On Sat, 3 Aug 2019 18:06:32 -0700 (PDT), 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.
I'm still riding with aluminum bars. They are generally safe. And don't think that steel is
going to save the day.
Do I recall correctly that Jobst wrote that he used steel bars for decades (possibly the same
ones). Of course, he was a human fatigue testing rig with his size and the kinds of rides he
liked to do...