Did you finally get some coffee? ----- Original Message ----- From: fenderbender To: RBW Owners Bunch Sent: Sunday, January 11, 2009 6:49 AM Subject: [RBW] Re: handlebar lifespan?
To answer the question I don't replace unless I can see a crack, dent or deep mark. The only bars I've broken has been in crashes prior to that and neither were hi end parts. When I think of it they probably were 6 or 7000 series too! In RR39/Summer-03 issue there was a very interesting interview with the president and designer of Nitto Mr. Akira Yoshikawa by Grant: "Q: For a 200lb (91kg) road rider, how light can a bar be made and still pass your standards? A: The lightest is 260g. About 250-260g. If you try to make it lighter than 200g you have to use 7075. You have to use better grade material. Q: So the 7000 series is stronger? A: The tensile strength is higher, yes, but the problem is that, when there is high impact, the 7075 breaks because it's brittle. With the 2000 series, it bends easier. We think it is safer for the consumer if it bends instead of breaking. Q: I've heard that aluminium handlebars should be replaced every five years. Do you agree with this? Even if thy have not been crashed? A: The life span of aluminium is shorter than steel. If you make aluminium handlebars and don't even use it for ten years, it is significantly weaker than when it was new. We know our handlebars and stems are quite strong, of course, but when they are aluminium, it is safest to replace them before they break, or show sign of breaking. It is a personal judgement from the rider, as to when to do this." Edit: Sorry for the gremins, needed to re-wrote some. On 8 Jan, 19:05, "Doug Peterson" <dougpn...@cox.net> wrote: > Do you replace your handlebars on a regular basis? > > Years ago, a friend had his handlebars snap off near the stem, resulting in > a shoulder dislocating crash & only luck kept him from being hit by a car. > When I mentioned this incident, several riders had similar experiences. > Since then, I've taken the precaution of replacing bars every 5 years on the > bike I ride all the time. FWIW, I've also had 2 aluminum frames fail so > perhaps I'm just a klutz. > > dougP --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
