Originally Posted by
NikZak
this is getting ridiculous, how can a larger diameter bar be lighter than a comparable length bar of the same shape and material construction with a narrower bar diameter
no matter how thin you get the material, the larger diameter will always weigh more because there is only so thin you can go before simply leaning the bike against a wall bends the handlebars
Eh, not quite. The stiffness of a round bar increases exponentially as it gets larger, so you end up with large tubes with thin walls, which are lighter and stiffer. It's the same principle that gives you Al frames that are lighter and stiffer than steel frames, despite being 2x softer. The smaller diameter bars have to have thicker walls, because they are weaker and Al is such a soft metal.