Innes

I have a guy selling his handlebars off his Tarmac Pro, they are the "S-Works SL, FACT carbon handlebar". Have the ergo grip shape in the drops, and up buy the stem clamp, the flat part of the bars isn't round, its sort of oval shaped so they are a flatter surface area when your hands are up on the perpendicular (to the bike frame) part.

I don't have a price on these yet. I am hoping the guy wants a screamin deal. Just wondering what BF thinks they are worth.

Crash716

I sold my brand new takeoff's for like $120...used i would say maybe $100 tops assuming they are in great shape...ebay is your best guide to used/ new parts prices.

bravo106

I sold a used 42 S-Works SL bar in June for $127.50. There were bids from 3 different people > $120 and from 5 > $100.

tetonrider

do you know how old the bars are? (i.e., i assume they were pre-installed on a bike; can you verify when the bike was purchased?)

the reason i ask is that specialized specifically mentions retiring carbon bars after 3 years. you can decide how far you want to push that -- i don't know what kind of roads you ride, how you (and more importantly, the prior owner) treat your equipment, and how disastrous a bar failure could be.

i'm not saying it's *likely*, but you should be aware that the manufacturer considers this to be a part with a limited life.

i'm not suggesting there is anything untoward about the seller, but some little things like twisting the levers on the bars to adjust position, slightly overtightening bolts, etc., make a difference. make your offer accordingly.

i'd be cautious when buying used carbon "disposable" parts. (yes, it's scary to think that a part specialized sells for $270 is "disposable".)

Innes

I can ask how old they are. The seller is one of the service guys at my LBS, and also just became roommates with one of my best friends. He is definitely on the up and up. They came off a Tarmac Pro SL, so I am not sure when that bikes started coming with this model of bar.

I paid him $100 bucks and he did the switch for me right there in the shop while I say and chatted.

kayakdiver

sounds like you got some bling for the ride. Seems like a good price if your a happy camper.

tetonrider

according to the archives on specialized's site, the 2007 tarmac pros used the s-works fact sl bars.

you might want to ask what model year bike your guy removed them from. (perhaps there's an alternate way to tell the dat of manufacture.) given spec's 3-year recommended lifespan, it seems to me you'd want to know if yours have been in use since september 2006 (when the 07s appear) vs, say, september 08.

Innes

I don't want to start a new thread, since I did a google search and saw that most bike forums have numerous threads on carbon parts and how long they last... but really, now I'm all paranoid that these bars are just gonna snap if I look at them wrong.

If specialized says 3 years to replace, does that mean that's the most conservative estimate? Can they sometimes last for many more years? I'm scared to ride my bike now =D

brian416

The bars should be fine for more than 3 years, It takes a very hard hit to break specialized carbon bars. By time 3 years comes around most people will have found a cool new bar to upgrade to anyways.

tetonrider

if you're that scared, you shouldn't be riding a bike with a carbon frame and/or parts.

bars, stems, seatposts, etc. can take abuse. they also absorb tons of small bumps and such. part of the issue is exposure to solar radiation and aging. will your bars spontaneously break @ 3 years? no. is specialized being conservative? probably. will your carbon bars last forever? definitely not.

i'd certainly get in the habit of inspecting your bars and other carbon parts very carefully. know what they look like in good shape so you can notice issues before they get serious and might be prone to failure.

i ride with carbon stem, bars, post, and frame and don't really worry about it much, but you have to be aware that a carbon bike is not going to last forever.

a 3-y.o. bar will be more likely to break given the same shock as a brand new bar. that's just the way it works.

you need to decide how long you wish to push these past manufacturers' recommendations and decide whether saving the $$ to eek out a bit more time is worth more to you than what would happen in the event of a bar failure on one of your rides.

i know where i stand, but that's irrelevant as it's a personal choice. just be aware of what you're dealing with and be informed.

Innes

The bars were purchased new with the bike in November of 2008, so I'm looking at 8-9 months of use, which I think is a pretty good deal.

tetonrider

nice. the only important part is whether YOU, as the buyer, believe it's a good deal.

price and condition aside, i'm a fan of the specialized bars. i tend to climb a bunch, so i like the flat wing. it really agrees with my hand positioning for long (30m-1h) climbs.

i happen to have the integrated bar/stem combo, which does leave a little to be desired. nice thing: the bar/stem interface is very strong and secure (duh). downside: even if you're comfortable with your position, it doesn't encourage future tweaking -- or at least makes it more expensive as you're replacing 2 parts instead of one.