On 09/01/18 01:01, Emanuel Berg wrote:
On steel frame bikes, what material are
handlebars typically made of?

Unless it's from the 1970s an aluminium alloy.

It seems lighter and more shiny than the frame,
but perhaps this is a property of the coating
and/or the steel itself rather than indicative
of another material altogether?

Is the handlebar the most safety-critical part
of the bike?

I have seen several brake but this never
happened to me nor did I ever sense any
inclination it would. Is this because of other
people's more aggressive riding style or do
they have thinner handlebar pipes, or pipes in
softer material?

Never heard of anyone braking a handlebar in normal usage.