Do you trust old handlebars?

[reanimation]

How do you feel about old bars? Vulnerable if they fail aren't we!

Not many of the old bars were steel, okay maybe the very old ones.

anyway to check they are safe or just part of the game riding old stuff?

I'm not sure I feel really confident with the super light ones, I moved onto tough BMX stuff after 90's MTBs and now we've gone full circle in modern MTB world, heavy as hell and back to super skinny. Then again super light bars used premium materials and manufacturing care despite the skimming. only thing in the mix is ex user use ???

In this category I have used USE straight bars (v light)

and some Raleigh Titalloy or whatever they are...

So that's one thing light bars, but what about mass produced OEM bits such as my Muddy Fox thicker guage standard bars made out of erm, some alloy? no real sign of heavy use, to be trusted?

Any comments or stories?

 

[legrandefromage]

unless theres visible signs of stress I just bung 'em on. never given it a moments thought

 

[stubb]

be using some x-lite ti ones daily soon so i hope they are good to go

 

[stubb]

doh ,, pc double posts

 

[neilll]

Still using a pair of Hyperlites I bought in 1991

 

[legrandefromage]

I'd worry more about the steerers in our forks.

Just been given a Schwinn something or other thats only 2 years old but has done duties as a hire bike. Steerer on the RS forks has rusted clean through causing the rider to crash.

 

[reanimation]

Ouch! Yeah now ya mention it, I witnessed my mate snap his forks clean off his BMX doing a reasonable jump at Coppul in 1994, they had some grippy plastic webbing down. so he got knocked clean out and face cheese grated at the same time. Scary. Lots of pressure down there on the wee steerer.

I also snapped an 80's BMX stem of an Ammaco without trying (post office trip - curb hop) back then so I have reasons for strength paranoia!

 

[velomaniac]

Unless there obviously damaged I tend not to worry about it. There is too much to worry about in life, risk is the spice which adds flavour to existence

 

[hamster]

There was an issue with Marin Ovation bars around 1998 which had some kind of silly CNC machining. The base of each groove was a stress raiser for crack propagation.

 

[pete_mcc]

Just buy NOS and you won't have a worry. Sure it costs money but dental work costs far more

I certainly would never use second hand handlebars on a rider - you don't know what the other person has done with them, how heavy they were or how much they rode them. It's a bit like buying second hand climbing rope off ebay - only for the stupid or suicidal.