meb said:
Given the tendency for abrupt aluminum failure, I'm seriously
questioning the wisdom of aluminum handlebars.
Anyone else had aluminum bars fail?
I have *bent* a few handlebars, both aluminum and steel, but I've only
experienced one brittle failure in a handlebar. Fortunately, it was
not a sudden failure.
The handlebar that cracked was a nicely made, but underweight, 150g MTB
bar (Answer Hyperlite). It exhibited longitudinal cracking on both
sides, starting from the gaps in the brake lever clamps. The levers
must have been overtightened, at least for this particular handlebar.
The bar was in service for the equivalent of 3 years' daily street
riding, with close to 20,000 miles altogether. Under the
circumstances, and given that the failures did not seem to be primarily
from riding loads, I'd say the bar exhibited impressive durability
overall. I would not use such a component on my bike now, but I would
put one on a smaller rider's bike with absolute confidence (but also
with the understanding that its service life is finite).
It seems obvious to me, however, that a sub-250g drop bar is a
lighter-duty piece of equipment than a 150g MTB bar, both because of
its weight per length and because of its shape.
Chalo Colina
