I Peeked.

Don't anyone tell me, but here's what I'm getting for Christmas from my kids:

Easton EC70 Aero Carbon goodness
    
I had to return some cycling shoes when they shipped me the wrong size, which bummed me out because my specific size rarely shows up on eBay in the upper-line models of this particular brand. I could have paid bills or done something equally responsible with it, but instead I decided to Make America Great Again and buy some Taiwanese carbon fiber.  
  
I already purchased Easton EC90 Aero handlebars for the main race bike, complete with a matching carbon stem to complete the look and give the competition something to admire as I thrash my way off the back of the pack. The bike's level just seemed to call for a cockpit of a similar grade.
 
With all of this investment in one place, the crit bike was feeling underappreciated. I know these things. I'm a bike whisperer. However, I couldn't justify that level of investment for a bike that is intended for road cycling's equivalent of roller derby, I started looking around for alternatives.
 
When I was down in Mississippi, the handlebars on evil mastermind Bart Luther's Specialized Allez DSW Sprint caught my eye. They looked beefy-yet-aero, and he said they took a significant amount of the road vibration away. Plus, they were cheap. I was all in until I reached over and flexed the handlebar up a significant amount with minimal pressure. They were about as stiff as a rotten banana. I could see where they might mute the pavement considerably, but I was a bit concerned with how they would hold up in a sprint.
 
Since my goals included aesthetic and performance components, I realized that buying the latest dishrag-and-superglue design out of Mainland China might not cover all of the bases. I was going to have to spend actual money. The unexpected shoe return provided the momentarily unallocated funding source. A coupon code designed to entice the weak-minded (me) determined the new home for the money. Without thinking (not usually part of the established process), I placed my order.
 
Now I just need a sufficiently blingy stem...
  

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