Speedy Upgrades From Vision – Metron Aero Drop Bars, Metron 60SL Disc Review

Let’s face it, when you buy a new bike, there are always upgrades that can be made. Swapping aluminum bars and seatpost out for carbon, upgrading the wheelset and tires, swapping the saddle, those are just a few of the more common ones. These changes can totally change the look, feel, and performance of a bike. Vision sent over some bars and a wheelset to give our Ceepo Mamba R build a boost in the aero department, and they have not disappointed.

In this case, I was building up the Mamba R from scratch. We’ll have the full review coming soon, along with it’s gravel cousin, the Rindo, but the build was a mix of a new frame, some parts we had on hand, parts in for review, and a stem I purchased to help dial in the fit. I’ll dive deeper into the full build in the other article, but for the build, we added the Vision Metron Aero drop bars in a 38mm width and the Metron 60SL Disc wheelset. Both fit great with the aero design of the Mamba R.

Vision Metron Aero

Let’s get into some of the background before I cover my thoughts on everything. The Metron Aero is a bit of an evolution of the Metron 4D Flat. It uses the same 125mm drop, 80mm reach, and 2 degree outward flare, along with the large, flat top section of the bar, aiding aerodynamics while also giving you a great place to rest your hands on climbs. Over the years, I’ve gravitated towards bars with aero tops like this, as I find it much more comfortable to rest my hands here than on round or oval bars of the past. The bars also have a slight forward sweep. Vision doesn’t provide the exact info, but it does put your wrists at a subtle, comfortable angle when riding on the tops, which I appreciate.

The big difference between the two bars is the lack of the Modular Aero System mount on the Metron Aero. On the 4D, you can mount a modular MAS clip-on aero bar system to the bars, making them a great option for triathletes or cyclists looking to add aerobars to their bike, while still keeping drop bars for every day use. A bike like the Mamba R is actually a perfect candidate for the 4D as the reversable seat post makes it easy to change between a road or short course triathlon set up.

Another difference is the clean look. While some bars are splashed with big logos, Vision kept the graphics subtle on the Aero, with the large logos in stealthy black, and small white logos saying Vision and Metron on the tops. Depending on how far you wrap your bars, they might even get hidden.

The Metron Aero comes in four widths, 38, 40, 42, and 44cm, all measured center to center. Add another 1cm at the drops due to the flare.

Vision Metron 60SL Disc

The Vision Metron 60SL Disc wheelset is an update to the previous models. Starting at the rim, the full carbon, hooked rims are 60mm deep, 21mm wide internally, and 32mm wide externally, putting it right in the middle of Vision’s range of wheels. It’s deep enough to make them fast on flat and rolling terrain, but not too heavy for big days in the mountains. The 21mm inner width fits the trend of wider wheels for wider tires, making them perfect for 28mm (or even 30 or 32) wide road tires. Vision claims a 5.5w savings with 28mm tires over the previous 55SL. The front wheel uses 21 bladed spokes, with 24 in the rear, and external nipples making trueing a breeze.

The hubs are where the big changes are. Vision uses their newest PRS (Power Ratchet System) Hub system, which uses a Helical Clutch Ratchet with 72T for a 5 degree engagement. This is a 24% improvement in engagement speed over their previous 6-pawl design, with 54T and 6.6 degrees for engagement. The double clutch system increases durability, reduces power loss at engagement, and less friction by disengaging when coasting. The forged hub body also helps to increase the stiffness of the wheel. The hubs use two sealed cartridge bearings at the front, and four in the rear.

The wheelset comes with tubeless tape and valves, end caps for 12 and 15mm thru-axels for the front, 12mm in the rear, and a wheelbag.

Set Up

Building up the bike was rather straight forward. I used the a Shimano Di2 Connector and Zeno Q-Connect hydraulic couplers to allow me to completely disconnect the handlebars and stem from the front end of the bike. Routing everything into and through the bars was pretty easy using the Park Tool internal routing kit. The bars have a rear port at the stem clamp, allowing me to run everything straight into the stem, into the headset and through the rest of the bike, giving it a very clean look. Kudos to FSA on their SMR stem and ACR headset system that gives you the option to go super clean, or running the covers under the stem and routing all hoses and cables there and into the headset. Lastly, there is enough room to mount a computer mount or a narrow bell on either side of the stem when using the SMR stem.

For the wheels, mounting the Centerlock rotors and cassette were just like any other wheelset. Setting up tubeless tires was also a breeze using my Topeak Joe Blow Booster or Ryobi portable compressor. Whether it was Hutchinson Blackbird Race, Pirelli PZero RS Race or older Continential GP5000 TL tires, all snapped onto the beads and have held tight ever.

On The Road

Now, what are they like to ride?

Starting with the bars, the Metron Aero are comfortable, whether in the drops, hoods, or tops. The 125mm drop helps to get lower without being too low, and the 80mm of reach gives you a nice transition from the bars to the hoods. The shape of the drops gives you a nice curve to grip on, and left me close enough to the levers to easily shift and brake from the drops. The wide tops are great to rest the heel of your hands on the bars and give you plenty of room to wrap your fingers around the front and underneath. Once I had my position dialed in, I never had any issues with my hands going numb, even on my longest rides (6:40 and 135 miles). On rough roads, there is enough dampening from the carbon fiber to help reduce some of the vibration from the road, but they are still plenty stiff when you wrench on them up climbs or in sprints.

When it comes to aero, I can’t say much about how much drag is reduced versus a round bar, as I don’t have a wind tunnel to test on. What I will say is they look the part, offering a narrow profile in the tops is similar to other bars out there. It might not be quite as thin as say the old 3T Aeronova, but I prefer the Vision Aero for the hand position, especially at the curve to the hoods. About my only complaint on the bars are the openings on the insides of the tops as you get near the stem claims. While they don’t hurt anything, the large openings where cables can exit for external or semi-external routing, could use some grommets to cover the holes and prevent water and dirt from getting in when riding in the wet.

Now, for the Metron 60SL Disc wheelset, this is where you will see a big improvement over the stock aluminum or even carbon wheelsets that come on most bikes. At a claimed weight of 1490g, these aren’t the lightest wheels at this depth, but very respectable. Past wheels I’ve reviewed at this depth are usually 100-200g heavier for the set. Much of this weight savings comes from a reworked layup for the rims, while still reinforcing the spoke holes for durability. Weight isn’t everything, as heavier wheels tend to hold their speed better than lighter, but lighter wheels spin up faster. Finding that balance of a wheelset that isn’t too heavy, but also not too light is the sweet spot. For me, the Metron 60SL hits the mark, especially on days that feature a little more climbing.

Again, I don’t have a wind tunnel to really test the drag of the wheels, but having ridden some shallow (sub-40mm) wheelsets, I can tell the difference when I’m on the 60SL. The wheels cut through the air better than shallower wheels, but also held their line very well in all but the strongest of cross winds (20+ mph). Keep in mind, I’m a larger rider, but even during a training camp in Florida where I rode along the east coast for 200+ miles over a weekend, I never felt the bike squirm any more than expected from the winds.

The PRS hub is also a nice improvement. I had a set of the Metron 55SL’s from the past, and swapping them onto the bike, there’s a subtle improvement in engagement. It’s not night and day, but definitely an improvement as you begin to push down on the pedal and feel the freehub engage. The one downside of these hubs are that they are a bit on the louder side. I’ve ridden some loud hubs in the past, and while they aren’t as loud as say a Chris King hub, the rear hub betrays the stealthy look of the graphics on the wheels. This can be good and bad, depending on your preference. I love the loud hubs when riding in groups or around pedestrians, as it helps to alert them to your presence or when you are coasting. Again, some love loud hubs, some don’t, so it’s personal preference.

Mounted onto the bike, Metron 60SL’s feel fast. On twisty roads, the lateral stiffness of the wheels carves through corners, giving you confidence to push harder. On the flats, they spin up and hold their speed well in a bunch or on your own. When it’s time to put the power down in a sprint, that stiffness comes through again, helping you get all the power to the road. Heading up climbs, I never felt that their depth or weight was holding me back. Even on rough roads, they never felt overly harsh, even when running higher pressures in a tubeless set up. For the most part, they were mounted with a set of Hutchinson Blackbird Race 30mm tires, which I’ll have a review coming up for soon too.

This brings up another point when it comes to deep wheels. While not everyone will agree with me on this, I feel that 60mm wheels are the perfect depth for cyclists that are looking to get the most out of their bike and wheels. Having ridden wheels all the way up to 75mm, 60mm hits the happy medium of bring aero on the flats, without being too heavy for the climbs. Even for big climbing days, it would be incredibly rare that your ride would start at the base of the climb, and end at the top. While you might lose a little time running a 60mm versus a sub-40mm wheelset due to weight, you’ll easily gain that time on the way to the climb and on the descent due to the aerodynamic benefits of a deeper wheel. Definitely something to think about.

Conclusion

Both the Vision Metron Aero handlebars and Metron 60SL Disc wheelsets are great candidates for upgrades to your bike. Both will help to potentially drop a little weight from your bike, but will definitely add some aerodynamic touches. The added comfort of the bars are a great improvement over many options that would come stock on most bikes. As for the wheels, the 60SL’s are a great go fast option.

Price is definitely a consideration. At $449 for the Metron Aero and $2,209 for the Metron 60SL Disc, the bars are a pricy addition, while the wheels are more in the moderate range. For handlebars, there are plenty of options in carbon for cheaper, but not many aero focused bars like the Metron Aero. Around the same price point you’ll find other bars from Enve, but there aren’t many options below that feature updated designs like the Metron. Above them, you are looking at one-piece stem/bar combos, which are typically at least another 50% more expensive, and also limits you to a specific stem length, bar width, and limited to no adjustability when it comes to setting the bike up. If you find one that works for you, great, but that’s another topic for another article.

On the wheel side, the Metron 60SL Disc is actually a decent value for what you are getting. Yes, it is hard to say $2,000 is a value, but for where the market is at the moment, they are. There are some lower spec models available from other brands or lesser known brands that will come in at a lower price point, but also plenty of comparable models from brands like Enve, Zipp, and others that hit a higher price.

I always say the biggest test for a product is whether I continue to use them in the future for my personal rides. I do have some additional cockpits I need to put through their paces from Cannondale and a small brand out of the UK, Avec Bikes, but the Metron Aero will find a home on one of my bikes in the future. As for the wheels, I currently have four main wheelsets to choose from, two from Hunt, one from Flo Cycling, and the Metron 60SL Discs. Each have their merits, but when it comes to all-around usage, the Metrons and the Flo 64AS Disc will be my go-to’s until more wheels come in for review.

www.visiontechusa.com