Surprising conversation with a shop manager today about handlebars breaking where they meet the stem. Apparently aluminium handlebars should be regarded in the same way as chains and tyres, needing to be monitored and replaced every N km? News to me. I know (old, steel) rock climbing carabiners can develop micro fissures and fail catastrophically, but are properly manufactured and installed handlebars really also that vulnerable?
I would think it's more of a concern with a quill stem (rather than one with a removable faceplate): bars get "screwed" into tight clamps, scoring them.
Surprising conversation with a shop manager today about handlebars breaking where they meet the stem. Apparently aluminium handlebars should be regarded in the same way as chains and tyres, needing to be monitored and replaced every N km? News to me. I know (old, steel) rock climbing carabiners can develop micro fissures and fail catastrophically, but are properly manufactured and installed handlebars really also that vulnerable?