De-bending handle bars?
04-14-12, 12:12 PM
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De-bending handle bars?
I got into a crash the other day. Other than some road rash I'm ok. However my 3ttt handle bars got pretty bent. They feel weird to ride now. Any way to de bend them? Or save up money and buy a new pair. I really liked these handle bars too. So nice and light.
04-14-12, 12:32 PM
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I'm assuming they're aluminum. Aluminum typically cracks before it bends. If it's bent, they might be cracked. I wouldn't take a risk. A handlebar is much cheaper than an ambulance ride because the handlebar failed.
04-14-12, 12:41 PM
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Yeah, I agree with Alpha. Aluminium fails catastrophically (rather than gradually like steel). I would definitely not risk it. I've known aluminium bars snap suddenly - happened to my brother, and luckily he only got a damaged shoulder.
One time I overtightened some bar-ends on a set of titanium bars, ruining the bars. I thought... let's see just how tough these suckers are. I hammered them, sledgehammered them, jumped up and down on them, put them up against a step and Bruce Lee'd them. They started to unroll , but never lost their form as bars. Seriously, I'd rather use titanium bars that had partially derolled than aluminium bars I suspected of having been damaged. I have ti bars on most of my bikes now.
So don't use them. Ever. For anything.
One time I overtightened some bar-ends on a set of titanium bars, ruining the bars. I thought... let's see just how tough these suckers are. I hammered them, sledgehammered them, jumped up and down on them, put them up against a step and Bruce Lee'd them. They started to unroll , but never lost their form as bars. Seriously, I'd rather use titanium bars that had partially derolled than aluminium bars I suspected of having been damaged. I have ti bars on most of my bikes now.
So don't use them. Ever. For anything.
04-14-12, 12:44 PM
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Yeah, I agree with Alpha. Aluminium fails catastrophically (rather than gradually like steel). I would definitely not risk it. I've known aluminium bars snap suddenly - happened to my brother, and luckily he only got a damaged shoulder.
One time I overtightened some bar-ends on a set of titanium bars, ruining the bars. I thought... let's see just how tough these suckers are. I hammered them, sledgehammered them, jumped up and down on them, put them up against a step and Bruce Lee'd them. They started to unroll , but never lost their form as bars. Seriously, I'd rather use titanium bars that had partially derolled than aluminium bars I suspected of having been damaged. I have ti bars on most of my bikes now.
So don't use them. Ever. For anything.
One time I overtightened some bar-ends on a set of titanium bars, ruining the bars. I thought... let's see just how tough these suckers are. I hammered them, sledgehammered them, jumped up and down on them, put them up against a step and Bruce Lee'd them. They started to unroll , but never lost their form as bars. Seriously, I'd rather use titanium bars that had partially derolled than aluminium bars I suspected of having been damaged. I have ti bars on most of my bikes now.
So don't use them. Ever. For anything.
04-14-12, 02:31 PM
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+1 Those bars are toast. Even if you could "unbend" them, they would be a sudden failure looking for a place to happen, most likely while you were using them. Cut your losses and get new ones.
04-14-12, 03:02 PM
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Nobody here should be careless enough to say "Go ahead, it's fine to use," as we just don't know. That being said you are not putting a lot of weight/stress on the bars, and they survived the intial crash. But depends what you mean by "a few days." Til your order for a new set comes in?
Last edited by cny-bikeman; 04-15-12 at 09:12 AM.
04-14-12, 06:47 PM
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Stuff of nightmares. But they're probably a very different type of titanium, and there's a big difference between a solid brittle axle and rolled titanium handlebars. The latter are able to deform rather than snap.
04-14-12, 06:52 PM
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Someone ain't listening. Seriously, why risk it? I guess it could spice up a ride... "will they snap when I go over this pothole, and will I get nailed by the taxi behind me, or have to max out my credit card to replace the teeth I left embedded in the tarmac?"
04-15-12, 01:11 AM
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In my experience, aluminum bends on impact. But after that initial bend, it WILL fracture from ANY stress, be that trying to re-bend or more impact. I wouldn't ride them.
04-15-12, 01:19 AM
#12
Banned
Heat treated , they're scrap.. I have successfully flared a set of Modolo Speedy
handlebars a few degrees, but they were not heat treated, and these were not crashed,
just un did some riding use sag.
handlebars a few degrees, but they were not heat treated, and these were not crashed,
just un did some riding use sag.
04-15-12, 08:38 AM
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Early Titanium parts, frames, pedal spindles, and others, developed a reputation for failure as they were made of "CP" grade of Ti which has a fairly poor fatigue life. Curent Ti components are made of 3/2.5 Al/V grade Ti alloy which has excellent fatigue life and is much stronger. That said, Speedplay has a 180 pound rider limit for it's Ti spindle pedals.
