Sweat Pitting Handlebars

[ghammer]

Hello Folks,

For a lean rider i tend to sweat a lot. As consequence, I clean and inspect my bike often for corrosion, specifically the cockpit area. I ride aluminum bars, and have noticed that the bars get pitted w salt from my perspiration. I had a pair of zipp aluminum bars that were more pitted than I was cmfortable with, so i threw them out. Last night, while cleaning my bike after a muggy workout, i noticed my new bars (2yrs old) have some pitting, however slight, in the levers area.

Question: how safe are my bars? how does pitting affect material longevity/integrity? when is it a good time to consider swapping for a new pair?

Your answers are welcome. I am not moving to carbon bars, btw.

Thanks,

G

[classtimesailer]

Here? Or across the hall?

[bicimechanic]

I've always felt that light weight components, especially bars and stems have a service life. A few hard seasons and you are better off replacing especially if there are signs of corrosion or wear. I usually suggest frequent bartape changes to customers that sweat a lot. That way you can clean the bar, inspect and put fresh tape on. I have some folks I replace tape for every couple months.

[bcroslin]

Hello Folks,

For a lean rider i tend to sweat a lot. As consequence, I clean and inspect my bike often for corrosion, specifically the cockpit area. I ride aluminum bars, and have noticed that the bars get pitted w salt from my perspiration. I had a pair of zipp aluminum bars that were more pitted than I was cmfortable with, so i threw them out. Last night, while cleaning my bike after a muggy workout, i noticed my new bars (2yrs old) have some pitting, however slight, in the levers area.

Question: how safe are my bars? how does pitting affect material longevity/integrity? when is it a good time to consider swapping for a new pair?

Your answers are welcome. I am not moving to carbon bars, btw.

Thanks,

G

Your definition of new and my definition of new are very different. Carbon bars are the way to go in hot humid climates. Since you don't want to run carbon bars I would say you need to get used to replacing your bar tape every 4-6 weeks in the summer and replace your bars every 12-18 months.

[bikinchris]

Get new bars. After mounting your levers, wrap the drops and tops and bends with overlapping electrical tape. The best quality tape is waterproof and will protect your bars from pitting.

[old_fat_and_slow]

IMHO, nobody on an internet forum can answer that question for you. Most likely to answer definitively you would need someone in an engineering house to do some "Non-Destructive Inspection" of the pitted areas on your bars to determine the extent and depth of the pitting and corrosion. Corrosion and pitting are nasty. They are like cancer. The damage goes deeper than what you can see on the surface.

Depending on your risk tolerance you can choose to replace the bars now (risk averse) or replace them later if you feel comfortable riding with some risk.

If this is a recurring problem, you need to consider wrapping your bars with multiple layers of tape to minimize the salt water incursion, or just get rid of the problem altogether by going to carbon-fiber bars instead.

Good luck.

[Cicli]

Get new bars. After mounting your levers, wrap the drops and tops and bends with overlapping electrical tape. The best quality tape is waterproof and will protect your bars from pitting.

Vinyl tape is awesome once it breaks down and gets slimy.

[DG24]

I had an aluminum bar break during a ride just above the shifter due to corrosion this season. So, keep an eye on it.

[AngryScientist]

i wonder if a quick coat of rustoleum spraypaint would help on new bars before you mount the shifters as an extra barrier against corrosion?

[spoonrobot]

. Since you don't want to run carbon bars I would say you need to get used to replacing your bar tape every 4-6 weeks in the summer and replace your bars every 12-18 months.

:rolleyes:

Or you could just wash the bike every couple weeks. Like with water from a hose.

Hell you could even run the tape through the washer in a delicates bag and rewrap.

[veggieburger]

You could always buy a set of bars and get them powdercoated..

[Peter P.]

Help me understand-your sweat seeps through the handlebar tape?!

I'd never heard nor seen such a thing but assuming it's happening to you, bikinchris' suggestion to lay down a base of electrical tape seems worthwhile.

I never had good luck with handlebar tape staying put when the underlayment was electrical tape, however. It could just be me.

If you don't try the electrical tape, I'd suggest hosing off the handlebars after sweaty rides. I do this with my steel bike (actually, I hose off the entire bike). You merely want to dilute the salts before they dry. Immediately after a ride is close enough.

You could also try a base coat of Plasti-Dip (https://plastidip.com/our-products/plasti-dip/), shellac, spray paint, Frame Saver, or anything else you can think of. Browse the paint aisle at your local hardware store.

If you'r not interested in any of the suggestions above, I see your only option to be remove the tape annually and inspect.

I'm surprised DG24 had his handlebars fail at the shift lever; that's unusual. I wonder if there was some other mitigating factor involved.

The greatest stress point is where the bars meet the stem; I would expect handlebars to break there and virtually no where else.