I had a set of GB bars break on me while riding. Perhaps it was related to the older alloys, but the incident was rather gradual. The left side of the bar felt a bit odd when I pulled up on in when climbing. The next stroke it moved up a bit and the stroke after that it broke free (at the stem). I was able to slow and stop without incident. I can't recall seeing any scratches and the bars had never been subjected to any other big stress. My guess is that they were infected by the old Ava Death Stem in which they were mounted.