Review of the PRO Compact Carbon Extension

The PRO Compact Carbon handlebar extension is designed to provide an additional aerodynamic position for ultra-distance road or gravel races, or for triathlons in compliance with ITU regulations. Its light weight and stiffness are its main advantages.

By Guillaume Judas – Photos: DR

Compact and lightweight (145 g with hardware and computer mount), the PRO Compact extension is made of unidirectional carbon fiber, giving it an excellent finish. It is designed to attach to the top of any aluminum or carbon handlebar with a 31.8 mm diameter at the top. Installation is straightforward, and it stays securely in place—as we were able to test on two different bikes (and thus two different handlebars). The clamping system does not interfere with placing your hands on the handlebars in their usual positions. You just need to be careful about the positioning of the brake cables or hoses, as their curvature can sometimes interfere with the extension’s mounting.

The Pro Compact includes a mount for Garmin, Wahoo or Bryton computers that also acts as a bridge between the two handrest sections, and it has a non-slip texture for a secure grip in an aerodynamic position. The unit is very rigid once securely attached to the top of the handlebars, and is unobtrusive both aesthetically and when riding the bike.

A Bit Short

In practice, while the Pro Compact extension isn’t a hindrance on the bike for everyday use, it’s hard to see any real benefit due to its very small size. It feels much too short when paired with a standard stem length to rest your forearms on the handlebars. To achieve an aerodynamic position with your back completely flat, you have to let your elbows drop well behind the top of the handlebars, which requires a fair amount of flexibility and results in an extremely exaggerated hip rotation.

You can reposition the extension to find a more natural forearm position (by tilting the Pro Compact forward or, conversely, by straightening it out), but the fixed position of the computer mount limits visibility of the ride data in this case. And here again, the stem suffers from its small size, because once the computer is installed, there isn’t much room left to rest your hands. Furthermore, on our test model, the Garmin mount wasn’t fully functional, as the computer wouldn’t lock into place and the entire assembly would regularly come loose. That said, the Pro Compact extension stands out for its rigidity, and you can pull on it while riding hard without any worries. We also tested it on rough trails, and it didn’t budge, even when riding over numerous potholes. To find the ideal position, we would have had to lengthen the stem on our usual road bike or sport gravel bike (at the risk of becoming uncomfortable in other positions) or mount it on an ultra-style gravel bike with a raised cockpit, to more easily find the ideal angle for the forearms.

This accessory is therefore intended more for this purpose than for road use, despite its modern weight and design, which seem focused on performance.