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review
Cinelli Vai bars£29.99
VERDICT:
Stiff, strong and comfy. A classic bar and great value for money
Weight:
411g
Contact:
www.chickencyclekit.co.uk
At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.
What the road.cc scores meanGood scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.
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Cinelli's Vai handlebar has been around for a while now but it's still well worth a look. As the ancient engineering cliche goes, pick any two from light, stiff or cheap. The Vai certainly ticks the cheap and stiff boxes, but light it ain't.
The 44cm comes in at around 400g, hefty in handlebar terms but for a lightweight carbon bar you'll be paying at least at least five times as much to save less than 200g. If you're putting together a money-no-object work of art then a set of featherweight carbon bars like the Oval R900s tested recently are just the thing, but for a more humble build these Vai bars are as good as anyone needs.
Being distinctly stiff and hefty you'd expect this bar to make your biceps vibrate like jelly on a jackhammer. Not so, in fact they're surprisingly comfortable, helped by a nicely shaped semi-anatomic drop. This is a bar that will appeal to rouleurs, sprinters and hefty honkers alike as it won't beat you up on the ride or turn to wet spaghetti in the final sprint to the cake-shop.
They come grooved front and back and there's a simple but effective set of graded lines in the centre to help you line things up.
Verdict
Stiff, strong and comfy. A classic bar and great value for money.
road.cc test report
Make and model: Cinelli Vai Alloy drop bar
Size tested: 44cm
Rate the product for quality of construction:
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
8/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
7/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
8/10
Rate the product for value:
9/10
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Yes
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
About the tester
Age: 40 Height: 5\' 8 Weight: er....86kg
I usually ride: GT Rave - singlespeed conversion My best bike is: Guess SC1 scandium
I've been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: Most days I would class myself as: Experienced
I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed,
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