Carbon Handle bars?

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Carbon Handle bars?
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flag shaunohanlon
Posted: Sep 8, 2013 at 15:36 Quote
What are your views on carbon handle bars?

Are they really better? Have heard a horror story from a lad at my l.b.s on how easy he broke his :/ saying that though i do tend to do a lot more xc than downhilling so not as much force would be placed on them

Have been offered a raceface next bar at a price i find hard to turn down!

Thanks.
flag macross87
Posted: Sep 9, 2013 at 5:41 Quote
Failure of carbon bars is often due to misuse and improper installations. I have a Next bar (older style) and love it to death. My next set of bars will be carbon for a certainty.
flag ajax-ripper
Posted: Sep 9, 2013 at 6:09 Quote
Just ensure the stem bolts are torqued to spec and not a 1/16 of a ft-lb more.. Solid product, just be carful to keep them from getting scrapped appart.
flag Cackerman
Posted: Sep 10, 2013 at 12:23 Quote
As the previous poster mentioned, proper torque is paramount for carbon. Carbon hates being over-clamped.

I run a Haven carbon bar on my trail/AM bike and a XC90 carbon bar on my weight weenie'ish XC build. Love both bars to pieces. I am a big guy, bought a small torque wrench to sit in my bike toolbox so the stems are properly tightened, and both bars are in pristine condition after a full season (and a few crashes).

On my XC bike especially, I feel the difference in my hands with the carbon bar filtering out some of the trail chatter.
flag slidways
Posted: Sep 11, 2013 at 8:05 Quote
Carbon designed right will be stiffer, stronger and resist fatigue better. The main issue with carbon is damage is hard to see if not impossible at times.

You need to make sure you torque all the bolts right so get a torque wrench don't bother trying to do I by feel.
flag Cackerman
Posted: Sep 11, 2013 at 10:12 Quote
slidways wrote:
The main issue with carbon is damage is hard to see if not impossible at times.

That has not been my finding at all. Carbon tends to splinter when it is damaged, quite visibly.

I would say aluminum has a far higher chance of fatiguing in a way that is not visible and snapping suddenly.
flag ajax-ripper
Posted: Sep 11, 2013 at 22:58 Quote
slidways wrote:
Carbon designed right will be stiffer, stronger and resist fatigue better. The main issue with carbon is damage is hard to see if not impossible at times.

You need to make sure you torque all the bolts right so get a torque wrench don't bother trying to do I by feel.
Carbon doesnt bent, when it fails its pretty obvious (Splinters and such). Alloys will show some stress marks but most people don't noticed the slight de colorization.
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