On 2019-08-03 18:06, jbeattie wrote:
On Saturday, August 3, 2019 at 11:31:40 AM UTC-7, Joerg wrote:
Folks,
Had a nasty crash about three months ago. Long story short my
handlebar broke without any warning. There was no cause such as a
speed bump or pothole.
http://analogconsultants.com/ng/bike/Handlebar1.jpg
The handlebar was not cheap, an ITM Mondial. It seems they botched
the design in that they used a non-coated steel stiffener tube in
the center. This corroded the aluminum from the inside out,
interestingly in riding direction. Possibly because that's where
the headwinds are hitting it and maybe cause condensation:
http://analogconsultants.com/ng/bike/Handlebar1.jpg
Luckily it didn't happen 1/2h earlier where I was coming down a
steep hill at more than 40mph, with a rocky drainage ditch. It
happened at a leisurely travel speed of 15-17mph. Thanks to the
fact that it was a very wide bike lane I had space to roll and at
the end I skidded to avoid traffic. In the lane I'd have crashed
into the path of vehicles. About the only body part that wasn't
hurt was my head, thanks to the helmet.
http://analogconsultants.com/ng/bike/Helmet1.jpg
I am back in the saddle. I no longer trust aluminum and certainly
not any kind of plastic stuff so the road bike now has a flat steel
MTB handlebar. Put MeetLocks ergo handles on it, rides nicely.
As a side note I cycled by the crash site a week ago. I still saw
the scrape marks on the asphalt and debris from my bike which I
cleaned up. Interestingly all the blood was gone. Maybe a wild
animal has licked it clean.
Well, I'm glad to hear you're O.K. I broke a modern (2006-ish)
Cinelli bar in the same place after less than three years in service,
but it happened relatively slowly. I thought the brake lever clamp
had slipped but realized my lever was moving because the bar was
breaking off. I rode the rest of the way to work with one-sided bars,
holding on to the dangling broken section. No crash.
In hindsight I was lucky even with the crash. To get out of Cameron Park
to the west without using a busy two-lane county road you have to cross
a hill. The descent is very steep and cyclists tend to "let'er rip",
going down there at well over 40mph. So did I. Since the crash I don't
do that no more. There is a drainage ditch with boulders to the right
and it dead-ends into a busy road at the end of that descent.
I'm still riding with aluminum bars. They are generally safe. And
don't think that steel is going to save the day.
That looks like a very cheap handlebar. I mean something serious for MTB
use. That's what I have on it now. It's heavy. Not having a dopbar took
getting used to, might cost me a few minutes on longer trips. Though I
never spent much time in the drops.
Amazingly three car drivers stopped immediately and almost got into an
argument about who gets to bring me home, despite the bleeding. A fellow
immigrant drove me home. Almost new car, quite fancy, he just turned the
floor mats around in case of blood. He had a nice bike in the back and
put mine on top. Couldn't believe it. There are a lot of good people in
this world.
What surprised me was how much muscle and power one can lose in two
months. My avg speed down in the flatlands dropped from 15-16mph to
almost 12mph. Creeping back up and now at 14mph but that took nearly a
month. I still feel like a slowpoke.
--
Regards, Joerg
http://www.analogconsultants.com/