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CADEX Aero Integrated Bar Gets Lighter, Narrower, and More Race-Fit Focused

CADEX Aero Integrated Handlebar All-New Aero Design(All Photos/CADEX)
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CADEX has a new Aero Integrated Handlebar, and this one looks less like a mild update and more like a full reshaping of its one-piece race cockpit.

CADEX Aero Integrated Handlebar Faster Riding Postion

CADEX Aero Integrated Bar – Lighter & Better Fit

The new bar keeps the familiar CADEX look but with softer edges and design. It still has all the bells and whistles of full carbon, internal routing, outfront computer mount, etc. But the numbers tell the bigger story. CADEX lists the new Aero Integrated Handlebar at 255g in a 400mm x 110mm size, which is 70g lighter than the previous generation. That is a real drop for a cockpit, especially one still aimed at sprinting, racing and all the usual high-torque road nonsense.

The previous CADEX Aero Integrated Handlebar (reviewed here) was already a solid piece of kit: stiff, sharp, cleanly routed, and very much built for riders who want a low, tucked position. One of the standout features was that it looked like a brick (in a good way). It was super solid, and sculpted to look like a bar that would accompany Batman’s bike.

How did they keep the same stiffness with a slimmer design? The new CADEX Aero Integrated Handlebar uses T800/T1100 carbon and CADEX One-Piece Mold Manufacturing, pretty much the same as the previous. The difference is placing higher-strength carbon only where needed to keep stiffness up without carrying extra material. The goal is the same as before: direct steering, no mush under load, and enough comfort through the tops that it does not ride like a carbon crowbar. The previous version was slightly harsh around the compliance edges.

CADEX Aero Integrated Handlebar Comfort, Refined.

Big Sweep & Shorter Reach

The new version moves things further into current race-bike fit trends. CADEX gives it a 6.5-degree forward sweep, shorter 72mm reach (back from 80mm in the previous), and narrower hood spacing. 

Why? To help riders get lower and narrower without forcing their hands into some weird wrist angle. The drop stays compact (and the same as the previous version) at 125mm. The drops also get what CADEX calls a race-tuned flare for more leverage in sprints and more control on descents.

CADEX Aero Integrated Handlebar Lighter. Stronger. Stiffer.

New Shape – Better Fit

That forward sweep is probably the most visible change, but the sculpt is gone too, swapped for a more elegant smooth shaping. The old bar already encouraged an aero position, but it used a more conventional shape with 2 degrees of backsweep. 

This new one looks built around the way a lot of racers are already setting up their bikes: narrower hoods, slightly turned-in controls, and a cleaner line from forearm to hand. CADEX is not alone there, but this is a much more deliberate take than the old bar.

Standert Kreissäge CADEX bars
(Photo/Jordan Villella)

CADEX Aero Integrated Handlebar: New vs. Previous

New CADEX Aero Integrated Handlebar

  • Weight: 255g, 400mm x 110mm
  • Reach: 72mm
  • Drop: 125mm
  • Forward sweep: 6.5 degrees
  • Construction: T800/T1100 carbon, one-piece molded handlebar section
  • Price: $750 USD
  • Includes adjustable out-front computer mount

Previous CADEX Aero Integrated Handlebar (pictured above)

  • Weight: 325g, 420mm x 100mm listed
  • Reach: 80mm, with 72mm on the 360mm width
  • Drop: 125mm
  • Flare: 3 degrees
  • Backsweep: 2 degrees
  • Stem angle: -10 degrees
  • Price: $700
  • Included computer mount with GoPro-style accessory tab

Price – CADEX Aero Integrated Handlebar

Pricing ticks up slightly. The new CADEX Aero Integrated Handlebar is listed at $750 USD, €699, or £599. That is $50 more than the previous version we reviewed. However, that’s not much considering a new, better-fit shape and a claimed 70g weight savings. The increase is not exactly shocking in 2026 bike-part math. Plus, with the new, more refined shape, the bar will stylistically fit more bikes beyond the super aero, maybe even round-tubed metal bikes.

Availability 

The new CADEX Aero Integrated Handlebar will be available soon in multiple width and stem length combinations in select markets worldwide. CADEX has not listed the full size matrix yet, but we assume they will be available in the currently offered sizes. 

cadex-cycling.com

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13 Comments
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FritzP
FritzP
17 days ago

Why did Cadex choose forward sweep? Not only is it uncomfortable but it encourages sticking the elbows out which is less aero.

Richard Geyman
16 days ago
Reply to  FritzP

Honest question: what about forward sweep is uncomfortable? I can see when you death grip the uppers but no experienced rider would do that.

FritzP
FritzP
15 days ago
Reply to  Richard Geyman

Riding on the tops is common, especially climbing. The forward sweep is uncomfortable on the wrists. Look at MTB bars which have backsweep.

LargeD
LargeD
15 days ago
Reply to  Richard Geyman

Forward sweep is more natural and comfortable for narrow bars (like 36-38cm), this isn’t a mountain bike. I wouldn’t buy a drop bar with backsweep on the top.

GZA
GZA
13 days ago
Reply to  LargeD

Er, as you internally rotate the elbow (that maybe a bodged description ), the wrist/fist moves through an arc, when close together, like when on the tops, a forward slant is preferable – when wider, more shoulder width apart, guess what, a reverse slant is preferred.

This is annoyingly nice bar from Giant, said by a total bike snob. Pretty much perfect!

LargeD
LargeD
11 days ago
Reply to  GZA

That’s what I said regarding hand orientation affected by width.

BarGuy
BarGuy
15 days ago
Reply to  FritzP

This is a race bar, not a cruiser bar….it’s optimized for primary positions: drop & hood. If you’re experiencing hand/wrist fatigue from riding on the tops this is not the right bar for you 😉

Grillis
Grillis
15 days ago
Reply to  FritzP

I find this hilarious because I made this same type of comment on here, on different hbar maybe a year+ ago, and got downvoted for it.

Robin
Robin
14 days ago
Reply to  FritzP

Whether it’s comfortable or not is really gonna depend on the rider. That’s why the “better fit” label in one of the article’s subsections is utter BS.

Evan
Evan
10 days ago
Reply to  FritzP

When your hands are on the tops you probably don’t care too much about aero (climbing, noodling). As your hands are close together, it’s more natural and comfortable to have the elbows bowed out. Colloquially, this “opens” the chest cavity.

Fwiw when you most care about aero, you are probably in the hoods or drops. Having the hoods dramatically tilted in does encourage elbows out, which is why I don’t understand the trend.

Jaap
Jaap
14 days ago

$750 for an inhouse brand?!

satanas
satanas
14 days ago

Multiple sizes are listed now:

360/380×90-140
370/400×110-140
390/420×100,110

Dirt Rider
Dirt Rider
4 days ago

Strictly off the top of my head, the following very well-known brands are offering forward swept bars, so there must be *something* to them.

Cadex
Colnago
Specialized (Roval)
FSA/Vision
Canyon

For me, a forward swept bar reduces ulnar deviation, (the position, not the condition), allowing for a more neutral arm-to-hand angle,increasing my comfort. My elbows stay in the same position, if not tighter to my torso.

Perhaps bars are becoming more like saddles – different shapes/geometries for different bodies. Don’t like it? Don’t buy it.

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