Is this safe?
 

Acquired these Bontrager OCLV Boron XXX Race Lite blah blah blah handlebars. There is a small patch at the very end that is a bit crunched. Is it safe to ride? There is no damage anywhere unless you count the stem clamp mucking up the Bontrager logo a little bit. Would you feel comfortable on them? Is it possible to repair/cover?
http://s7.postimg.org/4x0quduh7/DSC01245.jpg

That does look damaged, but I am sure others have a better defined answer. I wouldn't be putting that on my bike, instantaneous failure can definitely happen. Hard to tell in the photo if just the clear coat has worn off, or carbon has been damaged.

it is hard to determine relative length of the damage, but you might be able to cut off both ends, including the damaged side. Unless it is 2-3 inches deep, that would just be silly. Best option would be to run them into a bike shop and ask for their advice. As holding in in your hand is 10x better than uploaded pictures.

They can be repaired, but it might be relatively expensive. If you want specific names of companies that fix carbon damage feel free to ask. Probably faster, easier, and cheaper to buy new bars than have those be repaired.

There is a tiny bit of carbon missing, maybe a 1/8th" triangular piece. I thought about cutting it off but I wanted to know suss some things out first.

Which companies repair CF handlebars? I know the insurance company my framebuilder uses will not allow him to repair forks/handlebars/wheels.

if those bars were mine, i would no doubt use them.

Looks line the bike might have gone down on the bars at that spot. If it were known that the damage is only at that one spot, you might think, "What is the harm in using the bars? I never put my hands there anyway." And there is only really danger when the damage is at or near a fulcrum, not the end of the lever. But that damage might be an indicator of more elsewhere on the bars from the wreck. I wouldn't use compromised ultra-light bars.

Looks like a bit of road rash at the end of the bar. No big deal. The tape will cover it.

Personally, I'd cut off the very end that's got the carbon out of it, make the bars a centimeter or two shorter, and cover the rest with nail polish.

Even if the remaining inch or so some how failed under the bar tape, it's not going to cause a crash, unless you're only holding on to the last inch of the bar

Did the thread title make anyone else think of Dustin Hoffman and Marathon Man?

Berk Composites will take on any work, Jure has exceptional products and repair jobs.

The actual damage shown in the pics would not concern me- but the fact that it indicates that those bars were in a crash, would. I tend to usually be in the 'It'll be fine" camp....but with CF, if it's sustained an impact, you risk catastrophic failure without warning. Personally, I'd be nervous riding any CF bar that may have sustained an impact. It looks like road rash from sliding along the ground....but who knows how hard it hit, and what may be going on internally in more crucial areas of the bars?

this came to mind...

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=482802

What do the bars feel like? Is the end soft, or firm?

If you use some type of expanding bar plug, then it will give some support to the ends of the bars, and then the bar tape will cover the damage. Maybe update the clearcoat??? Epoxy repair?

You are at a low leverage point. So, I'd probably use the bars myself if I didn't see any signs of structural damage elsewhere.

Absolutely.

Used handlebars? No thanks

I should explain, I got them from a friend and they were in a crash. A car side-swiped him and he went down and the end of the bar scraped along the ground as he slid. From what I gathered there was no hard impact directly on the bars. I've wrenched the bars about as hard as I can in as many directions as I can and the bars are still very stiff. My friend got a decent settlement from the insurance company and bought a whole new bike.

They're probably fine, but why take the chance that the crash caused damage you'r not seeing.

Since the bike was paid for, there's no loss in throwing them away.

Trying to get something for nothing may not be the best karma.

I don't think I'd sell them, I just want to ride them. He gave me a big box of parts and this was in there.

Sounds like you're going to use them no matter what anybody says. Use them at your own risk.

I wouldn't take a chance. Buy new bars. At the same time get a pair you like and the right size if there's any difference.

+1

Carbon fiber bars are cheap, medical bills aren't.