# Carbon fiber handlebars, Safe or unsafe?



## magixpuma (Sep 5, 2006)

Hey all, long time reader first time poster. I just ruined my handlebars clearing 3, 8 foot gap x 6 foot drops onto flat on my rigid. If i could bend steel bars downwards is carbon fiber safe cuz i need some new bars.


----------



## BikeSATORI (Mar 20, 2004)

Unsafe. 
I could leave it at that....
but, carbon/composites can shatter and splinter, and will not stand up to direct impacts or blows from hard objects (compared to other currently available alloys), it will chip, and any little chip or gouge will weaken the material quite a bit.
Aluminum also can snap brittly and suddenly, but, the best of the 3, chromoly, will just bend in most cases, which in a sudden crash will hopefully do the least amount of bodily damage. 
good luck.


----------



## magixpuma (Sep 5, 2006)

what about titanium?


----------



## BikeSATORI (Mar 20, 2004)

magixpuma said:


> what about titanium?


if you can find a ti bar with a bend and width you like, and on top of that, be able to afford it, why not go for it. would be similar characteristics to the chromoly out of the above mentioned 3...


----------



## Ojai Bicyclist (Nov 4, 2005)

Actually ti bars are insanely flexy, I would steer away for jumping. Cro-mo is heavy as hell, and the only broken Aluminum bars I've seen have been bent, not shattered.


----------



## BikeSATORI (Mar 20, 2004)

Ojai Bicyclist said:


> Actually ti bars are insanely flexy, I would steer away for jumping. Cro-mo is heavy as hell, and the only broken Aluminum bars I've seen have been bent, not shattered.


this is probably because 99.9% of all ti bars on the market were designed along the same lines and "use" category as most carbon bars = XC. 
and aluminum will not shatter, I don't remember saying that... But they will snap once they reach the end of their life. I've seen them bend to, but they only bend to a certain point, then snap. But that said, there are the greatest variety of aluminum bars on the market designed for DJ/street/DJ/FR, etc., so they will be very strong. 
and chro-mo isn't always "heavy as hell". that comment seemed to be based on absolutely nothing but an opinion... Look at the atomlab trailpimp SS. very nice bars! notice I said Trailpimp SS bars, not Trailking...


----------



## Ojai Bicyclist (Nov 4, 2005)

The Atomlabs are IMO heavy.


----------



## zerossix (Jul 25, 2004)

carbon bars are mad dangerous, yeah they got those new DH specifc ones and what not but i wouldnt wanna test it. i'm all for carbon for road bikes and XC. MAYBE for a race DH bike with unlimited funds that could replace it every couple crashes. i would definiltey not put them on a bike that is going to get dropped(on the handle bars, not like doing drops) and go flying and just get abused.


----------



## Leethal (Feb 5, 2004)

Repeated drops to flat will break parts, get some new affordable bars and be ready to keep replacing them.


----------



## turboinferno83 (Sep 5, 2006)

Just my two cents.I don't have much experience w/ the different types of bars and what not nor do I with carbon fiber bars.Yet I have lots of experience with composites such as carbon fiber.Something I can say is that when carbon fiber is combined into a matrix of fiber and a hardned epoxy which is then broken it tends to leave behind shards along the edges of the break which do leave very painful wounds when bought in contact with the skin.This wouldn't be fun to catch in the chest when your momentum from a drop rockets you into your broken handle bars.On a lighter note,more advanced composite structures can be utilized to make bars that or not only as light but also very less brittle.I think that if you could find a bar made of a mix of maybe carbon fiber and amarid (Kevlar) this maybe be the bar to use.


----------



## Nelson xc (Mar 10, 2009)

to be truthfull, no bar should break if you spend the right amount of money. Aluminium would DEFFINATELY be your best choice if you spend about £60/70. youll get a bar which can take anything from any type of riding. also, check the bottom of your forks, if theres a switch it varies the speed of the rebound time on the fork. adjust that and put your rigidness to about half. should take most the strain from the bars and if done right, you could even use carbs if you get it perfect  

glad to help


----------



## mikeeeeeee (Oct 1, 2007)

If youre doing stuff that will bend a set of bars, use some beefy bars. Cromoly or some other steel. Aluminum isnt as strong or tough as steel.


----------



## dervishboy05 (Jun 28, 2007)

I like 4130 cromoly. The NS bars i have are probably one of the most rigid bars i have used.


----------



## EndersShadow (Jun 27, 2008)

While I wouldn't recommend carbon bars for urban or DJ applications, they are not any more dangerous than any other kind of bar. I see just as many stories about broken aluminum and steel bars as I see about broken carbon bars. Most people just think carbon fiber = weak.....It's just not true.


----------



## yellowjeep (Aug 20, 2008)

Well 2009 carbon bars are atleast 2 years and 5 months better than 2006 carbon bars:thumbsup:


----------



## chewymilk99 (Nov 26, 2008)

I used carbon bars on my Santa Cruz Nomad for a while and had no real problems. Granted that was a FS bike. But I was doing 6-8' drops to flat on cement.
The only thing about carbon that would stop me from using it on a DJ bike is crash damage. 
I did crack those bars eventually and it took a magnifing glass to find the crack. 
Just imag if you are trying to land something and keep crashing. When you get so pissed off that you can't see straight and keep trying. 
Also carbon dosen't give you much notice before it fails. No real cracks. No bends. No flexy. One minute they seem fine and the next you have your stem imbedded in you chest.
Go Cromo. Maybe Alum if you want to save weight. You can skimp on strenght with your seatpost. Or your wheels. But not your bars.


----------



## mikeeeeeee (Oct 1, 2007)

EndersShadow said:


> Most people just think carbon fiber = weak.....It's just not true.


This is true, but as mentioned it is prone to catastrophic failure. Metal is nice in this application in that it will bend before it breaks.


----------

