Scott bars had it?
- Thread starter Jiveman60
- Start date
Fat Tire Trader
Devout Dirtbag
If it was mine, I would strip and polish or paint, but... I don't weigh a lot and I rarely break things.
bikeworkshop
Old School Grand Master
Surface corrosion is different to fatigue - but any 30 year old lightweight aluminium bar is beyond its life expectancy.
How much they've been used probably has a bigger effect than corrosion, but is sometimes less obvious.
How much they've been used probably has a bigger effect than corrosion, but is sometimes less obvious.
Really? Most of the bikes on this site have bars over 30 years old. Does that mean we're all risking it? Genuine question, not trying to catch you out
bikeworkshop
Old School Grand Master
Depends on weight, alloy, level of use, design and corrosion.
Any 30 year old bar will be weaker than when it was new, but the difference might be insignificant.
Try asking the manufacturer if the bar is still safe to use as designed
Few retrobikes are used to their original limits though - but I accept my 30yo mtb is more likely to break than my newer stuff.
What made me raise the issue though is that in my experience, lightweight handlebars with the sharp-edged shim in the middle, like these pictured, can be prone to sudden failure at that exact point
Any 30 year old bar will be weaker than when it was new, but the difference might be insignificant.
Try asking the manufacturer if the bar is still safe to use as designed
Few retrobikes are used to their original limits though - but I accept my 30yo mtb is more likely to break than my newer stuff.
What made me raise the issue though is that in my experience, lightweight handlebars with the sharp-edged shim in the middle, like these pictured, can be prone to sudden failure at that exact point
vtwinvince
Senior Retro Guru
LOL, I have a set of mint Drop-Ins on one of my builds. They take a lot of bar tape.
No need for anyone to beat around the bush with this one.
All materials have a fatigue life. Lots of higher end retro kit was engineered to be as light as possible, not to last 30 years.
Answer Hyperlites, Controltech, Pace RC130s and numerous others. Caveat Emptor.
Most people have no idea of the use (abuse) that the handlebars, seatposts, stems etc they are using have had.
Not a problem for a garage queen, but anyone riding the old stuff should be ‘respectful’ of the age of the kit they’re rocking.
bikeworkshop
Old School Grand Master
Always surprises me how rarely we see broken bars without evidence of prior crash - but that sensation of a handlebar breaking when riding is never forgotten
With motor vehicles, driver error is around 95%, mechanical failure 5%
Retrobikers is probably no different.
In Bristol, a deliveroo rider on an illegal Ebike is probably more of a threat than ageing components tbh
.
With motor vehicles, driver error is around 95%, mechanical failure 5%
Retrobikers is probably no different.
In Bristol, a deliveroo rider on an illegal Ebike is probably more of a threat than ageing components tbh
.The brands you mention are quite modern for my standards. I'm still using early 80s cinelli bars and stems. The only bit that scares me on those items are the cinelli 1a stem nose bolt snapping,which I've seen happen for no reason (constant tension??). And that bolt is steel not alloy
