On Thursday, January 11, 2018 at 8:34:47 PM UTC, AMuzi wrote:
On 1/11/2018 12:10 PM, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 1/11/2018 12:31 PM, AMuzi wrote:
On 1/11/2018 9:13 AM, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 1/11/2018 5:57 AM, Sepp Ruf wrote:
Andre Jute wrote:
On Wednesday, January 10, 2018 at 4:46:01 PM UTC, Frank
Krygowski wrote:

But unlike aluminum ones, stainless steel bars are
very rare, if not nonexistent.

Just because your weight-weenie, replace after one season
or die, racer LBS
doesn't carry them? Chances are it doesn't offer full
Joergian-strength
cromo bars either.

Here in America, aluminum seems to be the default material
for handlebars on any adult bike above department store
quality. Steel handlebars are typically found on budget
bikes. There are some steel handlebars available for higher
quality bikes, but I don't recall ever seeing or hearing of
a set made of stainless steel.

The aluminum upright bars I bought came from a bike shop in
a major city selling a wide variety of good bikes, including
(for example) a very sweet Bianchi city bike that I
test-rode. The bars cost me $7 on sale. They have been on
the city bike I built for perhaps five years now. I've not
replaced them this season or any other season, and I doubt I
ever will; and I very much doubt that they'll kill me.

A few shapes I remember Utopia offers, or at least used to
offer, in
stainless steel aren't in ergotec's 2018 issue. They
might slowly get
replaced by "MAS-Nb" steel. But it still shows some.

Jute claimed aluminum ones were "specialty items." Which are
more common in the catalog - stainless steel or aluminum?



British made Raleigh Sports had the original chromed steel
North Road handlebar and the Raleigh Sprite came with the
All Rounder shape also in chromed steel. These were both
high volume popular models and much copied for many years
after their demise.

But only very rarely in _stainless_ steel, AFAIK.

And it raises the question: Why would someone choose to
manufacture or to buy a _stainless_ steel handlebar? What
would be the practical advantage over chromed steel?



At least in USA for the past 50 years, stainless is
vanishingly rare for bicycle handlebars. Given chinese
character and business practices generally, I would fully
expect a 'stainless' handlebar to be mild steel with UCP plate.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Your prejudice is showing, Miss Muzi, and your slip too, I expect. Anyhow, if a Chinese manufacturer or wholesaler tells you it is stainless steel and sends you mild steel instead, Alibaba and Aliexpress give your money back. Alibaba & Aliexpress hold your money until you explicitly signal acceptance of the goods, and the supplier only gets the money when you are satisfied.. Where can you get better terms than that?

Andre Jute
I have joined the 21st century. Have you?