Considering the fact that brands like Merida are claiming the cockpit area can be one of the biggest gains in aerodynamics, it’s no surprise that we’re seeing more aero road bars. To be fair, ENVE has had their SES Aero Road bar out for a while now, but now they’re reintroducing it to keep it compatible with current drivetrains. That means improved cable routing and the ability to stash a Di2 junction box inside the bars…
Internal cable routing (especially through the bars) is one of those things that makes a bike look super clean – but also makes mechanics silently curse the bike when it comes time to run cables. To make their lives a little easier, and to offer better compatibility across the spectrum of drivetrains, the SES Aero Road bar features a new dual internal routing for both mechanical and electronic drivetrains. While the bars ship with ENVE’s integrated bar end plugs, the bars are listed as compatible with the Shimano EW-RS910 bar end junction box which we assume means you’ll have to cut off the end of the drop at the white line to make it work (checking on this, and will update with the answer). – Update: ENVE confirmed that the white lines are indeed cut marks to open up the end of the bar to work with the Di2 junction box. We’re also told that they will soon have a solution to provide a similar finish aesthetic to the stock bar end to be used with the junction box.
Compared to the previous ENVE SES Aero bar (above), you can see that the cable entry port on the back side of the transition area has been removed, and the inner entry point has been drastically enlarged. This should eliminate some of the headache from setting up internal routing on the bar with certain drivetrain set ups.
Built with a healthy 25mm drop flare, the bars remain 31.8mm at the clamp area and are compatible with SES clip on extensions. Available in 40, 42, 44, and 46cm widths measured center to center, the bars have a 77mm reach, and a 127mm drop. Meant for both road or triathlon use, the 233g bars sell for $400.
Quick release skewers aren’t the most exciting part of a bike, but they’re incredibly important. Get a bad QR skewer or one that doesn’t hold the wheel tightly enough and you might just find your wheel exiting your frame at the most inopportune moment. To go along with their wheels, ENVE is introducing a new internal cam quick release skewer. They may not feature a carbon fiber lever, but they do use a titanium shaft which gives them a combined weight of 87-88g. Available in 100/130mm or 100/135mm for rim or disc brake bikes, the skewer sets will sell for $89.
