Carbon Bars
12-10-18, 07:52 PM
#26
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I've put 22,000 miles on the same carbon bars and they have not ASSploded. Just take care not to drop the bike or abuse it. But that can be said for carbon frames, wheels and cranks.
12-10-18, 08:09 PM
#27
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To the OP I bought into the hype and don't think they make really any difference over alloy bars other than weight which really isn't that much of a difference. The shape of the bars and how they fit you are far more important than what they're made of.
12-10-18, 09:14 PM
#28
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Not every day, but it's not unheard of. Worse, that customer didn't see the damage and thought the bar was fine and safe. That can happen.
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12-10-18, 09:32 PM
#29
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I have two carbon frame bikes. One has carbon bars and stem, the other aluminum bars and stem. Both have carbon forks. I cant tell a difference from how the bars ride. Carbon bars are obviously lighter, but I don't feel any difference in ride quality or feel.
12-10-18, 09:40 PM
#30
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One or the other (carbon or aluminum) has to be more likely to fail... it's impossible for the failure rates of the two materials to be identical. I'm fine with others choosing carbon. 
12-10-18, 09:55 PM
#31
Non omnino gravis
People afraid of carbon bars are good for all of us. We all have the free choice to ride whatever bars we want, so when the guy buys a new bike and immediately ditches the lethal carbon for safe aluminum, I can get brand new carbon take-offs-- which is how I got my K-Force Compacts for $80 instead of $250.
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12-10-18, 09:55 PM
#32
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Steel is real ... Easy to bend and snap . i can break steel bars i can bend steel bars . steel bars rust and snap .
General rules to follow with carbom parts are , carbon is the strongest material that can be molded into the largest variety of shapes . its biggest weakness is its impact resistance . i could not snap a carbon bar by arms strength but i can bend and twist steel bars. But if i smack the carbon on the concrete it will break and snap .
Id say your best best bet for bar choice is to look up stiffness tests . find a bar thats rated high , as stiff as possible , or if you want road dampening get one thats rated high for that.
Over all i think carbon bars are better suited for aero gains and dailed in stiffnesses ..
General rules to follow with carbom parts are , carbon is the strongest material that can be molded into the largest variety of shapes . its biggest weakness is its impact resistance . i could not snap a carbon bar by arms strength but i can bend and twist steel bars. But if i smack the carbon on the concrete it will break and snap .
Id say your best best bet for bar choice is to look up stiffness tests . find a bar thats rated high , as stiff as possible , or if you want road dampening get one thats rated high for that.
Over all i think carbon bars are better suited for aero gains and dailed in stiffnesses ..
12-10-18, 10:19 PM
#33
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GCN did a side-by-side of two similarly-shaped bars, one CF and the other Al, putting them through their paces in an apparatus that torqued the bars thousands of times (it's on Youtube). The end result was that the Al bar could take a bigger hit (ie, more impact resistant), but the CF bar had way more fatigue resistance (the Al bar failed after ~200,000 "torques", while the CF bar was still going strong when they packed it in at ~600,000 torques (actual numbers may be off - pulling this from memory). My take on that is that, for bars at least, fatigue resistance trumps impact resistance - if my bike (presumably with me on it) takes a hit sufficient to break the handlebar, I'll have bigger worries than whether the bar broke or not - it's not like it performs some safety function during a crash, like, say, the passenger compartment of my car. The only thing I would say about CF bars - you have to be willing to follow the rule of "if in doubt, throw it out" - better to replace a CF bar if it takes a decent hit, than run the risk of a catastrophic failure down the road. A few years ago, I "doored" my roof-mounted bike driving into a carport. The impact pulled the roof rack half off the car, and the CF fork, being the only rigid point of attachment between bike and rack, took the brunt. Although the fork looked OK, I made the decision to retire it and eat the price of a new fork - better that than eat asphalt.
12-11-18, 06:10 AM
#35
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) and seller gets a few bucks. Win-win!
12-11-18, 06:35 AM
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12-11-18, 07:40 AM
#37
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I double wrap the tops , of all my handlebars (alloy bars) and never have an issue and I have arthritis in both hands . I no longer use the drops, but those can be double wrapped, too . KB
12-11-18, 07:46 AM
#38
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I ride whatever the pros ride.
It's just easier that way. No decisions and takes the worry out.
-Tim-
It's just easier that way. No decisions and takes the worry out.
-Tim-
12-11-18, 07:55 AM
#39
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I have carbon handlebars on my two CF bikes. I have aluminium handlebars on my steel frame bikes.
There is a difference, but I am not sure if the difference is more due to the frame material than to the handlebars themselves.
As long as you take care not to over torque the stem, carbon handlebars are as stout and reliable as their aluminium counterparts.
Cheers!
12-11-18, 08:06 AM
#40
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"Carbon is a Killer!"
Always god for a couple of pages when the weather turns nasty.
I am a carbon-based life form. A couple years ago I fell off my bike and snapped a clavicle. This proves that carbon is deadly.
I just cannot find anyone selling an alloy skeleton in my size.
Always god for a couple of pages when the weather turns nasty.
I am a carbon-based life form. A couple years ago I fell off my bike and snapped a clavicle. This proves that carbon is deadly.
I just cannot find anyone selling an alloy skeleton in my size.
We are stardust, we are golden.
We are billion year old carbon,
And we got to get ourselves back to the garden.
-Woodstock, CSN&Y
Last edited by eja_ bottecchia; 12-28-18 at 05:01 PM.
12-11-18, 08:12 AM
#41
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12-11-18, 08:24 AM
#42
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I had a mountain bike with a CF bar fall off the back of my car going ~60 MPH. I looked in my rear view mirror to see it cartwheeling down the road.
The bars got hit so hard that it bent the stem. The bar did not break, though the ends were really bunged up.
The bars got hit so hard that it bent the stem. The bar did not break, though the ends were really bunged up.
12-11-18, 08:37 AM
#43
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@Lemond37 To the OP: It depends on what you're looking for. If it's damping road 'buzz' then maybe, especially if your like to use thin bar tape. OTOH, a 3.0mm gel-backed premium tape might provide the same benefit at far less cost and hassle than a bar swap.
If you want those cool aero profiled bars, like the K-wing and ZIPP-SL, then carbon is where you go.
In my case, I get more benefit out of the shape of the bars than the material. I ended up with a flared 'gravel' bar (Salsa Cowchipper) for comfort on my long-distance road bike. I'm a clyde, so I tend to ride the thick-walled, heavy versions of whichever bar shape I choose.
To all the rest of you; There are so many different grades and specs and quality levels of Steel and Aluminum, and CF, that it's impossible to say that one is 'The Strongest' The only thing you can pretty much predict is the most likely failure mode: (With regard to handlebars) Steel will bend, Al will crack, and CF will snap.
'You can have Light, Strong, and Cheap. Pick Two.' -Keith Bontrager
If you want those cool aero profiled bars, like the K-wing and ZIPP-SL, then carbon is where you go.
In my case, I get more benefit out of the shape of the bars than the material. I ended up with a flared 'gravel' bar (Salsa Cowchipper) for comfort on my long-distance road bike. I'm a clyde, so I tend to ride the thick-walled, heavy versions of whichever bar shape I choose.
To all the rest of you; There are so many different grades and specs and quality levels of Steel and Aluminum, and CF, that it's impossible to say that one is 'The Strongest' The only thing you can pretty much predict is the most likely failure mode: (With regard to handlebars) Steel will bend, Al will crack, and CF will snap.
'You can have Light, Strong, and Cheap. Pick Two.' -Keith Bontrager
12-28-18, 11:38 AM
#44
I ride to clear my mind
Depends on why you want them.
If it's to save weight or the cool factor, probably not. If you have hand issues like me (carpel tunnel), or really want to take the road buzz out of you alloy bars, than yeah.
For me, they were one of the best comfort fixes I've done. Since I put mine on the bike (Fsa K-Force light) My hands rarely bother me anymore.
If it's to save weight or the cool factor, probably not. If you have hand issues like me (carpel tunnel), or really want to take the road buzz out of you alloy bars, than yeah.
For me, they were one of the best comfort fixes I've done. Since I put mine on the bike (Fsa K-Force light) My hands rarely bother me anymore.
12-28-18, 02:59 PM
#46
I ride to clear my mind
12-29-18, 08:18 AM
#47
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I have four nice carbon fiber bikes. All of them have alloy bars. I really like the Zipp Service Course SL series bars.
12-29-18, 07:55 PM
#48
Senior Member
I've had aluminum bars snap on me. So that's as unreliable as carbon.
12-30-18, 10:29 AM
#49
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Every component can be over/under built with any material, but it is the early warning of carbon fatigue I like.
12-30-18, 10:49 AM
#50
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Cracked and finished.
Carbon breaks, splinters, but does not snap. Some examples cracked frame, cracked wheels both able to finish the ride. Alloy likely would have snapped.
I don't have pictures of carbon bars breaking as if it is not a crash, or they are cheap eBay specials, they just don't.
I don't have pictures of carbon bars breaking as if it is not a crash, or they are cheap eBay specials, they just don't.