Originally Posted by
RoadWearier
Ok well that makes sense. So it's the width of the bars not the diameter? Maybe that's why Nashbar is out of business I guess. I'm still trying to figure out what is going to happen. Is the concern that the bars will come loose? Or that they will bend because they are too wide? I weigh 170 pounds and am 5'10" so not super skinny but not super heavy either
sorry if I wasn’t clear - bar diameter is the issue - it’s too big for your stem clamp. It may be fine, but you’re setting up for eventual bar failure - bad because this would be a potentially life-changing failure, and when Al goes, it doesn’t give much warning. Al straight bars are a viable option, and they’re pretty cheap. If you’re not sure of the stem clamp diameter, get the narrowest diam bars you can - you can always build up the diam with a beer can shim if necessary. The trick is for the stem to clamp the bar evenly all the way around, not digging into isolated sections, which looks like the case at the moment