handlebar corrosion under tape

Kyle.B.H. said:

Upon stripping two layers of tape (cotton outer, fake cork inner) from
my wife's handlebars, I saw the following:

http://www.hollasch.com/bars/bars.htm

Serious corrosion of the surface of the Profile AL bars. As you can
see, underneath the electrical tape, there was no corrosion.

She doesn't wear gloves, so I'm guessing that salt is the culprit. Could
plain old moisture and wetness do this as well?

I've already decided to replace the bars, as I'm concerned with any loss
of structural integrity, so my question is - how do I prevent this from
happening again? I'm thinking of wrapping the entire bar (underneath
the tape) with electrical tape, as that seemed to be an effective barrier.

Thanks,

Kyle

My approach would be to remove, clean under, and replace the tape every
so often. Something to do on those cold Canadian winter and (early
spring) nights.

Derek Hodges

Kyle.B.H. said:

Upon stripping two layers of tape (cotton outer, fake cork inner) from
my wife's handlebars, I saw the following:

http://www.hollasch.com/bars/bars.htm

Serious corrosion of the surface of the Profile AL bars. As you can
see, underneath the electrical tape, there was no corrosion.

She doesn't wear gloves, so I'm guessing that salt is the culprit. Could
plain old moisture and wetness do this as well?

I've already decided to replace the bars, as I'm concerned with any loss
of structural integrity, so my question is - how do I prevent this from
happening again? I'm thinking of wrapping the entire bar (underneath
the tape) with electrical tape, as that seemed to be an effective barrier.

Thanks,

Kyle

those are cheap bars - look for something more expensive with better
anodizing. and change the tape periodiacally too. /don't/ keep using
those bars - corrosion in aluminum frequently leads to fatigue or other
cracking.

Kyle.B.H. said:

Upon stripping two layers of tape (cotton outer, fake cork inner) from
my wife's handlebars, I saw the following:

http://www.hollasch.com/bars/bars.htm

Serious corrosion of the surface of the Profile AL bars. As you can
see, underneath the electrical tape, there was no corrosion.

She doesn't wear gloves, so I'm guessing that salt is the culprit.
Could plain old moisture and wetness do this as well?

I've already decided to replace the bars, as I'm concerned with any loss
of structural integrity, so my question is - how do I prevent this from
happening again? I'm thinking of wrapping the entire bar (underneath
the tape) with electrical tape, as that seemed to be an effective barrier.

A layer of electrical tape would likely be effective. A good coat of
varnish might do just as well. Using both would not, in my opinion,
be a mistake in my opinion, though it's likely to be overkill.

That said, I have my doubts about the seriousness of the strength
reduction resulting from the surface corrosion seen in the photo.
Cleaning the bars with ammonia would allow you to see how deep the
pitting is, if any is present.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
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Werehatrack said:

... Using both would not, in my opinion,
be a mistake in my opinion, though it's likely to be overkill.

Yeesh. I can only plead excessive lood in the caffiene stream.

I will not brew decaf. Decaf is the mind-killer. Decaf brings the
little sleep that leads to total oblivion. I will embrace my
caffiene. I will let it flow through me, and when it is gone, only I
will remain alert.

[with apologies to Frank Herbert]
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.