Another 'would u ride this' carbon question

[cinema]

i'm usually really careful and never go more than hand tight unless something is slipping so i was surprised to find this when breaking down a bike to sell.

https://i.imgur.com/lIPYQ1o.jpg

spent? looks like it's just the clear but unsure.

[charliedid]

Ride it...maybe but I doubt I'd but those from you. Describe a little more what you mean by "hand tight"

Do you not own a torque key/wrench?

[cinema]

sure i own several torque wrenches. but over the years i've found torque specs are actually overestimated and always torque lower until something stops slipping basically. frame was sold a long time ago, just cleaning out the closet and found these which i would never sell anyway since i found them gouged. just thinking of using them on another build. i must have ridden them for at least a year 5x a week with this damage.

[benb]

sure i own several torque wrenches. but over the years i've found torque specs are actually overestimated and always torque lower until something stops slipping basically. frame was sold a long time ago, just cleaning out the closet and found these which i would never sell anyway since i found them gauged.

Honestly my gut feeling is the torque wrenches are not the issue and the bike parts are not made correctly to handle the rated torque.

I feel like the tool manufacturers are probably more trustworthy than the bike part companies.

A lot of carbon bars are THICK and incredibly overbuilt in that area. That bar might be totally fine. But I would still err on the side of caution.

I have a Preset Torque key for bars & stem. It seems a little safer.. no chance of adjusting it to the wrong torque or just screwing up (beam wrench, etc..).

[cinema]

i agree. i don't like going to the full torque spec 1. because i'm light and torque was meant to cover heavier rider weights/power 2. because the manufacturer does not know what other components you are using with the product and how they distribute load ie, full faceplate stem like thomson x4 or 2 separate clamps on either side, like kalloy uno which was used here.

[stien]

Crazy. I just noticed similar stuff on my alloy bar, I was about to throw it up in the stand to take a look. My stem is also kalloy uno.

[cinema]

Crazy. I just noticed similar stuff on my alloy bar, I was about to throw it up in the stand to take a look. My stem is also kalloy uno.

:eek:

I had used this stem on alloy bars before too but didn't notice any damage. wonder if this cheap stem is too good to be true

these were expensive... very beautiful bend and comfortable ritchey neo retro bars.

[Dave]

I would say that the gritty coating has been displaced a bit that's not damage, IMO.

[charliedid]

sure i own several torque wrenches. but over the years i've found torque specs are actually overestimated and always torque lower until something stops slipping basically. frame was sold a long time ago, just cleaning out the closet and found these which i would never sell anyway since i found them gouged. just thinking of using them on another build. i must have ridden them for at least a year 5x a week with this damage.

That probably might be mostly almost just right...for you :)

[marciero]

My response is always the same. No. If you have to ask the answer is no.

[Ti_on_Steel]

I ride to relax. Wondering if my bars are about to fail catastrophically is not relaxing.

I agree, if you have to ask....

[samoreilly]

I would just put it back in, and put some real weight on it and push it further then you would be sitting on a bike. If you can get it to flex past your comfort or question its strength at that point, don't ride it.

[stien]

:eek:

I had used this stem on alloy bars before too but didn't notice any damage. wonder if this cheap stem is too good to be true

these were expensive... very beautiful bend and comfortable ritchey neo retro bars.



False alarm. It was a mark from a previous stem.

[Toeclips]

Negatory on that one, translated I wouldn't

Just out of curiosity you could skim over the areas with lithium grease just to see how much of an indentation the grease fills, that may give you an indication of what the damage is

But I would not ride the bars

[unterhausen]

My response is always the same. No. If you have to ask the answer is no.

This is my answer exactly. Always no. I have stuff I won't ride that I'm positive is fine, but since I worried about it not being fine I retired it. No point in riding something that makes me question it.

[benb]

Honestly this is why I only use a Bontrager stem on my Trek with a carbon steer tube and use aluminum bars.

It’s an area that’s so safety sensitive and weight savings are so small it seems better to stick with parts that were tested together.

[charliedid]

It's funny reading through this and reminding myself of the mountain bike bars we used to ride back in the 90's. Anybody ride Answer Hyperlite and or Bontrager Ti bars. Those were sort of terrifyingly light. The carbon bars today seem bomber by comparison.

[bshell]

That's paint/clear/grit coat compression. They're fine.

[Dead Man]

you can send me the bar and ill report back when it fails

[lhuerta]

That's paint/clear/grit coat compression. They're fine.

^this^...carbon is really not as fragile not as many people think it is. Unless there is significant clouding under the clearcoat, indicating you have compromised the epoxy binding the carbon, then u will be fine. If you are still uneasy, you can get a Ritchey 260 stem with the wider wrap around the bars to insure that the clamp will never again be aligned with the current dent.

Regarding torque, just to restate the obvious, the "max torque" stamped on most components is not the "recommended torque"...too many people report using torque wrenches set to 5 or 6 Nm or the preset torques wrenches, and just crank up bolts to value stamped on the stem....most of those will come back with dents much deeper than what is pictured. Also, never install a stem without taking some fine sandpaper to the edges of the clamp area, both on the stem and the clamp....any burrs or sharp edges on stem will results in uneven clamping force and most likely dents, like pictured.

[cinema]

i thought it looked ok too. i'm just asking because i'm not experienced with composites only have metal bikes going on over a decade now. it does feel like a 'chip' but i thought it was simply clear chip. no strands no visual damage to carbon underneath clear. the material underneath is still round and true not dented

thank u for the sand paper note on new stems. i will do that from now on. i have already decided to use a full wrap stem like you said if and when i do use these again.

[avalonracing]

It's funny reading through this and reminding myself of the mountain bike bars we used to ride back in the 90's. Anybody ride Answer Hyperlite and or Bontrager Ti bars. Those were sort of terrifyingly light. The carbon bars today seem bomber by comparison.

Everyone I ever knew who rode Answer Hyperlite bars broke them. Including me.

[pasadena]

Indentation means it was point-loaded. Point loading carbon can internally crack or crush the walls.
Is that grit wrap so soft you can easily dent it?

When I look at bars, stem and steerer tube damage, I do a mental calculation on risk vs reward.
Usually the cost of new teeth, ER and a tarmac facial scrub cancel any cost issues of new parts.

[cinema]

Ok HUGE PLOT TWIST

these were aluminum bars. honest mistake. must be some compound ritchey uses to build up that area to handle clamping force that is chipping away.

I also have a carbon one in storage in the carport which is why i got them confused. Could not tell the difference because I am a dunce

[charliedid]

Everyone I ever knew who rode Answer Hyperlite bars broke them. Including me.

Ditto.

Hell, I broke a Yeti ATAC Accutrax fork too. That day sucked and my body has never been the same.

[cinema]

That's paint/clear/grit coat compression. They're fine.

winner.

[R3awak3n]

If those were secons hand I probably would stay away. If they were mine I would ride them, I know what I did to them and I do think that is just the grit and clear.

Also carbon is not that fragile and specially around the area that the stem wraps around.