it was just a joke

Me too, because all the aluminum trees in my yard broke apart during the last wind storm.

I was not joking and still am not though. Im sure something can be arranged for a more "all weather" bar though. I would not suggest taking it out in a down pour but im sure with a good varnish, it should be just fine for anywhere short of Seattle...

Actually, they do. Down here in Florida every fourth house has a pool, and for some reason they all plant these aluminum trees evenly spaced around them, and then nail screen to them. The first big wind that comes along causes them to fold at the base collapsing the screen room, whereas wood would have been able to bend without breaking.

CF components shatter even worse than wood, and the splinters are much more prone to cut into the flesh. And CF handlebars seem to be rather popular.

Ah, dear friends, lots of opinions (I just read most of the comments in this thread). Well, let me share a few from a materials scientist: wood can be made resistant to humidity. Evidence: boats, ships, stilt houses and Venice (most of which is built on wooden pillars permanently under water). OTOH carbon fiber, aluminum and steels used for frames are generally sensitive to humidity. CF has to be very carefully protected from humidity, as it has a deteriorating and delaminating effect over time. That's one of the main reasons chipped/scratched CF parts represent a hazard. Humidity insinuates within the CF fabric and weakens it. Steel, well, we all know steel (unless it's stainless) rusts, if it's not protected. And unpainted aluminum is also sensitive to humidity, though the chemical processes are slightly different from iron or steel. Granted, compared to steel or CF, it's definitely the most stable, but aluminum bicycle frames are almost always painted, and most parts are anodized.


Compared to the above materials, wood is not worse - if anything, it's much, much better (or can be made to be).

Breaking: granted, a steel handlebar will be stronger than one made of wood, but if you're interested in strength/weight, wood comes out on or near the top. Only CF and titanium are better (not sure about aluminum+scandium alloys). Evidence: spruce goose Indeed, for smaller constructions, within which dimensions the wood parts can be homogeneous, wood is an excellent choice.

Finally, I would feel much more safe riding a bike with a wooden handlebar than one with a CF handlebar. The wooden one I can have a rough idea of what state it is in, is it precarious, is it firm and sound, is it this close to shatter. With CF, unless you have the equipment to inspect it, you really have no effing idea. That's why Boeing bundles a special fuselage inspection service with their Boeing 787 aircrafts.


EDIT: Another example of how wood can be impervious to humidity are the various wooden clock movements - the oldest existing and still working clock movements are made of wood.

So there.

From Wikipedia: "Built from wood because of wartime raw material restrictions on the use of aluminum, it was nicknamed the "Spruce Goose" by its critics."

It's so kids wouldn't fall in the pool.

Don't know if any posted this yet, cause I'm not sifting through page after page of everyone saying wood bars will kill you, but here ya go. $50 bamboo bars. Hell, you can get bamboo fenders and complete bamboo bikes there too.

https://www.organicbikes.com/bars.html

Oh but don't forget, you're gonna die.

I don't understand why you would create a forum account just to resurrect a two year old thread.