart from that, the bars are identical. The drop of 125mm results in a very accessible low hand position and the shape gives you a great hold for sprinting efforts. An 80mm reach also creates a very comfortable position, with a smooth transition into the brake lever.

Even the recesses for the cables are identical, tucking the cables into the bar very neatly.

Out on the road the switch from my much-loved aluminium Zipp Service Course SL 88 was instantly noticeable. Replacing such a deep drop bar with a shallow one felt slightly strange but I was focusing more on the incredible comfort offered by the EC70 SL.

My hands were noticeably more comfortable over the rough roads of Somerset. The Easton bar does a great job of absorbing road buzz and keeping it away from the hands and wrists.

> Read more road.cc reviews of handlebars here

Stiffness isn't sacrificed, and although I am, admittedly, not the strongest up top, I still appreciate a properly stiff front end for getting every bit of power out on the climbs.

After testing this on the road, I popped the bar onto my cyclo-cross bike for a summer league race. It coped really well with the extra impact forces of the rough terrain and didn't move a millimetre out of place, suggesting a very good clamping surface.

Setting the bar up with a bar-end Di2 junction box was pretty straightforward, but it'll only integrate cables properly for a 1X setup. The hole at the base of the right-hand drop is easily big enough for two Di2 cables to pass through, but there are no holes around the shifter area for cables to escape from. That means you can't take full advantage of the junction box's ability to conceal all Di2 cabling on a 2X system. It's a small point, but one that really annoys me seeing as Pro's Vibe range gets it right, though the cost does shoot up.

That's partly the reason Easton has avoided the full internal routing that comes with its aero bars. The focus here is a durable lightweight design at a respectable price, which Easton has achieved.

> 9 ways to make your bike more comfortable 

For my 1X cyclo-cross bike with my rear brake in my right hand, the cable can be run under the bar tape and then along the hydraulic brake hose using heat shrink tubing to keep things tidy. But for proper Di2 integration, look elsewhere.

Overall, it's a strong, comfortable and stiff carbon bar that can cope with the abuse of cyclo-cross. The only real annoyance is the lack of true Di2 integration, but that's not something users of mechanical drivetrains need to worry about.

Verdict

Strong, comfortable and stiff bar, at a decent price too