Pros:
-Wider mid-section provides better support when adopting more aggressive and aero posture
-Ample cutout provides immediate perineal pressure relief
-Mesh zones provide varying degrees of stiffness, allowing the rider to lock-in to their position without drifting
Cons:
-Very short seat rail adjustment area (measured at 49 mm from end to end markings, vs 60 mm commonly seen in other saddles)
-Saddle nose wider than most, may lead to undesired contact
-Some riders may find mesh too soft, leading to poor power transfer; unsuitable for sprinting/racing
The previous review that mentions the stem mounting area marked on the bar is incorrect. The stem clamp needs to be located inside the indicated area, it does not need to cover the entire indicated area. So you can use your preferred stem!
This bar ended my quest for a shallow drop bar with minimal flare. The drop section with reminds me of the FSA Omega with a large radius that opens to flat... Super comfy. The flat tops that extend toward the brake lever hoods are a comfortable platform for your hands. I did notice the aforementioned gap between the flat portion and the clamp (under the hood). I just cut a small piece of bar tape to fill it in and let the hood cover it up. Now there's a seamless, comfortable transition for riding on the hoods.
The shallow drops provide an extremely secure position for gravel descents without putting you in an overly aggressive position.
These are the most comfortable bars I've ever used, and allow for great positioning in the hoods and in the drops. Tempted to put them on my road bike as well--it's a pretty similar shape to my vision metron bars, but much more comfortable.
The best thing about this bar is the slope and shape of the tops. If you like to climb with your hands on the tops, you'll like these a lot. The issue I have with them is that the wrist clearance when sprinting is not great. I bump my wrists against the corners of the bar behind the hoods when I sprint. If you look at the top view, you'll notice there is a lot of bulk in that corner area. One way they could have fixed this would have been to add a bit more flare, but they kept the drops narrow.
Purchased this bar for a Time ADHX build using Ultegra mechanical. I wanted a bar with numerous ergonomic hand position options (which this has) AND that was mechanical group friendly. This uses a recessed channel under the bar to hide all cables very well before the cables enter my Deda Superbox stem. My prior bar was an Easton EC90 SLX that I've loved for about five years, but this PRO PLT Ergo is even more comfortable. Note that there isn't an internal routing option, but the external cable management is outstanding and doesn't fully show in the manufacturer photos. Long days are much easier with this bar given its compliance and hand placement options.
