You are reading a single comment by @gbj_tester and its replies.
Click here to read the full conversation.
-
Apparently aluminium handlebars should be regarded in the same way as chains and tyres, needing to be monitored and replaced every N km?
Fundamentally, that applies to any aluminium alloy component. The material has a finite fatigue life. The edge of the bar clamp is the maximum load point on a bar, and even after allowing for the centre section being a larger diameter and, on good bars, thicker walled, it's likely to be the stress maximum, so that's probably going to be the point of failure.
gbj_tester
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?