aluminium bars - 3 year life?

[julk]

Having survived having my old alloy bars break whilst commuting through Edinburgh traffic I am no longer reluctant to change my alloy bars.
I had noticed a creak from up front but was not able to place it - it turned out to be a crystalline fracture by the stem letting one side of the bars fail.

My advice is to change your bars or not as you see fit, but to take any creaks or noises from the bar/stem area as a warning to check it out carefully.

[Redvee]

The pair on the commute bike are creaking and were pre-owned when I got them so it's time to change as the creaking is getting on my nerves and I've done the loosening and greasing of bolts etc on shifters and clamps with no joy. Payday this week so will wander along to LBS and see what's in stock.

[Cyril Haearn]

Surely bars that could break at any time are not FFP fit for purpose, unlike chain or brake blocks one can not see if bars are deteriorating/wearing
Besides, mine are completely covered by tape, but even if they were not, how could one check for wear?
May one still get steel bars?
I have some bought 1982, not broken yet

[zenitb]

Ok a seatpost not a handlebar, but this is after almost 25 years of use. Saddle slowly reclined on me on a steep hill ...then simply dropped onto the road!!!! Fairly thick aluminium seatpost but I guess fatigue takes its toll in the end. I am worried about the alu seat tube of the 25 year old bike now (Cannondale) so bought the longer post to replace and hopefully reinforce/spread the load...

Incidentally I have heavy steel handlebars on this bike

[profpointy]

Mmm, 10,000km is around the life of a tyre - in fact my front tyre has likely done twice that. It seems pretty poor to have to replace handlebars more often than tyres

[Brucey]

Surely bars that could break at any time are not FFP fit for purpose.....

better not ride a bike then....

cheers

[pliptrot]

Surely bars that could break at any time are not FFP fit for purpose.....

better not ride a bike then....

cheers

Stories about equipment failures do make you feel like that sometimes. I am incredulous when I see some of the wrecks used as transport in the city. Some were fine racing machines too, but now live outside and get the chain oiled annually. How they survive is anyone's guess.

I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my SM-G900F using hovercraft full of eels.

[mig]

i'm sure i read somewhere that filling metal tubes with foam type substances increases their resistance to bending. maybe that type of thing would help a cracked bar hold on that bit more?

[pwa]

i'm sure i read somewhere that filling metal tubes with foam type substances increases their resistance to bending. maybe that type of thing would help a cracked bar hold on that bit more?

Bianchi?

[mig]

i'm sure i read somewhere that filling metal tubes with foam type substances increases their resistance to bending. maybe that type of thing would help a cracked bar hold on that bit more?

Bianchi?

maybe yes. backstedt's roubaix frame of several years ago. on reflection i'm not sure that 'stiffer' bars lessen their chances of cracking and snapping off. maybe the opposite! we need a mettalurgist.

[Samuel D]

I do not see how filling the handlebar with foam would significantly increase its stiffness, especially since most of it would be wasted near the tube’s centre where even metal does little for stiffness. Are you sure we’re not confusing this with foam under the handlebar tape to make Paris–Roubaix less uncomfortable?

[althebike]

I was re-taping my bars a couple of years back and noticed holes in my bars. I went to LBS and they told me it was due to sweat damage.

[mig]

I do not see how filling the handlebar with foam would significantly increase its stiffness, especially since most of it would be wasted near the tube’s centre where even metal does little for stiffness. Are you sure we’re not confusing this with foam under the handlebar tape to make Paris–Roubaix less uncomfortable?

https://www.cyclist.co.uk/in-depth/5333/in-pictures-bianchis-classic-bikes

it's at the very bottom of this page.

[Samuel D]

Interesting. I’d not come across this foam before. I guess it must have something to do with the large diameter – and therefore thin walled – tubes in that titanium frame. If you bend the cardboard tube of a finished kitchen roll, its walls begin to collapse, i.e. the circle goes oval. If a comparatively small force – such as foam is capable of exerting – were used to maintain its circular shape, the tube’s bending stiffness would increase out of proportion to the weight of material used to reinforce it. Dents would be less likely to cause buckling failure for a similar reason.

This effect would be greatly diminished with a small diameter, thick walled handlebar in aluminium alloy. And dents aren’t a hazard with handlebars.

[Mick F]

Mmm, 10,000km is around the life of a tyre - in fact my front tyre has likely done twice that. It seems pretty poor to have to replace handlebars more often than tyres

Plus One.
You could maybe add brake blocks to that too.

Can't work out the mileage involved, but when I first built up Mercian in Oct 1986, I fitted a set of Campag Victory brakes.
The original blocks were still only part worn when I sold the brakes in 2005. That's nineteen years, and some of those years I was commuting 17miles each way to work three or four days a week. They also did JOGLE fully loaded in 1994 when they were eight years old.

Still on the same original Cinelli 'bars too - as I've said earlier.