Have had similar conversations so many times. Anecdotally, owners of carbon bars are more likely to use a torque wrench but less likely to replace them after a crash because of the investment. Does that explain a higher catastrophic failure rate? Or is it simply that it’s relatively easy to consistently make an endless number of good aluminum bars but there’s always going to be a certain % of carbon anything that has imperfections? Or is it that more and more higher end bikes come stock with carbon bars and they’re being thrashed and crashed the hardest?
Whatever way I slice it, it’s been two decades since I’ve seen an aluminum bar fail that couldn’t be easily explained (obvious wear, ten years old, etc). And I’ve seen very few. I’ve seen too many broken carbon bars - usually with obvious stress risers from crashes or clamping but sometimes just WTF/JRA.
With no other advantage then a few grams of weight savings and maybe some sex appeal why would anyone buy carbon?
———
I look at it as 1) breaking a bar sucks I’ve done it/seen it. 2) I’m more likely to experience a failure with a carbon bar. 3) I’ll buy aluminum even if that’s what I broke.
March 3, 2022, 8:31 a.m. - Andrew Major
Have had similar conversations so many times. Anecdotally, owners of carbon bars are more likely to use a torque wrench but less likely to replace them after a crash because of the investment. Does that explain a higher catastrophic failure rate? Or is it simply that it’s relatively easy to consistently make an endless number of good aluminum bars but there’s always going to be a certain % of carbon anything that has imperfections? Or is it that more and more higher end bikes come stock with carbon bars and they’re being thrashed and crashed the hardest? Whatever way I slice it, it’s been two decades since I’ve seen an aluminum bar fail that couldn’t be easily explained (obvious wear, ten years old, etc). And I’ve seen very few. I’ve seen too many broken carbon bars - usually with obvious stress risers from crashes or clamping but sometimes just WTF/JRA. With no other advantage then a few grams of weight savings and maybe some sex appeal why would anyone buy carbon? ——— I look at it as 1) breaking a bar sucks I’ve done it/seen it. 2) I’m more likely to experience a failure with a carbon bar. 3) I’ll buy aluminum even if that’s what I broke.