Carbon
Handlebars

Although handlebars seem like they haven't changed much over the years, there has actually been quite a lot of innovation being introduced. One of the most obvious is the move to carbon handlebars, which have various properties that make them better than alloy handlebars. The first advantage is the weight; carbon handlebars are generally lighter than alloy versions, regardless of whether they are MTB bars or drop bars for road bikes. This doesn't mean that they aren't as strong, however, in fact they are usually stronger than their alloy counterparts due to their clever construction. One more benefit to carbon handlebars is that they are easier to produce more complex shapes so features like hidden cable routing can be added and non-traditional shapes like road aero handlebars can be produced more easily. For mountain bikers, it has been found that carbon handlebars can take the "trail buzz" out of descents, helping to prevent fatigue.