Possible crack in carbon handlebar?
04-05-14, 09:48 AM
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Possible crack in carbon handlebar?
First, apologize for the quality of the photos--I had a flashlight in one hand, and my iPhone in the other. Second, I am going to take my bike to the shop I purchased it from and have them look at it, but I'm working this weekend, and I wanted to get a few opinions before then.
My bike is a 2014 Trek Domane 6.2, only a month old. Yesterday I was stopped at a traffic light and I looked down and saw the "crack," and I'm 95% positive it was new. It stretches the width of the bar, from the tape on one side to the other, and it's something I'd never seen before yesterday.
It's definitely NOT a surface scratch. A) The clearcoat above it is still smooth and unbroken to the touch. B) The "crack" (outlined in red) clearly runs under the graphics.
(The bright line to the left is glare from the light). I'm off work Monday and I'll take it to the shop, but if it isn't a crack, what could a possible explanation be?
My bike is a 2014 Trek Domane 6.2, only a month old. Yesterday I was stopped at a traffic light and I looked down and saw the "crack," and I'm 95% positive it was new. It stretches the width of the bar, from the tape on one side to the other, and it's something I'd never seen before yesterday.
It's definitely NOT a surface scratch. A) The clearcoat above it is still smooth and unbroken to the touch. B) The "crack" (outlined in red) clearly runs under the graphics.
(The bright line to the left is glare from the light). I'm off work Monday and I'll take it to the shop, but if it isn't a crack, what could a possible explanation be?
04-05-14, 07:49 PM
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It's a bad photo, but the crack seems to be too perfectly straight to be a crack. Probably some sort of manufacturing anomaly, and perhaps the dealer will show you something similar on other bars. Or he may replace.
Meanwhile it's your decision whether to ride or not.
Meanwhile it's your decision whether to ride or not.
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04-06-14, 06:41 AM
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Did you try the tap test? Did you adjust the bars or has the shop done literally all of the work?
04-06-14, 06:58 AM
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I haven't made any adjustments to the bars since I picked it up, new, about four weeks ago. Yes, I did tap on them; no obvious change in sound. I'm off work Monday and Tuesday and I want to ride. I'm going to take the bike to the shop on my lunch hour today (Sunday) and have them look at it…don't want to take any chances.
04-06-14, 07:57 AM
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I haven't made any adjustments to the bars since I picked it up, new, about four weeks ago. Yes, I did tap on them; no obvious change in sound. I'm off work Monday and Tuesday and I want to ride. I'm going to take the bike to the shop on my lunch hour today (Sunday) and have them look at it…don't want to take any chances.
Good plan. No point in taking chances with a cracked handlebar.
04-06-14, 08:52 AM
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My guess is that it's the edge of a carbon sheet, and not a problem. If the bars are built up from layers of carbon sheets (is that how they are made?), there has to be an edge somewhere.
\But go see the LBS, and take a look at other Domane bars to see if they have similar looks.
\But go see the LBS, and take a look at other Domane bars to see if they have similar looks.
Last edited by rm -rf; 04-06-14 at 08:57 AM.
04-06-14, 08:55 AM
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04-06-14, 09:11 AM
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I'm waiting for the parody thread.
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04-06-14, 01:47 PM
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So I race over to the Trek dealer on my lunch hour today. The first person I see is my friend the sales manager. The Domane is the fourth bike I've bought from him. Super cool dude, knows more about bicycles than anyone I know. I explain my concerns to him, and instead of looking at the bike, he points to the wall. "Take a look at the [Bontrager] RXL handlebars over there." Sure enough, they have the exact line in the exact same position as the one on my bars. The "crack" is merely the way the carbon fiber is laid during the manufacturing process.
Better safe than sorry, as the old cliche goes...
Better safe than sorry, as the old cliche goes...
04-06-14, 02:17 PM
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....and perhaps the dealer will show you something similar on other bars.
All's well that ends well. It's good that you went back though because there's not much worse than riding a bike you don't trust.
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An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
Just because I'm tired of arguing, doesn't mean you're right.
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
04-06-14, 02:24 PM
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04-06-14, 02:29 PM
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04-06-14, 02:39 PM
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04-06-14, 04:24 PM
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04-06-14, 04:25 PM
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