Stem/Handlebar Life

[Samster]

a local lbs mechanic told me that aluminum bars and stems should be replaced once every 2-3 years.

that person also said that new carbon bars (e.g. the soon to be former easton) have no "fatigue limit" and don't need regular replacement.

does anyone out there know the truth-to-b.s. ratio on these comments?

cluelessly,

[Jason E]

If, while being honest with yourself, you can say you race countless times per year, sprint for every prime and torque the **** out of your stuff, change your bars every 2 or 3 years.

If you ride to ride, and are having a great time, do not worry, you will buy a new bar because it catches your eye before the old one fails.

Everything else falls somewhere inbetween.

[swoop]

bars and stem i race on get a good lookin every ride and don't stay on the bike for more than a year. in a sprint it is as if you are trying to tear the bars of the bike. they are aluminum.
carbon bars... personal bike.. lots of hours but no racing... 1-2 years. y'all will flame me for that but it's the truth.

non racing aluminum.. a couple years. check every month.

just recently a carbon stem faceplate delaminated/failed on my bike... it was about a year old.

i think of these bikes as being like formula one cars. you got's to be on top of it.

[stevep]

im with swoop.
the cool stuff is often competition grade. means light, light and light.
has an expected life. should be carefully watched and regularly replaced.
should look at stuff all the time. just cause its expensive does not mean it will last forever.
if you want forever you should buy heavy quality stuff like nitto.
the fatigue life of carbon bars may be 100 years but i have seen way more broken carbon bars in the last 5 years than i have ever seen broken aluminum bars....its the connection. its the tightening. its an imperfect system.
my theory:
carbon fork - 3 years
crankset- 4 years
bars 3 yrs and then winter bike
stem- same
pedals- 3 yrs and then old bike
cleats twice a year

believe me i know that there are guys out there that have used some ultralite stuff for 50,000 miles...i subscribe to the opinion that its cheap insurance to replace the stuff and a lot cheaper than a broken collarbone or worse.

[dbrk]

Solution: Nitto. Put stem, bars, and post in your will 'cause it will likely out last you and your descendents. As for stuff that needs replacin'...well, that's everything but Nitto sooner or later...unless your hubs are Maxi-Car and then they too will out last you and yours and them and theirs. There aren't any more new Maxi-Car hubs except what's still NOS (and...I'm hoarding some still...go figure.)

Replacing bits may be fun (if that's your idea of fun) but I'm inclined to go in the other direction and look for quality durability. YMMV.

dbrk

[67-59]

Solution: Nitto. Put stem, bars, and post in your will 'cause it will likely out last you and your descendents. As for stuff that needs replacin'...well, that's everything but Nitto sooner or later...unless your hubs are Maxi-Car and then they too will out last you and yours and them and theirs. There aren't any more new Maxi-Car hubs except what's still NOS (and...I'm hoarding some still...go figure.)

Replacing bits may be fun (if that's your idea of fun) but I'm inclined to go in the other direction and look for quality durability. YMMV.

dbrk

Hope you're right dbrk. I just decided to switch to Nitto, and they arrived today. I'll get back to y'all when they fail....

[93legendti]

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showpost.php?p=233970&postcount=12

[zap]

a local lbs mechanic told me that aluminum bars and stems should be replaced once every 2-3 years.

that person also said that new carbon bars (e.g. the soon to be former easton) have no "fatigue limit" and don't need regular replacement.

does anyone out there know the truth-to-b.s. ratio on these comments?

cluelessly,

In a perfect world, I'd say your mechanic is spot on.

But it's not and anything can break. These days I'm a bit cautious of some carbon items coming from Asia, especially those sold on ebay.

[pdxmech13]

3 years on a carbon fork

Really...........

how many have you seen break that
have not been in any accidents or falls ?

That seems a little excessive.

[fierte_poser]

im with swoop.
the cool stuff is often competition grade. means light, light and light.
has an expected life. should be carefully watched and regularly replaced.
should look at stuff all the time. just cause its expensive does not mean it will last forever.
if you want forever you should buy heavy quality stuff like nitto.
the fatigue life of carbon bars may be 100 years but i have seen way more broken carbon bars in the last 5 years than i have ever seen broken aluminum bars....its the connection. its the tightening. its an imperfect system.
my theory:
carbon fork - 3 years
crankset- 4 years
bars 3 yrs and then winter bike
stem- same
pedals- 3 yrs and then old bike
cleats twice a year

believe me i know that there are guys out there that have used some ultralite stuff for 50,000 miles...i subscribe to the opinion that its cheap insurance to replace the stuff and a lot cheaper than a broken collarbone or worse.

What kind of mileage per year are you assuming?

[SoCalSteve]

In a perfect world, I'd say your mechanic is spot on.

But it's not and anything can break. These days I'm a bit cautious of some carbon items coming from Asia, especially those sold on ebay.

So, the brand new FSA carbon seatpost, crankset, stem, etc that is sold on ebay is different than the one sold for a third to half more from a mail order house or your local bike store?

Just askin'

[Samster]

first, thanks for all the replies/comments. like someone noted... everything breaks eventually... somehow...

what triggered this question is that i have 6 year old (maybe 10,000 miles on it) 3T Zepp stem that this mechanic suggested i replace.

but the issue is that i'm having a hard time finding a clamp on stem that has the same drop... everything seems "riser" these days... including the Deda 82 degree.

i just got a selcof that claims to be 80 degrees... there's no way. it's more upright flipped down than the Deda 82. there seems to be few standards on how these things are measured... so i'm sending it back and will probably stick with the Zepp... which actually seems fine.

[zap]

So, the brand new FSA carbon seatpost, crankset, stem, etc that is sold on ebay is different than the one sold for a third to half more from a mail order house or your local bike store?

Just askin'

Don't know.

I was thinking more along the line of lesser known brands that may contain fiberglass and not enough carbon fiber.

Also, I think it's been well documented that some Ritchey branded forks have been sold on ebay that are not authorized Ritchey products. How often does this sort of thing happen?

[stevep]

What kind of mileage per year are you assuming?


6-7 k.
i figure 20,000 miles is the end of the road for something that my life depends on. i have not had one break. have seen a few break mostly for cause.
im a careful guy.

[stevep]

Don't know.

I was thinking more along the line of lesser known brands that may contain fiberglass and not enough carbon fiber.

Also, I think it's been well documented that some Ritchey branded forks have been sold on ebay that are not authorized Ritchey products. How often does this sort of thing happen?

you're right that ebay can become a dumping ground for defect, prototype, crashed and untested products as well as overstock items that might be ok.
its a zoo out there. be careful...youre the one thats going to be riding downhill w/ that stuff at 50-60k/hr.

[tuco]

3 years on a carbon fork

Really...........

how many have you seen break that
have not been in any accidents or falls ?

That seems a little excessive.

It is more than a little excessive. The care & feeding of a carbon fiber fork is important. Crashing is bad. Doh! Crashes notwithstanding, check for fork damage (visual inspection). Listen for unnatural crackling, creaking or popping noises.

Current forks neither crashed nor damaged are not expected to fail. I wish I had ready references. This question per fork life may have come up on the first generation Serotta message board some years back. It sounds familiar?

Paris-Roubaix is another issue. Take a look at the Alpha Q Z-Pro. Hardly strikes me as a fork that needs regular replacement. Current designs are not going to "wear out" or fatigue in general. If I put a tandem fork on my Serotta, does three years make sense?

Anyway, I am trying hard not to sound too many decades older than I am, but I am skeptical of most failed fork stories that include anything like JRA or similar: I was Just Riding Along.

Aluminum bars scare me so much more than carbon fiber forks. I will replace bars after several seasons of serious (ab-)use. And, because I am irrational, carbon fiber bars and seatposts are a whole different kettle of fish. Seatposts especially. Cannot do it. Scares the h*ll out of me.

For context, I am a not-very-dainty Clydesdale racing on occasion.

-- Not a gram counter

[SoCalSteve]

you're right that ebay can become a dumping ground for defect, prototype, crashed and untested products as well as overstock items that might be ok.
its a zoo out there. be careful...youre the one thats going to be riding downhill w/ that stuff at 50-60k/hr.

I've purchased many 100's of cycling products from ebay and only one time did I buy a product that broke. Yes, it was a carbon water bottle cage that was made in Taiwan. It was really thin. It broke. I carried the water bottle home in my jersey.

I cannot even begin to imagine how many $1,000.00 of $$$ I have saved over the years from purchasing on ebay and from ebay sellers. How many of you benefitted from my Shimano contact? She came from ebay. I purchased many 7800 groups from her at a huge discount.

ebay can be an amazing medium for purchasing bike related gear. Just buy from a reputable seller and know what you are purchasing. It is exactly the same as buying from a "brick and mortar" seller, no?

Good luck!

Steve

[stevep]

I've purchased many 100's of cycling products from ebay and only one time did I buy a product that broke. Yes, it was a carbon water bottle cage that was made in Taiwan. It was really thin. It broke. I carried the water bottle home in my jersey.

I cannot even begin to imagine how many $1,000.00 of $$$ I have saved over the years from purchasing on ebay and from ebay sellers. How many of you benefitted from my Shimano contact? She came from ebay. I purchased many 7800 groups from her at a huge discount.

ebay can be an amazing medium for purchasing bike related gear. Just buy from a reputable seller and know what you are purchasing. It is exactly the same as buying from a "brick and mortar" seller, no?

Good luck!

Steve

dont disagree with any of this. bottle cage...no big deal. what if it was one of the untested ritchey forks and maybe you weigh 210 and maybe you grab the brakes really hard to avoid a pothole on a big descent?
a shimano group bought on ebay is aok. but it is a closeout field for other, non premium stuff... not tested, not safe.
just saaying be careful and aware, thats all...