# Don't Skimp on Bars



## iliketexmex (Oct 29, 2016)

Wake Cycles Aluminum Handlebar. Not all aluminum is created equal. It snapped during a tame trail ride.


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## astom22 (Aug 4, 2016)

I just picked up a wake short stem, like you have, to hold my new Spank bars. Hope it's quality is better than your bars were.

Hope you weren't hurt in the break, that is scary. Watched a video where a broken bar went into a guys thigh in the crash from the bar breaking. 

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## WhiskeyJr (Jul 3, 2014)

Are you ok?


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## iliketexmex (Oct 29, 2016)

It was a miracle. I was leaning back on an uphill section, and jerked up on the bar to clear a log-over. I was pulling on the bar when it broke instead of pushing on it as would be the case 90% of the time. Thankfully I had no injury at all.


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## astom22 (Aug 4, 2016)

iliketexmex said:


> It was a miracle. I was leaning back on an uphill section, and jerked up on the bar to clear a log-over. I was pulling on the bar when it broke instead of pushing on it as would be the case 90% of the time. Thankfully I had no injury at all.


Dang, that's lucky! Glad you are alright, that must have been scary!

I can recommend the Spank bars, not going to break the bank either and an added bonus, they come with a front mud guard as their packaging.









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## iliketexmex (Oct 29, 2016)

I went to my LBS and got one. I will be a lot less of a bargain hunter now.


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## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

Nothing wrong with a bargain. Just don't buy offbrand chinese stuff. 

You could have gotten a name brand quality handlebar for probably the same price. I've seen good bars go on sale for 20 bucks. 

Same goes for stems. Stems are dirt cheap for good ones. Fancy ones are expensive, but good ones can still be found cheap.


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## RAKC Ind (Jan 27, 2017)

Not going to lie brief loom at the pic and thread name I assumed cheap Chinese carbon bars.

Goes to show aluminum can snap just the same.

Glad that happened the way it did and your ok.

The only off brand stuff I try is cassettes and accessories (gopro mounts, bottle cages etc). The one not big brand part I have is a FUNN stem. Fairly over built, its orange and wasnt overly cheap so felt ok with it.

Definately spank bars, have a couple handlebars. Really like them.

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## GuitsBoy (Sep 24, 2013)

Glad to hear youre OK. Thats a bit of a bummer, but restates the fact that both carbon and alloy can indeed fail without warning. Ive long since replaced all my chinese carbon bars with name brand stuff, and everything gets a stomp test. For what its worth, I have a number of wake brand stems, and Ive never had a stitch of trouble with them. But aside from a noticeable crack in the casting or a stripped out thread, theres not much to fail.


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## Dirt Road (Feb 6, 2016)

Yeap I just got a wake stem off amazon. Not bad, put it on my travel bike. Don’t regret the $10 price tag.


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

That’s a WAKE up call.
=sParty


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## GuitsBoy (Sep 24, 2013)

I mean, its a better brand name than "Funeral" I guess...


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## astom22 (Aug 4, 2016)

Not going to lie, I thought of this thread when I hit a huge wash out going over 30mph today at the Angel Fire bike park. I'm glad to say the Wake stem took it like a champ. Bottomed out my front suspension, but kept on rolling. 

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## HAMP (Apr 3, 2012)

My first wake stem was only suppose to have been a test for length. Now I have wake stems on 3 bikes now.

I was considering wake handlebars, but not anymore.


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## thesmokingman (Jan 17, 2009)

Instead of getting cheap Chiner cockpit parts, I play the camelcamelcamel path and get Controltech bits when it crashes on Amazon's DB. For ex. regulary priced Chiner carbon bars are 35 to 50 bucks. A couple weeks ago CT EXL carbon bars dropped to 49 bucks. Doing this there is no reason to go Chiner for me.

http://forums.mtbr.com/where-best-deals/controltech-carbon-bars-amazon-50ish-1080667.html


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## GuitsBoy (Sep 24, 2013)

Just be careful with amazon. While not as bad as ebay, there are a TON of counterfeit carbon bars on amazon. I have a set of RaceFake bars from amazon. If you do buy from amazon, always make sure its a legit bike shops vendor account, and not someone based overseas.


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## mtnbkrmike (Mar 26, 2015)

Hell, I am paranoid about the RaceFace bars on my bike and my daughter's (not bought online - they are legit). I would never run a Chinese bar on anything. It would completely destroy the fun of the ride and would hold me back big time. And for what? The cost of a lunch?

OP - so glad to hear you are ok. And happy to hear you changed direction on your purchase strategy. Broken bar/stem incidents can be horrific.


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## thesmokingman (Jan 17, 2009)

GuitsBoy said:


> Just be careful with amazon. While not as bad as ebay, there are a TON of counterfeit carbon bars on amazon. I have a set of RaceFake bars from amazon. If you do buy from amazon, always make sure its a legit bike shops vendor account, and not someone based overseas.


Was that in relation to my post? Its a good point but it should be common knowledge. That said database trackers do not track third party vendors unless one specifically chooses to do so. You'd have to go out of your way to pick a 3rd party vendor using the tracker by choosing to ignore Amazon. And to your point, regardless of the vendor make sure it is a Prime seller. That way you get Amazon's protections.


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## iliketexmex (Oct 29, 2016)

mtnbkrmike said:


> Hell, I am paranoid about the RaceFace bars on my bike and my daughter's (not bought online - they are legit). I would never run a Chinese bar on anything. It would completely destroy the fun of the ride and would hold me back big time. And for what? The cost of a lunch?
> 
> OP - so glad to hear you are ok. And happy to hear you changed direction on your purchase strategy. Broken bar/stem incidents can be horrific.


Yeah, I was definitely lucky. I didn't consider that there could be such a huge issue with a simple aluminum bar. I'm not a "big hit" rider either, so I didn't even consider that possibility. Oh well, lesson learned thankfully with the only price being walking my bike to the trail head...


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## adaycj (Sep 30, 2009)

I have also had an alloy bar break, while riding downhill. In my case the alloy bar had a brand name on it, and it came with bike from the LBS on a brand name bike. They have a fatigue life, and they can have damage from previous impacts and crashes that can cause sudden failure. It isn't necessarily a defective or inadequate product. 

My son broke a brand name set of carbon bars from the impact during a crash. His failure was much more desirable. Despite the loud crunch at impact, the bars stayed intact. I found the sizable crack during an inspection after the ride was over. 

At least where this bar broke eliminates the possibility of over tightening as a cause.


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## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

I only run Thomson stems. All of my bikes have Jones H Bars. Us big guys gotta build accordingly.


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## PHeller (Dec 28, 2012)

This is an old thread, but can anyone determine what the broken WAKE alloy bars has for aluminum type? 

When I went searching, there is no indication of 7050, 7075, etc. It's just "aluminum alloy." 

I recently bought a KORE OCD 31.8 7050-T6 Triple Butted 800mm wide bar for $40. Not from China (being sold by a seller right here in USA). 

I certainly hope that KORE stuff isn't being copied or counterfitted, but at $40 (cheapest I found the wake bars was $30) it was a no-brainer to go with the long-time favorite bar of many riders.


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