[Closed] Lucky escape - handle bar fail

Is this common ?

No.

Glad yer not too mashed up.
Heal well..

I've had a super lightweight carbon bar gradually come apart on its first ride and I've seen a few lightweight aluminium bars snap at the stem. Carbon bars was a clear manufacturing fault and fortunately wasn't an instant fail and I always assumed that the near the stem fails were due to the stem wearing a bit of a groove in the bars and weakening them over time.

Glad to hear that you are in the big scheme of things ok.

You weren't the only one this weekend
[img] [/img]

New stem and carbon bars me thinks

Karma for being a roadie 😉

Joke btw, for those out there lacking a sense of humour.

Karma for being a roadie

Burn him.!

When I read smashed helmet in a list of injuries it always makes me wince.

Glad your still with us.

Happened to me twice in past few years. Overtightening stems (before purchase of torque wrench) killed one set and riding drop bars bit too fast and bumpy offroad led to fatigue and later snap. But many folks say change ally bars every few years. Those who saw my snapped bars (and injuries) said things like "mine have been on for 10 years". One of those it will probably be fine things, but when it's not it really ****ing hurts.

Waking up aching and battered.

Jeez I was sooo lucky yesterday ! Mates are disagreeing with my choice of a new bar..

What would be best ? Carbon vs Alu ?

How old was the bar? Happened to a mate, explained a lot when he said the bars were about 10 years old...

You weren't the only one this weekend

At the very least it looks like it'll wake him up, the lazy git.

What material were the bars that failed (can't seem to see it from posts above, but may have missed it!)?

Were they oversized or older style?

Edit: I did crack an alu stem once going up Brassknocker Hill in Bath!

Alu standard size

8 years old

8 years old

I think Easton were suggesting 2 year life span

I once had a stem clamp crack (Thomson one as well) but luckily I spotted it before it actually broke. Always a good idea to carefully examine your bars and stem regularly, looking for fatigue cracks. Also reminds me to change the bars on my older bike as asking for trouble after 5+ years use. I'm certainly not a weight weenie when it comes to bars and stem!

Oops, sorry forgot to add that I'm glad you lived to tell the tale!

I think Easton were suggesting 2 year life span

I bet they were.

😆

Out of genuine interest, why would an alu product have a "lifespan"?

plyphon - Member
Out of genuine interest, why would an alu product have a "lifespan"?

Alu fatigues - it has a finite number of sterss cycles that will cause it to fail. Might be a million, might be a billion, but every wee bump brings it one closer.

Out of genuine interest, why would an alu product have a "lifespan"?

Because alu suffers from fatigue over repeated usage. Eventually it will crack and ultimately fail.

I once had a stem clamp crack (Thomson one as well)

[img] [/img]

Edit In fact googling [url= https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=thomson+stem+crack&rlz=1C1LENN_enGB471GB471&espv=2&biw=1920&bih=965&tbm=isch&imgil=V3NzkusOh5NJfM%253A%253BpwsBTOAFQ4MEwM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fsingletrackworld.com%25252Fforum%25252Ftopic%25252Fcracked-stem&source=iu&pf=m&fir=V3NzkusOh5NJfM%253A%252CpwsBTOAFQ4MEwM%252C_&usg=__oIXF_l4NmrnS-vaUyElrGIduf9o%3D&ved=0CDgQyjc&ei=l24qVILKBpXkauKugLgO#imgdii=_ ]Thomson stem crack[/url] gives quite a few!

On the face plate?

Yes it was on the face plate, but I think the crack on mine initiated from one of the clamp screw recesses and I spotted it before it actually broke - it started creaking mid ride and I stopped to check. Was torqued up correctly too. The one in that picture looks like maybe due to over tightening?

At least that kind of failure is not catastrophic in that the bars are still attached to the bike. Much worse when the bar snaps!

Joe Moses in Bananas photo up there finished 3rd!
Swap to road bike at bottom of the lane I'm guessing?

I've got some lightweight carbon road bars on my Madone, which are now 10 years old, just ordered some replacements as they've been bothering me for about 2 years and I've just not got around to it!

boxelder - Member
Joe Moses in Bananas photo up there finished 3rd!
Swap to road bike at bottom of the lane I'm guessing?

Imagine what he'd have done if his bike hadn't broken and he did it with his eye's open too 😉 Impressive!

Glad your ok OP and still have all your teeth

Imagine what he'd have done if his bike hadn't broken and he did it with his eye's open too Impressive!

Himself and Nick Craig we're beside each other. Jebbie was about 3mins ahead at that stage - so he'd have maybe got 2nd... but probably still 3rd.

Making me worried now. Carbon for the next set of bars?

Alloy bars "can" rot from the imside, i've seen a couple go like that, just turns to just.
Stef's (he'll read this) road bars broke just after a very fast descent in the spin. Rpttened away under the bar tape.
Why ten year bars on a winter/turbo bike would fail is beyond me. 😀

Alloy bars "can" rot from the imside, i've seen a couple go like that, just turns to just.
Stef's (he'll read this) road bars broke just after a very fast descent in the spin. Rpttened away under the bar tape.
Why ten year bars on a winter/turbo bike would fail is beyond me.

Surely that's not from the inside, that's just under the bar tape - your inference being that it's from the sweat whilst on the turbo? Removing the bar tape would have shown the problem surely? Not that that's a likelihood of course, I suspect most folk don't retape their bars all that often.

I think a lot can be blamed on heavy-handed spannerers. I know loads of folk who've stripped threads, rounded bolt heads, cracked bearing covers, etc. I'm now worried for them after reading this thread!
I know the recommended torque for a lot of stem bolts is 4-5Nm, which for those who don't know, is not very much - barely hand-tight. I actually think a lot of folk are best using multi-tools on their bikes, as a lot of the long-handled allen key sets you see are a recipe for disaster in the wrong hands!

Edit: Pleased you're OK, OP.

njee20, that's why i used a full stop and started a new sentence.

njee20 - Member

I suspect most folk don't retape their bars all that often.

How dare you 😉

I quite enjoy taping bars & getting it just so 😀

Why ten year bars on a winter/turbo bike would fail is beyond me.

Easton Haven 711 carbon bars,New 2012 popped them on my Zesty, all was well did a 58k loop in the peaks coming back over Cutgate at speed which if you know it then you know how fast & rocky it is... so get home clean bike oil chain wipe forks down after applying lube to stanchions.. jump on to have a bounce & the bars snapped between the brake & stem not on a area where there was any clamping force, Here's the best bit Easton blamed me for over tightening brake & GRIPS .... I'm a engineer in the oil industry & know how to use a torque wrench... gas turbines etc, cheeky ****s so I won't use there products. I can remember this fat git of a rep telling me I'd over tightened them when I had a micrometer in my hand showing him the measurements.... tosser.

A micrometer to measure torque....?

boblo - Member
A micrometer to measure torque....?

Get with it .. come on.... micrometer to show there was no crush from over tightening on any clamp points dim wit

yorkycsl - Member

between the brake & stem not on a area where there was any clamping force,

That's the important bit.

Carbon bars are plain scary. Ultra-lightweight alloy ones are a close second. For me it's not a part of the bike where weight saving is a priority at all.

Who would expect plastic deformation on a bar from overtightning a clamp? Really?

Agree moshimonster not about saving weight though I used to go for light ish components nowadays reliability & strength are important factors in my riding not bling, the failure of the bars was 3cm away from the brake clamp.

yorky - well you know how unpredictable carbon can be. Only needs a bad layup or even a small chip/defect in the wrong place. Don't think I would ever risk running a carbon bar on my own bike, although I have just bought a carbon framed bike!

well you know how unpredictable carbon can be. Only needs a bad layup or even a small chip/defect in the wrong place

I'm amazed that people are still ignorant enough to think that aluminium is somehow different...

This created a couple of skid marks!!
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[img] [/img]

Is that not their old bar that got recalled for, well, for doing that?