# Carbon Handlebar Question



## DannyHuynh (Sep 13, 2011)

I was wondering what it takes to snap a carbon handlebar?

i was thinking of going carbon riser. i ride agressive xc and take small jumps and drops. nothing over 3 feet.

someone just talked me out of a carbon seatpost. so maybe i shouldnt have a carbon bar either.

im looking at a Ritchey WCS Carbon Riser on Ebay which could be fake i have no idea. and have no idea what the difference in strength is between a fake and a real ritchey...


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## dhbomber (Nov 7, 2006)

The Ritchey is made for XC, light trail riding.

I don't see why it won't take a light beating...excluding jumps and big drops though.

There a new bars being made that are made for that while maintaining a very low weight.

Also....don't cheap out on carbon bars...Really not a good idea.

For ex:

Answer Pro Taper Carbon
ENVE Carbon bars...although super pricey
Easton Haven or Havoc
Race Face SixC


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## elcaro1101 (Sep 1, 2011)

Im 225 and ride the same way on a 29er ht.










Bar is very stiff and very light, I highly recommend it. From what I have read you can tell if its real or fake by the weave quality and the end will have aluminum supports for bar ends inside.


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## DannyHuynh (Sep 13, 2011)

thats a super sexy fly team! is it 19 lbs?


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## xycose (Nov 13, 2011)

i assume the point of going carbon is for lighter weight? how much weight does changing to carbon fiber handlebars save?


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## David C (May 25, 2011)

xycose said:


> i assume the point of going carbon is for lighter weight? how much weight does changing to carbon fiber handlebars save?


Carbon bars, stem and seat post (mainly) also allow better vibration dampening then traditional aluminum or steel (in general). Plus as you mentioned, it's lighter.

For the bars, weight difference is quite noticeable. For stem, it's almost no difference in weight, but many roadies use them to absorb road vibration. For seat post, you can get full carbon or alu core wrapped in carbon. First one will be lighter then standard alu post and lot more expensive while the second one will be pretty much the same weight and cost, but both will absorb vibrations and add the bling factor.

I find it cheaper also to get some Chinese carbon headset spacers to replace the alu or steel ones when trying to shave weight. I didn't had much expectations for those spacers, but they turned out to be great and didn't had a problem yet after more then a year and 1 000's km of XC. I'm pretty light too btw. But they didn't cracked, even at -30 degree Celsius. And you get the bling factor and light weight for not to expensive.

I'll post the link.

David


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## Varaxis (Mar 16, 2010)

Don't risk running fake look-a-like carbon stuff off of eBay. When it comes to carbon, buy from names you trust, since crappy carbon is so much worse than well made carbon.


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## elcaro1101 (Sep 1, 2011)

DannyHuynh said:


> thats a super sexy fly team! is it 19 lbs?


Nah, that is the 26" XX spec that weighs that much I think. Mines just a bit over 25 lbs. Needed to make sure it would take the abuse so didn't go super light on all parts picked.


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## DannyHuynh (Sep 13, 2011)

man i guess i should just go aluminum for piece of mind... i guess i was just wanting to see that carbon weave LOL Ritchey carbon looks damn sexy


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## aerius (Nov 20, 2010)

As usual, it depends on how smoothly you ride and how much you weigh, plus how lucky you are. A smooth lightweight rider can air 5' drops on a weight weenie XC bike every day without breaking it whereas other riders have been known to break heavy duty parts while riding off a curb.

If you've never bent an aluminum handlebar riding the trails on your bike, you'll be fine on a carbon fiber bar of the same class. In other words, if you're using an XC handlebar now, you'll be fine with a carbon bar that's made for XC riding, but *don't* go from a DH aluminum bar to an XC carbon bar.


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## raleigh5 (May 30, 2011)

so....do carbon bars have any type of standardized "strength rating" indicating how much abuse or force they can take before they let go? i have a carbon bar that came with the used bike i purchased. i keep looking at it and wondering if it could be trusted to endure my 225 pound, lacking in finesse, self. but so far i have been happy with the aluminum bar. OT: i know from my windsurfing days that carbon fibre pieces held up very well to all the abuses mother nature and myself could throw at them. but many of those pieces were carbon composite / not 100% CF. and i can still hear the almost deafening CaaaaaRACK when the CF hull of a built-for-world-record-speed sailboat let go in intense conditions in the channel at Hart's beach in bodega many years ago. the sound of dollars being thrown to the wind


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## aerius (Nov 20, 2010)

raleigh5 said:


> so....do carbon bars have any type of standardized "strength rating" indicating how much abuse or force they can take before they let go?


Not that I know of, though in the earlier days of carbon someone tested a whole bunch of bars for impact strength and fatigue. I think, think being the key word, that it was done by one of the bicycle magazines with the help of one of the manufacturers (Easton?). It's out there somewhere, but I can't seem to find the article & charts. Easton also had a tech page where they showed how they loaded up the ends of the handlebars with weights, then clamped it in the middle and did a drop test to measure impact strength. I can't find that page anymore, I don't know if they got rid of it or if it's just buried where I can't find it.


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## Varaxis (Mar 16, 2010)

I trust the companies with the big sophisticated machines that do their testing that test beyond what the independent labs do.

Syntace uses their own VR-3 machine and a SSM machine (imaging magnetic fields), which sounds like an MRI machine for metal parts. Testing their products in house makes it certain that they can pass the international standards. Could also make certain that it barely passes international standards too, so I'd be more willing to trust the company with the best warranty.

VR-3 machine:
Syntace










Syntace corrosion testing:










----

Oh, it seems like there *are* Ritchey fakes on eBay, in additional to FSA and Bontrager. Sold from China should be a big give away.

The Ritchey carbon bars seem to have unidirectional carbon without a weave too. If you want a weave and lightweight, there's the Loaded Xlite carbon (not really personally recommending them), but that's only 680mm wide and only a 1 year warranty. Syntace has a 10 year no questions asked warranty, but hard to find them in the US.


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## CupOfJava (Dec 1, 2008)

DannyHuynh said:


> I was wondering what it takes to snap a carbon handlebar?
> 
> i was thinking of going carbon riser. i ride agressive xc and take small jumps and drops. nothing over 3 feet.
> 
> ...


I bought a richey carbon bar off ebay. If it's from china it's probably fake. The difference is the fake ones use cheaper polymer (at least from what I've noticed) which caused to to make creaking noises with my WSC stem. The finish is not as good either and it doesn't come with bar end plugs which I believe the real bars come with. I would buy from a reputable dealer.


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## CupOfJava (Dec 1, 2008)

Carbon bars are way better than Aluminum. They reduce vibration and are lighter. Durability wise I would say they're about equal with carbon being more resistant to fatigue. One this is to never ever over tighten your stem on a carbon bar. Use just enough to get it tight so it wont move. I've use carbon bars for years and never had one break on me.


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## Varaxis (Mar 16, 2010)

I agree with CupofJava.

The place where most carbon bars snaps is where it's clamped, typically where it's clamped by the brake levers, shifters, and grips (if you are using lock-ons).

Avoid looking up the site: Busted Carbon

Also avoid googling "broken [brand name] carbon handlebar"

I personally like carbon. Anything of significant weight on my bike I'd like to upgrade to carbon, but I tend to overspec and not try to do it to be weight weenie and do it more for the great str to weight ratio, getting something stronger than alu. Hence why I spec DH carbon on my XC bike.


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## zebrahum (Jun 29, 2005)

aerius said:


> If you've never bent an aluminum handlebar riding the trails on your bike, you'll be fine on a carbon fiber bar of the same class.


There's your answer.

Carbon's only major difference is that it is a bit easier to damage the surface. Once you damage the surface of something you drastically reduce the life of that object (metal or carbon). If you're not afraid of your aluminum bar (or frame) then you shouldn't be afraid of a carbon one.

Just keep an eye on it and replace it when it is damaged. The same thing applies to metal.


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## Schirmer20 (Nov 15, 2011)

Nice....


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## Tom93R1 (Jan 26, 2005)

Aluminum doesn't really bend either, it breaks. I wouldn't use bend/break to make any sort of decision unless you are considering riding with a steel handlebar.

I love my Easton Monkey lite XC handlebar, almost 3 years of "all mountain" riding and it's still going strong.


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## Varaxis (Mar 16, 2010)

Ah yes, good point. My bad. That's another myth that should be busted. Alu cracks and snaps too.


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## aerius (Nov 20, 2010)

Tom93R1 said:


> Aluminum doesn't really bend either, it breaks.


Depends on the aluminum alloy. 6061 will almost always bend before breaking, 2014 usually bends, and 7075 can be a bit of a crapshoot depending on how well they're manufactured.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

This thread needs more pictures.

 20111108115410 by Andrew183, on Flickr

Personally I think that the business about carbon absorbing vibrations and trail chatter is silly. If you look at the size of the stuff involved in trail chatter, your handlebars would have to be deforming quite a lot to absorb that. Try a little less tire pressure.


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## Varaxis (Mar 16, 2010)

^ Ouch


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## bad mechanic (Jun 21, 2006)

I've personally bent aluminum handlebar*s*, aluminum seatpost*s*, and an aluminum stem. When aluminum fails it's possible for it to snap, but it frequently just bends. With carbon you're almost always looking at a catastrophic failure, often leaving jagged edges.

Seeing how a handlebar, stem, steerer, or crown failure at speed is horribly painful event, I choose not to use carbon at any of those locations.


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## S_Trek (May 3, 2010)

AndrwSwitch said:


> This thread needs more pictures.
> 
> 20111108115410 by Andrew183, on Flickr
> 
> Personally I think that the business about carbon absorbing vibrations and trail chatter is silly. If you look at the size of the stuff involved in trail chatter, your handlebars would have to be deforming quite a lot to absorb that. Try a little less tire pressure.


That's where mine failed also.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

The greatest internal moment in a handlebar is right at the clamp. So barring some major other factor, they should be pretty consistent about breaking there or maybe at the end of the taper for newer ones.


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## raleigh5 (May 30, 2011)

i went ahead and replaced the aluminum bars on my bike with the set of Bontrager Race XLite carbon bars that came with the bike. the sweep/flow of these are very similar to the Bontrager bars they replaced. mostly did this because i have them. also, i am like 225 pounds, but the riding i do does not include large drops or massive jumps....lotsa roots and rocky fire roads ands ruts is about as radical as i get. rode my 'home trails' today which is where i test things after making changes. no problema and no real discernible difference in handling. that loop is only 4 miles. main thing was that the possibility of having the bars snap, crackle or pop never entered my mind as i was riding. you know, got enuf to think about as it is. planning to leave these on for a while and see if they can endure my clumbsiness


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## wheeliam (Feb 16, 2011)

How come that carbon seatposts are a no go for XC rides? How much impact do your butt and balls give to the saddle everytime you do the drops? I think seatposts only get vibrations from the frame but has zero impact or abuse (unless you fall off the bike and hit the saddle/post somewhere) as we do drops or jumps.


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## beenee98 (Jul 2, 2008)

I've been riding with an Easton Haven carbon bar with the Haven stem for good measure for several rides now and don't see a massive difference between it and an aluminium bar. Yes, it does seem to reduce shock/vibration through my hands, as they don't fatigue as much and it's helped some neck/shoulder pain i was having, but overall it does exactly the same job. I've also had a pretty nice crash with it too and it was fine. Like others said, i made sure to use a torque wrench to make sure it didn't crack or anything. Finally the weight difference was quite a lot - about 100 grams over the stock giant bars i had. 

I agree with others though - they will hold up just as well as any aluminium bars would and would break at the same point too IMHO. Hopefully if you're crashing that bad, you'll be flying through the air rather than into your handlebars!!


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## elcaro1101 (Sep 1, 2011)

Ron Swanson approves carbon bars. Carbon anything.


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## Bowen1911 (Nov 3, 2011)

wheeliam said:


> How come that carbon seatposts are a no go for XC rides? How much impact do your butt and balls give to the saddle everytime you do the drops? I think seatposts only get vibrations from the frame but has zero impact or abuse (unless you fall off the bike and hit the saddle/post somewhere) as we do drops or jumps.


I have next to no experience with high end bike parts, but I do have some experience with carbon fiber. Carbon fiber is only strong in tension, which is why it is used in pressure vessels as a support quite often. A seat post sees only compression, so the epoxy/resin/glue/whatever else you want to call it (it's what makes carbon fiber have structure) has to take all the forces. Thats why CF isn't used in building structures.



 elcaro1101 said:


> From what I have read you can tell if its real or fake by the weave quality and the end will have aluminum supports for bar ends inside.


I'm going to have to disagree here. A "good" looking CF weave is more for looks than form. High quality CF panels on supercars look like a 3rd grader laid down the fibers, but they are truly strong in that fashion. Look at a CF motorcycle exhaust, the CF does next to nothing structurally though.

I have experience with CF pole vault poles, and they have a stupidly low life. This makes me question how the parts are made.


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## Varaxis (Mar 16, 2010)

Vibrations are reduced in carbon, but if you have thick grips, hardly of it really transmits through anyways. It's when you run thinner grips, does it become noticeable. For really rough surfaces, both carbon + thick grips would help.

As an analogy, I like to pick my tools with certain types of handles, especially long handled ones like Mattocks and McLeods. Hit a rock with one of those and the vibrations that transfer through tend to fatigue you and affect how tense of a grip you have.

I suppose if you ride a really fast gravely fireroad that you like to bomb down, having carbon would be an advantage over alu. A nice example might be like Kamikaze at Mammoth. I imagine if you rode that with a stiff alu bike with alu bars, your grip on the bars would be extremely tight. Being able to stay loose and comfortable is a huge advantage there.


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## elcaro1101 (Sep 1, 2011)

Bowen1911 said:


> I have next to no experience with high end bike parts, but I do have some experience with carbon fiber. Carbon fiber is only strong in tension, which is why it is used in pressure vessels as a support quite often. A seat post sees only compression, so the epoxy/resin/glue/whatever else you want to call it (it's what makes carbon fiber have structure) has to take all the forces. Thats why CF isn't used in building structures.
> 
> I'm going to have to disagree here. A "good" looking CF weave is more for looks than form. High quality CF panels on supercars look like a 3rd grader laid down the fibers, but they are truly strong in that fashion. Look at a CF motorcycle exhaust, the CF does next to nothing structurally though.
> 
> I have experience with CF pole vault poles, and they have a stupidly low life. This makes me question how the parts are made.


The "real" comment is regarding Ritchey bars only, not all carbon in general. I wasnt able to find the thread/article that displayed the differences in weave, but I did find this older mtbr post that has comments from Ritchey.

http://forums.mtbr.com/ritchey-desi...y-wcs-carbon-handlebars-authentic-497737.html

Heres the material that I would like to see used at some point....

Carbotanium


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## aerius (Nov 20, 2010)

wheeliam said:


> How come that carbon seatposts are a no go for XC rides? How much impact do your butt and balls give to the saddle everytime you do the drops? I think seatposts only get vibrations from the frame but has zero impact or abuse (unless you fall off the bike and hit the saddle/post somewhere) as we do drops or jumps.


Seatposts get adjusted a lot more than handlebars and on top of that there's a whole bunch of different seatpost clamps, some of which aren't of the best design. Plus you have tons of dirt getting kicked up onto the frame & seatpost in that area, which can then get ground into the post when you're adjusting the height. The end result is there's a much higher chance of scratching, overtightening, or otherwise damaging a carbon fibre seatpost as compared to a handlebar where there's fewer ways to mess up.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

I think it would be cool to see aluminum used as the matrix for a carbon fiber material. It would have crazy tensile strength and I think a relatively high strength/weight ratio and relatively low density would be a good combination in the matrix material - light, and requiring enough volume to have room for the carbon fiber cloth or whatever. I wonder how hot it's okay to make carbon fibers... they do burn.


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## Bowen1911 (Nov 3, 2011)

AndrwSwitch said:


> I think it would be cool to see aluminum used as the matrix for a carbon fiber material. It would have crazy tensile strength and I think a relatively high strength/weight ratio and relatively low density would be a good combination in the matrix material - light, and requiring enough volume to have room for the carbon fiber cloth or whatever. I wonder how hot it's okay to make carbon fibers... they do burn.


Motorcycle exhausts aren't exactly cool. The epoxy holding it together is what fails due to heat.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

^^^
I was thinking in terms of process. It's easy to put carbon fiber cloth in a form. But if I were to pour molten aluminum into it, would the carbon fiber survive?

What if I sandwiched carbon fiber cloth between two half-thickness aluminum tubes, compressed the hell out of them, and then got crazy with the heat treatment kiln? Would the carbon fibers survive?

What if I just bonded the aluminum tubes? Would I still get any benefit from the carbon, or would the bond break first?

Maybe I would be happy if I enrolled in the Materials Science department after all...


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## zebrahum (Jun 29, 2005)

AndrwSwitch said:


> ^^^
> I was thinking in terms of process. It's easy to put carbon fiber cloth in a form. But if I were to pour molten aluminum into it, would the carbon fiber survive?
> 
> What if I sandwiched carbon fiber cloth between two half-thickness aluminum tubes, compressed the hell out of them, and then got crazy with the heat treatment kiln? Would the carbon fibers survive?
> ...


I've never seen a resin/carbon system able to exceed much over 500°F; with aluminum's melting point of about 2000°F, I don't see that working. You could weave aluminum into a carbon structure but I'm not sure what benefits, if any, that would have. I suspect the different thermal expansion profiles would likely introduce a lot of stress into the laminate and it wouldn't produce any benefit.


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## DannyHuynh (Sep 13, 2011)

so i ended up just getting this

Sette Venn Riser Handlebar at Price Point

its a feather compared to the flat handlebar's it replaced. so much lighter it almost worries me LOL. Maybe the flat is steel i have no idea what it is but its silver color.

im about to install the bars and some new brake levers i got also on pricepoint for like 12 bucks. avid fr-5 for my mech discs.


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## DannyHuynh (Sep 13, 2011)

there it is. new bar and brake levers.

total cost 36 dollars. not bad.


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## droptop (Jul 2, 2009)

carbon is fine, as long as you use a torque wrench on it. been riding mine thru 2 xc race seasons, been fine. i have gone over the bars several times, hit a few trees. still trust the bars. FWIW I'm running easton xc70 wide bars. bought them when they first came out, 2+ years ago. seen some gnarly crashes with friends using other easton carbon bars (monkeylite ec70 riser). haven't seen one broken yet, and seen a few 10+ years old. 

Don't cheap out on carbon, and it will take care of you.


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## bdjohnson121 (Jul 30, 2011)

I weigh 230 lbs and run carbon havoc bars on my stumpy, so far so good. I was paranoid and got DH bars after reading so many horror stories.


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## kapusta (Jan 17, 2004)

DannyHuynh said:


> I was wondering what it takes to snap a carbon handlebar?
> 
> i was thinking of going carbon riser. i ride agressive xc and take small jumps and drops. nothing over 3 feet.
> 
> ...


Threads on CF are often misinformation magnets. This one is strong.

If you go with a respected brand (I am a bit leery of the no-name CF bars) then in most cases the CF bars are both lighter AND stronger than AL bars of similar purpose.

This whole idea of CF bars not being strong or reliable is unfounded. It's track record over the past 5-10 should have laid that one to rest by now.

Also unfounded is claim that aluminum is less likely than CF to break during use. Yes, it bends before it breaks, but in practice, Al DOES often actually break when it fails during use. The fact that this is preceded by a split second of bending sometimes makes a difference, sometimes not. But what matter in the end is which is more likely to actually BREAK while riding, and I have never seen any evidence that CF is more likely to do so under XC or AM use. In any event, bars breaking are incredibly rare, assuming a respected brand and using one appropriate for the type of riding.

I'm sure everyone knows somebody who knows somebody that broke their CF bar. Ask around and you will learn of Al breaks as well. The only person I personally know (as in not a story I heard on the internet) that ever snapped a bar when riding did so with an Al bar.

What I find truely puzzling is that some people trash CF as not being strong enough, or snapping to easily rather then bending, and then go on to say they stick with......... aluminum: If you really care about something bending instead of breaking, go with a steel or Ti bar.

BTW, there are reasons to avoid a CF seatpost, but strength is definitely NOT one of them.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

I've broken an aluminum handlebar and a steel chainstay.

No carbon yet, although the forks on two of my bikes are the only carbon I own, so I haven't had as much opportunity.


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## bob13bob (Jun 22, 2009)

strength does not necessarily have to do with failure. Materials fail in many ways. 

On drawback to carbon bar, is the way it breaks by snapping. This is dangerous. 

When titanium, it fails by bending.

I risk it since I will most likely still have one side in case of breakage. Carbon stems on the other hand, I will not risk.


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## Procter (Feb 3, 2012)

Bowen1911 said:


> I have next to no experience with high end bike parts, but I do have some experience with carbon fiber. Carbon fiber is only strong in tension, which is why it is used in pressure vessels as a support quite often.


That's not exactly true - couple things on this:
1) Both the ultimate tensile strength and compressive strength of any carbon fiber piece is somewhat 'tunable' and chosen specifically by the manufacturer for the application. 
2) CF used in most bike parts needs to have a compressive strength on par with its aluminum and steel counter parts. This is because for a structural beam subjected to bending force (a handlebar for example), it will experience tensile forces on one side and compressive forces on the other (think I-beam holding a heavy weight in the middle - as it bends, the bottom of the I-beam must get longer and stretch, the top of the beam gets shorter, and there is compression along the x-axis of the beam). There are also shear forces here but we don't need to get into that, CF and AL bars rarely 'shear off', they usually crack on tensile side first (think: the top of the handebar tears near the clamp and the tear moves down through the bar as the bar is pulled in two at that location).
3) Furthermore, CF experiences 100% compressive force at any clamp, and must be just as strong as aluminum here too. This is why my Easton Haven handlebar instructions tell me to torque to the specs of the stem. If CF had significantly less compressive strength, they would have to tell me to tone it down here. Yes, they also instruct to leave the bar-ends off, but, they could beef up the ends of the bars to withstand bar-end clamping forces if desired, they just save some weight here.



Bowen1911 said:


> Thats why CF isn't used in building structures.


The main reason CF isn't used in building structures is that its too expensive for the application, not because of its compressive strength. Most modern multi-story buildings, bridges, etc. are made of steel because its strong, cheaper (than competing materials like AL), easier to weld, has more elasticity (it will bend more before it breaks) very high fatigue resistance (buildings & bridges sway for years and fatigue becomes a factor over time), won't melt in a fire, etc. The main failure mode for most buildings isn't compressive failure, its things like bolt shearing, structural member shearing, column buckling, etc.



Bowen1911 said:


> A seat post sees only compression


This is not really true either, if the seatpost were completely vertical, and, there were no rider weight shifts during riding, then, yes the primary force here would be compression. But, its at an angle, which puts the seatpost primarily under bending stress, and, there are all kinds of dynamic forces while riding (forwards/backwards/side to side) which also cause bending force. These forces are all concentrated at the clamp, and, the seatpost, whether AL or CF, usually fails due to tensile failure on the side of the beam opposite the direction of bend (go back to the large weight on an i-beam analogy).


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## stumblemumble (Mar 31, 2006)

I snapped my Easton CNT carbon bars at the middle of the grip on a wash-out wreck. The bar end plowing the soil with me still gripping was enough to snap it.
Carbon is strong stuff if manufactured well, but as others said when it breaks it snaps. 
Still have the bars, at some point I'm going to 'stress test' them next to an old Easton Monkeylite aluminum bar.
If anyone has ideas for a good test let me know, not looking to prove anything, it'd be fun though.


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## car bone (Apr 15, 2011)

elcaro1101 said:


> Ron Swanson approves carbon bars. Carbon anything.










:thumbsup:


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## dsintov (Apr 13, 2010)

in 2007 i put a carbon seatpost on my new bike and i have had no problems at all with it.
o.k. so i only weigh 150 lbs.but i often times do some really crazy stuff,especially when i take my bike to the skate park. and the carbon seatpost is one of very few parts on my bike that has been completely trouble free.
i have hucked my bike 12 vertical feet onto a concrete slab and bend the titanium spindles on my pedals so i replaced the c.b. pedals for some spank spikes,another time i sheared the 6mm bolt that attaches the front of the shock to the frame on tho same jump.i replaced that bolt with a hard to find grade 10 bolt(if you need one, look for aircraft parts suppliers).i have taccoed 2 wheels.the bike has tumbled down stairs and hills after crashing.
just had a look at the bike and just realized that only the frame and seatpost remain from the original bike.
i adjust the seatpost up or down all the time and clamp it as hard as i can every time.
last week i tried to jump the railing of a stair way and failed the bike took yet another tumble down the stairs and after that i found a huge dent on my al. bars.
i am now looking for some solid carbon bars and am considering c.b. iodine 11 anyone have any experience with those????
if they can take the abuse my seatpost have taken i will be very happy


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## Fuglio (Jul 15, 2011)

Still trusting mine. I got OTB alot. Seems the aluminum stem scrated easier then the easton havocs.
One other thing get a tourque wrench

<img src=https://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d141/mrpea9999/0122130616a.jpg border=0 alt=>

<img src=https://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d141/mrpea9999/0122130616b.jpg border=0 alt=>

<img src=https://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d141/mrpea9999/0122130616c.jpg border=0 alt=>


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## fredro (Jul 7, 2007)

i ride carbon bars for trail and dh. love em. light, strong, stiff, but pricey.
i ride quite often, and usually change bars at the end of season to be on the safe side. maybe 2 seasons, depending on how often you go ride, how big you are, how big you go...
love carbon!!!


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## Mountain Cycle Shawn (Jan 19, 2004)

People really need to get over this fear of carbon fiber. Quality carbon fiber is far stronger then anything else.


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## 50calray (Oct 25, 2010)

I'm 275lbs riding with carbon bars. I've got about 75 miles on them with zero issues so far.


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## jetboy23 (Jun 14, 2011)

50calray said:


> I'm 275lbs riding with carbon bars. I've got about 75 miles on them with zero issues so far.


I have no doubt that carbon bars can be as strong as aluminum. It really all depends on the quality of the build. But, really, 75mi is not any amount of testing to suggest durability. Thats like 3 rides. I can chew the same piece of gum for that long. Doesn't mean it'll still taste good.


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## Fuglio (Jul 15, 2011)

jetboy23 said:


> I have no doubt that carbon bars can be as strong as aluminum. It really all depends on the quality of the build. But, really, 75mi is not any amount of testing to suggest durability. Thats like 3 rides. I can chew the same piece of gum for that long. Doesn't mean it'll still taste good.


Are you suprised all internet reviews are written up in the first 72 hrs


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## jetboy23 (Jun 14, 2011)

lol


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## dirtdan (Jun 27, 2011)

Just be sure to use fiber paste and properly torque them as well as the things attached to the bars. Only problems can occur if you clamp the bars in too tight.


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## car bone (Apr 15, 2011)

or, you could just get alu bars since they weigh about the same and you can torque those to hell and back and the will never break.

Just saying.


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## dirtdan (Jun 27, 2011)

car bone said:


> or, you could just get alu bars since they weigh about the same and you can torque those to hell and back and the will never break.
> 
> Just saying.


I kind of agree with this sentiment. I run aluminum (do I really need to save 40 grams?) but my fiance runs carbon fiber without any problems. Technically, carbon fiber should last longer than aluminum when cared for properly though as it has much better fatigue properties than aluminum... I've seen a good number of snapped carbon fiber bars and seat posts as well as a good number of aluminum. I'm a little crazy and tend to replace stems every season and handlebars every other season. (1500 or so miles/year) I have no interest in ever dealing with a catastrophic failure in the front end...


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## car bone (Apr 15, 2011)

I deal with the exact same problem in a slightly different way. I just get the heaviest beefiest most durable looking **** I can get my hands on and run that until self destruction. Usually this takes takes 5-10 years. I guess, since I have never experienced it.

Handlebars I choose by looking at what the lighest ones are and the heaviest ones of the same type and then position myself in the middle or 60% up weightwise. And I of course choose 7075, 7050 or similar if thats available, no 20 or 60 series **** for me. no thanks.


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