PSA: Check Your Bars!

[fignon's barber]

Just had an alloy bar snap just below the shifter! On inspection, there was serious corrosion. I escaped with some road rash on the hip and elbow, but it could have been way worse. Check under your tape!

[Cicli]

Thanks for the heads up.
Hope you heal quick and get back to it. Glad it was not worse.

[Tickdoc]

What kind of bars?

[Dead Man]

This seems to come up once or twice a year..

You can replace your bar tape (or at least pull it off, clean out from under it and reapply, if'n you got some handlebra or other nice stuff) at regular intervals.. like quarterly, or; I've taken to double-wrapping my bars with electrical tape to keep 'em sealed up and sweat off 'em. I wrap the bar up completely from end to top terminus, then slide on the shifter and clamp it down over the elecrtical tape, then wrap over that like normal with bar tape.

Started doing this a couple years ago... works great. I still swap out my bar tape at least twice a year and either re-do the electrical tape or at least make sure it's still looking all sealed up and perty

But yea - can't just leave tape on alloy bars for ever. ****'s corroding under there for sure, unless you do something about it

Glad you still have all your teeth!(?)

[fignon's barber]

What kind of bars?

Ritchey Curve. I'm thinking of trying a carbon bar, I think living in florida dissolves bars.

[fignon's barber]

Thanks for the heads up.
Hope you heal quick and get back to it. Glad it was not worse.

thanks. i'll by riding tomorrow. The scary part was that it happened a few minutes after a 60 rider bunch sprint. I was cornering lightly and taking note of the hand pressure during the turn. Then, bang! bar snaps!

[stephenmarklay]

I am guessing that this is galvanic corrosion between the aluminum bars and the steel used in the clamp of the lever. Your salty air and sweat are just the needed electrolyte.

I would make sure that electrical tape is under the clamp to prevent contact.

[RoadWhale]

Glad you are okay and thanks so much for the heads up! I'm checking my bars in the morning.

[bcroslin]

Ritchey Curve. I'm thinking of trying a carbon bar, I think living in florida dissolves bars.

Yup, Florida. You can run aluminum bars but you have to rewrap your bars every 4-6 weeks. Carbon is the way to go if you don't want to do that.

[fignon's barber]

Yup, Florida. You can run aluminum bars but you have to rewrap your bars every 4-6 weeks. Carbon is the way to go if you don't want to do that.

Yep. I see you're from St. Pete. The bars snapped moments after one of the sprints on the Panera Ride. Could have been worse. Do you think carbon would last longer? A couple guys have said they've had the same thing happen with carbon.

[Cicli]

Yep. I see you're from St. Pete. The bars snapped moments after one of the sprints on the Panera Ride. Could have been worse. Do you think carbon would last longer? A couple guys have said they've had the same thing happen with carbon.

Carbon dosent really corrode with moisture. I doubt that its an issue with carbon bars. That said, they break too.

[JeffWarner]

Ritchey Curve. I'm thinking of trying a carbon bar, I think living in florida dissolves bars.


Which finish was on the bar? The regular shot peened matte black or the newer Black Latte?

I live in Houston and have had issues with corrosion on Ritchey Bars. The shot peened black finish on WCS and Pro series bars didn't make it a year before they got pitted up from corrosion. I have had better luck with the Black Latte finish...it looks like a coating on the bar and I haven't had any issues (yet).





Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[ultraman6970]

This thread need pictures of the OPs handlebars.

[MikeD]

I never experienced corrosion on my handlebars. I wear gloves though, and live in a dry but hot climate. Perhaps hose off your bars after a sweaty ride?

[fignon's barber]

Which finish was on the bar? The regular shot peened matte black or the newer Black Latte?

I live in Houston and have had issues with corrosion on Ritchey Bars. The shot peened black finish on WCS and Pro series bars didn't make it a year before they got pitted up from corrosion. I have had better luck with the Black Latte finish...it looks like a coating on the bar and I haven't had any issues (yet).





Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


Matte black finish.

[Dead Man]

Do you think carbon would last longer? A couple guys have said they've had the same thing happen with carbon.

Hah.. if they had carbon bars snap off at the shifter its probably because they crushed them over tightening their shifter clamp.

[fignon's barber]

Just did some research. Apparently, galvanic corrosion can effect carbon as well:

https://www.corrosionpedia.com/2/1556/corrosion/galvanic-corrosion-of-metals-connected-to-carbon-fiber-reinforced-polymers

I think the best bet may be to just replace alloy bars every 18 months at $50 a pop.

[ultraman6970]

It does.

[bcroslin]

Yep. I see you're from St. Pete. The bars snapped moments after one of the sprints on the Panera Ride. Could have been worse. Do you think carbon would last longer? A couple guys have said they've had the same thing happen with carbon.

Carbon is definitely the way to go. I've seen too many aluminum bars crumble when the bar tape is removed. I been on a few rides where bars have broken. Very scary stuff.

Love the Panera ride btw. Haven't been able to make it in forever because I hate getting up early. I occasionally make it up for the Wed night suffer fest or flogging by Buster as I like to call it. :)

[Fivethumbs]

I've never seen corrosion on my aluminum bars but I live in So Cal. What causes the corrosion, the rider's sweat or the moisture in the air?

[EPOJoe]

While I agree that it's always a good idea to keep an eye on stuff like this, I wouldn't freak out too much. I have bikes with the original bars from the 1960's through 1980's that show no signs of corrosion. I do live is sunny California, and wear gloves as well.

[Dead Man]

I've got a hard anodized Deda bar on my main bike that corroded a bit in the finish the first 6 or so months I had it. Nothing structural.. just some blooms in the anodize that scrubbed out and left small shiny aluminum dots just above the hoods. Since I've been wrapping in electrical tape, I've had zero corrosion in the next two years or so.... and I don't always wear gloves and am not afraid to ride in the rain (Oregon).

YMMV, as always

I think some guys just have really acidic sweat or something, too.. but the worst corrosion on bikes always seems to come from florida. I recently had to destroy a Ti seatube insert (which was already destroyed from corrosion to begin with) and carbon seat pin trying to get the pin out...... frame came from FLorida.

[steelbikerider]

Since the demise of Cinelli 66/64's, I've had to replace bars every 3-4 years. I live south of Houston and even changing HB tape every 4-6 weeks doesn't really help. All of the black anodized bars seem to last about the same - cinelli, Deda, Ritchey. after 3 years, the corrosion has started to eat into the bar, more so on the tops for me rather than the clamp section. Even a low humidity day is in the 50% range with a dew point of 75. Keeping the bikes in the garage doesn't help but it's not really a choice.

[regularguy412]

I've never seen corrosion on my aluminum bars but I live in So Cal. What causes the corrosion, the rider's sweat or the moisture in the air?

It 'may' come from the salt air/humidity, but IMHO, it's all about rider sweat. I am a heavy sweater (not of the Christmas snowflake variety). I'm in good ol' Arkansas and far enough south to get plenny of Gulf moisture/humidity -- which makes me pour sweat when the heat index goes over 100 degrees.

I've corroded through at least three (mebbe more but I can't remember 'em all) AL bars. None broke, but the last bar now has two little 'windows' in the front where the lever clamp was tightened on.

I've even taken to putting 2-3 coats of clear spray lacquer on the bars prior to wrapping in electrical tape and THEN putting the levers and bar tape on. This method does help. I can usually run a bar 2 or 3 years before it has to be retired due to being compromised by corrosion.

** On a side note: I learned the hard way on saddles. I had an old style Concor saddle-- you know,, the one with the perforated cover? I'd sweat. The salt water would percolate into the foam of the saddle. The liquid would evaporate out, but the salt would stay. It basically turned into a rock. Now i Use waterproof saddle covers to help prevent this issue.**

Mike in AR:beer: