Good afternoon,
I've happily been using 44cm Fizik R1 bars for a while now, I spotted some 00 ones on ebay at an okay price, thought I'd stick in a cheeky offer and won them. They were described as having 'some minor scuffs'.
So imagine my disappointment when I open the very well packed box today to find bars which look rather a lot like they've been over torqued at the stem clamp which has left c1mm impressions in the bar (a Fizik R1 stem by the looks of it, the indents line up with the face plate from mine). I popped the face plate off my R1 bars to make sure they didn't look similar - they don't.
[url= https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1762/43015188752_cdf37899f3_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1762/43015188752_cdf37899f3_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/28x75Zo ]Untitled[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/le_grande_momo/ ]Matt Cotterill[/url], on Flickr
[url= https://farm1.staticflickr.com/913/42161651705_b557e7e940_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm1.staticflickr.com/913/42161651705_b557e7e940_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/27eFuap ]Untitled[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/le_grande_momo/ ]Matt Cotterill[/url], on Flickr
[url= https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1822/42161651645_9a0322ed41_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1822/42161651645_9a0322ed41_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/27eFu9n ]Untitled[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/le_grande_momo/ ]Matt Cotterill[/url], on Flickr
Am I being too over cautious or should I be looking to return these, the price I paid while being cheap for a set of these bars (was considerably less than I paid for my R1s) is certainly not throw away money.
I'd never buy secondhand bars full stop.
I would say you've answered your own question in posting the thread.
I'd return them as any nagging doubt would spoil their use.
looks like it's just the grippy sticker that has been pinched but if in any doubt return.
If they'd cost me a fiver I'd chalk it up, if the money is actually worth the hassle I'd be returning them.
FWIW I'd probably run them perfectly ignorant of the damage if I'd caused it and never care/notice until i took them off for one reason or another. I'd then be miserable I'd damaged them and decide i needed new bars.
Look like surface marks to me. With carbon bars especially I've been unable to avoid marks around the clamp area even torqueing to spec and with carbon paste.
Still though, someone else's bars, you don't know what's happened with them.
When you say c1mm impressions - do you mean 1mm deep?
The photo's look much more like just surface scratches, rather than anything that's gone into the material any distance.
If they genuinely are ~1mm deep compressions in the surface, I'd be sending them back on such a safety critical part.
I really do mean 1mm deep, the stem face plate has pushed into the bar surface.
I was erring towards returning, now my mind is made up. Off to battle I go (politely of course!)
It's disappointing, I really like the shape of the R1 bars, but I do find them a little too stiff - certainly more so than my old Bontrager bars - and comparisons I'd read said that the 00 were more flexible (was stated as a negative, but as I'm not a powerfully built sprinter, more an overbuilt plodder).
If the surface impression is literally 1mm then the previous owner has dramatically overtightened. I’d be more concerned about that than crash damage personally. Whatever course you take, using them isn’t one I’d recommend.
Refund has been requested and I've messed the seller, he has already responded.
He has already responded.
As in "go attempt to impregnate your self" or "oh id not noticed how silly of me"?
I’ve messed the seller
that escalated quickly.
If I am seeing it right I can see 3 or 4 layers of carbon in the depressions made by the stem? Those bars are good for nothing but the bin.
I don’t think they’ve been over torqued but unevenly torqued so the face plate has bitten the carbon.
i know this because I did it to a new pair of pars many years ago when I didn’t know any better. I still used them and still have them kicking about somewhere.
id send them back