ROFL!! All it will take to get most of the guys on this forum to buy a pair is to see some other hipster/trickster get a compliment on HIS wooden bars from a good-looking blonde with big boobs!

Done. Instant product acceptance.

Think about wood-handled tools for a minute. Hammers, shovels, picks, axes, etc, tools designed to be swung and struck with great force. Strength is not a problem - wood handled hammers don't just break the first few times you use them. But over time, the head of the tool becomes loose on the handle through repeated normal use. Not such a big deal with a shovel or hammer - you can still dig or hit a nail with a slightly wobbly tool, and you either shim it or replace the handle when it gets bad. That's why they sell replacement handles at the hardware store.

Real handlebar manufacturers do fatigue testing on their parts. You've seen those machines that twist or pull something a couple hundred times a minute, and they leave them running for a month or so? That's probably the only way to learn how your handlebar would wear over time.

I'd give up on the idea of selling these things. Durability, and liability. Just look elsewhere on this forum, somebody is managing to break toe straps for cripes sakes.

Well that shouldnt be hard. LOL.

I do not have access for doing fatigue testing but do have the ability to find out the actual force taken to break them. Liability is a big thing. I am thinking we might just stick to fenders and other little wooden accents. Im not sure just yet.

I don't give a **** what anyone thinks about them, if I could find a place where they are being sold I'd buy one.

Go get a 1 1/4 inch wooden dowel. Now cut it to 19", (the length of the Origin 8 Stash bar), clamp it in a 31.8 stem, and clamp the stem in a vise. Now try and break it with just your hands and weight.

Then figure a bar made out of a good wood laminate specifically chosen to take that stress will be at least twice as strong as the white pine or ash from which the dowel is made.

how's about if its made of oak?

Got some new photos for you guys! Sorry for the quality, the weather was not cooperating.








They are installed in a cheap stem and some basic cheap cruiser grips for now. Just to test them. If everything wors out alright, I will be ordering a Nitto Dynamic stem and possibly wrapping the ends of the bars in white Silca bar tape.

Looks great!

Way off topic: what stand is that? I've been searching for some compact stands...

^^ Its a cheap ass Pyramid stand that was in the back of the shop I claimed as my own. LOL.

Deshi: the new bars look great! Personally, I wouldn't be affraid to ride them, assuming proper testing was done ahead of time.


How soon 'til we have a heated debate about glass handlebars?

^^ I am the initial testing. LOL. Like stated earlier in this thread, if I see enough interest in these bars, my partner and I will be making a hand full and sending them off for stress testing before we sell them to anyone.

If it comes down to it, I will be purchasing a star so I can sell them on the forum. Until then, I will no longer talk about these bars for sale. Just enjoy the pics and give me your feedback.

Thanks for all the comments good and bad guys.

I think they look ****in' great!

^ Thanks buddy! That picture shows the shine and color of the bars better than any other photo I have. They are coated in Man O War Marine Varnish so they should be good in case they get wet.

I think they would work. If strength is an issue, may like to consider a small solid rod into it in the manufacturing process to reinforce it. I think laminated wood is pretty but wont be as strong as a durable as a solid piece due to the weather conditions and the laminate are glued. They can come apart quite suddenly.

I personally have a bike that had the handle lengthened by slotting in a pvc tube into it and a thicker one outside of it to make about 22mm. Its hidden in the grips and extends halfway through it. I didnt want to buy an additional riser as I have too many extra bikes. It rode without a problem. I believe that pvc would work was its slightly flexible and not easy to snap. If It isnt strong, i would slot in a copper tube to reinforce it.

I have a lot of hardware lying around so I try to use it to save some.

Check out these matching bamboo grips.

^Thank...laminated wood is actually stronger do to being able to use the best parts of each piece of wood. Finding the best grain strands and the glue only breaks apart if not properly cared for. I dont have a doubt they will not work out. My only concern is they may be a bit to flexy for my liking. Ill start riding them as soon as the weather clears a bit. Im headed to Colorado Springs this weekend and am going to take the bike. Betting on better weather there. Can get a few days on these bars when I go up there.

I dont think I would ever ride a PVC handle bar. Iv seen that stuff fail so easily so many times.

I like the bamboo grips but dont think they are fitting for this bar. I thought about just burning a grid pattern into the bar itself but dont have the patience for that just yet. Maybe on another set once these prove themselves.

+1. No doubt.

The ones we did in 31.8mm looked a little better in my opinion. hey faded out of the cherry into the maple.

Im thinking about cutting them down a couple inches though. This size is what felt good at first but now that they are mounted and whatnot, I think I would like them skinnier.

I narrowed the bars by 4" tonight. I think they look a a lot better and definitely feel a lot better.

i don't get this forum...

-aluminum in a handlebar is strong and great for tricking and stress, but aluminum in a frame is terrible for the street, will dent easily, and crumple like an aluminum can
-carbon fiber can either be a wonder material capable of anything, or it will spontaneously explode. carbon fiber can apparently get chipped from falling against a rough edge, totaling the frame. or it can be used in a handlebar for downhill.
-wood has been used for large structures, high impact hand tools, car frames, roller coasters... yet it is not up the task of holding your upper body (actually, you shouldn't be putting much weight on your hands at all, there's a seat for that.

Deshi, howdya like that Regal?

The bars aint half bad at all. SURELY there will be a handful of people who would purchase them.

Its actually not a Regal, its a Soma Okami and I really like it.

This is my touring bike. The rims weigh 400 grams a piece, the same as the aluminum tubular rims I used to race on. I'll admit that I don't ride it in the rain.

I'll bet the wooden handlebars work just fine.

Love the rims man. Someday ill build myself up a set.

I bought them years ago for $100. Now they're close to $400 a pair. I love them, but I don't think I'd pay that much for them.

Thats the only reason I have not bought a pair yet. Its hard to justify $400 for a set of rims in my opinion. If you ever wanna sell your's, hit me up.