Do you trust old handlebars?

[legrandefromage]

listen to yourselves - theres 30 year old passenger aircraft flying over your heads and you're worrying about a bit of pipe... :roll:

Yes... but most of them are on a strict maintenance schedule for having their rivets and bolts checked and having their the metal checked for fatigue. Google Aloha Airlines flight 243 and look at the images. Top falls off a plane in flight....later determined to be caused by "Metal fatigue and corrosion from continual operation near salt water caused hairline fractures that eventually led to catastrophic structural failure"....hairline fractures that led to catastrophic failure.

yes but your average set of handlebars dont have to go through as much stress as an aircraft.

 

[DM]

I have binned a few pairs over the years.
Any alu bar that I can flex worries me. Especially if they get a bit scuffed or scratched.

Drop bars and off-road flared drops that got some scratches from stem clamp etc.
And some flat CODAs that faded from black to gray-green. They looked crap and I had no confidence in their quality. So they went in the recycling bin.

Current confidence-inspiring favorites are Titec Ti flats, S&M Cruiser BMX and Groovy Luv Handles.

 

[beavis]

Until now it never crossed my mind
Thanks
Thanks a lot

Likewise. Paranoid to the max now. :shock:

 

[reanimation]

Sorry guys!

It is something thats bugged me since I started getting involved with old MTBs again. After flexing Pace rc 36 canti holders twice as i cocked up the first fitting (forwards ), it reminded me that alloy can be quality and flexy.

Anything good and retro looking ya can buy new then? Ti would be nice. Yum

Keeping a bike retro gets a bit OCD the longer ya build em and modern bits just feel wrong on non hot rod hybrids!

 

[fingers]

As dire straits once sang, 'why worry'...

TBH I would be more concerned about the old mag castings on RS forks...

 

[Splatter Paint]

I think the only problem here is stem clamping damage leading to stress. If you're a bit of a monkey with the allen key and over-torque your light weight alloy bars you could be in the cack. I have a set of titanium bars that have been over-clamped and these are relegated to commuting only and are checked regularly. I've never in 20 years of riding actually seen a bar fail completely though, and that includes trials.

SP

 

[sancho]

I think the only problem here is stem clamping damage leading to stress.

Problem solved:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Hammerhead- ... 500wt_1103

http://cgi.ebay.com/TITUS-Titanium-Moun ... 500wt_1103

 

[GoldenEraMTB]

Still using a pair of Hyperlites I bought in 1991

you're a dangerous man or light and gentle as a fairy

Generally, aluminium bars give you warning by turning a sort of milky white colour.

I did this to a set of GB Randonneurs once, but they were quite old.

Steel/ti bars will bend before they snap. I have a pair of steel allrounders that are 62 years old now, and they're still fine.

I've seen a few answerbars do this, and have had a couple of them break away like a hollow chocolate bunny.

I think the only problem here is stem clamping damage leading to stress.

Problem solved:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Hammerhead- ... 500wt_1103

http://cgi.ebay.com/TITUS-Titanium-Moun ... 500wt_1103

That hammerhead went cheap; did you get it?

 

[sancho]

That hammerhead went cheap; did you get it?

Yeah, lucked out on that one.

 

[beepbeep]

I've had a few of pairs of aluminium bars bend slightly on me on one end... :? (repeated crashing maybe? )

They were bent so minimally the only way to check was to dismount them and then roll them on a flat surface (dinning room table? ) Then you see the deflection quite clearly.
They were obviously replaced. I also replace bars if they're deeply scratched or show the tiny wrinkles of stressed aluminium.