bikelif3

Going for an evening ride after my early morning ride and about 4 mins into it, my handlebars split in half on the right side. Never did I imagine this could be a thing. I think I'll just chill indoors for the rest of the evening...

Update: To be fair to the manufacturer of the handlebars, there were about 3 to 4 occasions where the ends of the handlebars smacked concrete pretty hard. So I guess it shouldn't have been THAT unexpected.

bikelif3

Actually, let me give you the whole story. I was about 4mins into my ride and I saw an oncoming speeding white compact car going about 65 in a 35mph. I decided to "swerve" them, play chicken with them, and dodged to the left. Right after this, my freaking handlebar literally just broke in half. Had it been a split second earlier, I could have been hit by that car. I don't think I'll be playing chicken with cars again...

Schweinhund

I will admit to doing some stupid stuff on bicycles, but I would never ever consider playing chicken with multiple tons of metal, plastic and momentum.

PeteHski

Especially one with a speeding driver!

PeteHski

So tell us about these bars ie make and model. Got any photos of the failure?

bikelif3

Sure, I don't mind sharing info. I ride a Gravity BaseCamp 27.5 in from bikesdirect.com. Bought it for about $350 before the pandemic

Their description: Handlebar Aluminum W:620MMxR:30MMx6 DEGREES, ALLOY BLACK

RCMoeur 

Glad you're OK. An acquaintance of mine snapped a set of very experienced handlebars on a tandem - almost had a very severe crash.

I have experienced a broken handlebar on my Rans Nimbus recumbent after nearly 30 years of service - fortunately at low speed as I was coming to a stop. It snapped off where the horizontal crosspiece entered the left side - the hole for the crosspiece must have created a stress riser.

Snapped-off Rans Nimbus handlebar, 2012. No alien squeezy horns were harmed.

I was able to ride home very carefully using just one hand and one brake.

The bike was out of service for about 4 years as I searched for an appropriate replacement. Rans had discontinued that part decades earlier, and most recumbent riser bars were either too narrow or otherwise unsuitable. Finally ended up buying a set of super-tall Sunlite steel ape-hanger bars and was able to set it up acceptably, although at a greater weight.

Iride01 

Interesting how they broke like they did. Is there any evidence in the fracture that it started sometime ago and progressed? Can you get a more focused shot of both ends?

Being the thick aluminum that looks like, I think that probably means it wasn't the better aluminum alloy bars that are heat treated, annealed or any of the other things they do to make them more resistant of such things. All my aluminum bars that I've had on my bikes are/were much thinner aluminum.

You probably should send a pic of that to the bike manufacturer and the handlebar manufacturer.

work4bike

I'm lucky, because I never had one break, but I have had one bend on me.

PeteHski

Nasty one that! Looking at where it failed, it certainly wasn't from an over-tightened or sharp-edged stem. I assume nothing else was clamped in that area. So I would presume it's made out of cheese spec alloy.

Troul 

Oh snap!
must be laced with crabon fibre?

I'd at least report the breakage to the "OEM" to establish a paper trail..

bikelif3

More focused view. Luckily I had the same handlebars from an older bike I'm using for parts. Again, the handlebar ends did previously smack concrete pretty hard 3 or 4 times so not completely unexpected.

Schweinhund

That bar is straight up defective.

bikemig 

Glad the OP came out OK. This is why I buy a new stem and handlebar when I rebuild an old bike.

tomato coupe

So, if your handlebars had not broken, playing chicken with cars would still be in your plans?

bikelif3

Maybe not, but would definitely follow you home and snap your license plate and home number...

tomato coupe

If you can follow a car home that's doing 65 mph, you must have a pretty good FTP.

bikelif3

I JUST did a week ago.

Russ Roth

You've just convinced me to swap the bars on my motobecane uno, absolutely love the bike but I've been riding OS bars for so long I've wondered about their general quality being 26mm. Yours make me think not good. Already destroyed the factory pedals 5 miles into the first ride.

Schweinhund

Considering the leverage involved with a drop bar and the seating position, probably a good choice if you are at all concerned.
That being said, I saw a guy, (little Scotty) flat out snap a new pair of Answer taperlite bars doing bicycle trials. So there are no guarantees you still won't snap a pair.

cellery

Not exactly a ringing endorsement for bikesdirect eh. Notice how narrow the tubing is on one side of those bars. It's paper thin (!) Is it normal to have it molded asymmetrically like that? It's been a long time since I've bothered to look at galleries of failed components and most of the time when you see stuff like this it's carbon that's been previously wrecked.

bikelif3

I'm not going to let you spread misinformation (probably disinformation). As I stated, the handlebar ends hit concrete very hard on 3-4 occasions, probably weakening them.

The thickness is the same. The angle of the crack in the picture makes someone like you who is easily fooled, to make bold, incorrect statements as if they were fact. Are you Chat GPT???

I'll continue to buy my bikes from bikesdirect.com.

I-Like-To-Bike

Given the handlebar failure by your own admission is likely the result of the severe abuse they were subjected to by your rough/careless handling, why did you even post about it? Is your point that thrashing your equipment might result in mechanical failure?

bikelif3

I was sharing an experience that I didn't expect to happen. Is that ok with you? You know what, next time before I post something I'll private message it to you so you can approve or disapprove of it. Does that make you happy?