"jim beam" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:the stem junction is the point of maximum stress - no surprises
there.
Quoted message said:most modern alloy handlebars carry replacement warnings
recommending
Quoted message said:change on an annual/mileage basis. unless you change to a
steel or
Quoted message said:carbon bar, it is best to follow those instructions.
in addition, even small scratches caused by fitting can be
stress risers
Quoted message said:which nucleate fatigue, so beware of that when replacing.
finally, make sure you have a stem that is radiused at the
inside edge
Quoted message said:of the clamp. some don't have that [though most modern ones
do] - it's
Quoted message said:also a potential stress riser.
<snip>
It is ridiculous to have a bar break in a year or less -- or require replacement in a year, absent
some giant problem like a sharpened stem-clamp radius or hack-saw wounds to the bar. Profile bars
are warranted for two years, and it does not appear to me that Profile recommends replacement on an
annual basis. The product information mentions that lifespan may vary depending on use, but does not
state what an expected lifespan may be for Al bars.
The sacrifices we make to the weight gods are mind boggling. I have Cinelli bars from the early '70s
that are totally beaten-up and probably will never break -- unless I hit them with a sledge hammer.
In fact, I hit a pair with a garage (along with my bike on the roof of the car) and they just bent
-- and my forks broke. Sniff, sniff. They were great old steel forks. I could get fenders under
them. -- Jay Beattie.
