jesnow

I ride a lot in hot weather (10K mi in Houston last year), and my handlebars suffer, because the sweat congeals to a hard white rock-like substance underneath the bar tape. Mostly, it's just powdery and can be dug out and washed away, but underneath there's a really hard layer that doesn't come off with soap, water, or solvent, or even an acid solution. Part of me wants to just ignore it and re-wrap the bars, but if anybody knows some magic potion to get that stuff off please let me know. I guess a wire brush would do it. A scrubbing pad doesn't.

Jon

ps. Yes it stinks real bad when you unwrap the tape. Gross.

FBinNY 

Can't help with the existing crud, which may include oxidized aluminum form the bar, which wouldn't be a good thing.

OTOH- if this is a persistant issue, you might try to source heat shrink tubing large enough to cover the bars (they use it for things like tamper proof caps on bottles). Measure, cut, fit and shrink to protect the bar from any chemical which soak into your tape.

The only question might be movement of your heat shrunk sleeve, but that can be solved with an adhesive (if needed).

Motolegs

That's pretty gross. Even to an internet veteran.

FBinNY 

You might get some insight about what you're dealing with if you search aluminum salt water battery. Interesting reading about ways to make batteries except for the fact that in your case the handlebar is providing the consumable aluminum, and you're providing the salt.

jesnow

Gibbsite! Of course. Soluble in acids and bases, just maybe not immediately. I'll mix up some stronger HCl and have at it. The density of gibbsite is very low, and so even a lot of it doesn't mean you've lost much material from the handlebars.

Did I mention gross?

Juha

I think we need pictures.














Not.

--J

nymtber

Wear gloves to absorb the sweat?

I prefer wearing gloves anyway

davidad

I live in League City and don't have the problem with my Nitto bars. I had that problem with the bars that came on my Giant 980C 20 years ago. You are looking at Al. corrosion.

reptilezs

corroded bars should be replaced. in the future replace the bar tape more frequently and clean the bars more often.

Looigi

I've had friends whose aluminum bars have corroded and broke. There are pix on the web: https://www.google.com/search?q=alum...=1527&bih=1017

Al Criner

You can varnish bar tape to seal it. It changes the feel but it makes it waterproof. As suggested, gloves are probably part of your solution.

Or, you could try wrapping the bars with old inner tube and wrapping bar tape on top. That comes out pretty chunky but it would probably put a waterproof barrier between hands and bars.

fietsbob

wash your bike more often ..

lostarchitect 

Wear gloves; wash the gloves periodically.

Myosmith

Several companies are making self-fusing silicone tape and marketing it for a variety of purposes from mending hoses and pipes to being a temporary clamp that glue won't stick to for woodworking. Any big box or home improvement store should have it or it is available online for about $7 a roll.

A 10' roll should do one set of handlebars easily as you stretch it by about 50% while applying. Just make sure the edges overlap and you'll get a sweatproof seal that is so thin you won't notice it under any but the thinnest bar tape. It does not adhere to the bar but is permanently tacky (with no residue) on both sides, so you won't have any slippage. If you ever have to remove it, it has to be cut off as the edges will fuse together, so it isn't reusable, but it should last for several retapings. Once removed, the bars will look like new underneath. This stuff also works great under any clamps for accessories, packs/bags, and for a number of emergency repairs. Last summer I used a couple of wraps around the top tube to prevent scratches from my hitch bicycle carrier. You can leave it in place indefinitely, but it removes easily when you want the bike to look its best. It also comes in several colors so you might be able to match it to your frame to make it less conspicuous.

FBinNY 

+1, this, the shrink fit tubing I suggested earlier,or painting the bar when new are preferable to dealing with the consequences of sweat corrosion after.

As with so many things, Prevention is better than cure.

As for whether the bar can still be used, that depends on the extent and location of the corrosion damage, is up to the OP to evaluate. But he consider the implications.

Aluminum already has a fairly short fatigue life, and is prone to "notch failure", meaning it can break fairly easily where the corrosion has removed material making areas thinner. The specific alloy, thickness of the bar, and the distance along the bar where the corrosion is are factors. There's also the amount of stress he subjects the bar to.

So if he's a strong rider who works the bar climbing and sprinting, and there's corrosion between the levers and stem, that would argue for replacement. OTOH, a light flat terrain rider, who doesn't sprint can possibly keep the bar, especially if the corrosion is farther from the stem where bending moments will be lower.

jesnow

A stronger acid solution (~1 cup concentrated muriatic in about 1/2 gal water) did the trick and dissolved the nasty stuff, revealing the deeply pitted (but now very clean) aluminum below. I could actually punch through with a small screwdriver in one place. New bars on the way.

The bars come painted these days, and I wash the bike after every ride. Gloves would help but I don't like them, except for races.

bikerjp

Great. Aluminum assplodes too.