Do you ever replace your handlebars?

[Louis]

If so, how often?

I figure they probably aren’t good forever, but can’t decide when to swap them out. The bars on my daily rider frame (which gets most of my miles) are probably 15 years old, and have been in a few scrapes over the years. They originally came with my ~ ’88 Trek which has been retired because of a cracked downtube. I know I’m a fool to keep using them, but as far as I can tell, they aren’t about to fail. As long as they give me some warning before finally going…

[gasman]

I don't really know Louis. I also continue with old bars on my rain bike. I don't really stand and crank hard very often so I'm not too worried about breaking my bars. I do have a set of FSA carbon bars on my Calfee and wonder when I need to replace them. 2 years, 5 years ? Suggestions/

[e-RICHIE]

If so, how often?

I figure they probably aren’t good forever, but can’t decide when to swap them out. The bars on my daily rider frame (which gets most of my miles) are probably 15 years old, and have been in a few scrapes over the years. They originally came with my ~ ’88 Trek which has been retired because of a cracked downtube. I know I’m a fool to keep using them, but as far as I can tell, they aren’t about to fail. As long as they give me some warning before finally going…


at least once per season.

[Ken Lehner]

If so, how often?

I figure they probably aren’t good forever, but can’t decide when to swap them out. The bars on my daily rider frame (which gets most of my miles) are probably 15 years old, and have been in a few scrapes over the years. They originally came with my ~ ’88 Trek which has been retired because of a cracked downtube. I know I’m a fool to keep using them, but as far as I can tell, they aren’t about to fail. As long as they give me some warning before finally going…

The bars that I first put on my Legend Ti (my main road bike) in 1995 are still intact. Generic TTT bars, I think.

[resolved]

at least as often as your ritchey frame. seriously, i have rode alongside a guy as his bars snapped off one side in a sprint. he stayed up.
also i have seen bars snap mid pack causing a disruption but everyone stayed up.

i mentioned replacing to my team mates after this but was regarded as superstitious.

lucky coincidence. some bars are best replaced before they are even ridden. if you feel the flex from prima 199's or itm 260's etc you know fatigue is gonna take its' toll sooner or, sooner.
i feel safer with alu bars even though i ride carbon frame. more r&d has been done, and some easton (big player one would expect to have design and process worked out) and other carbo bars have snapped.
but the ritchey pro and comp bars are so stout i think most riders would never have a problem.

if you climb 20% grades and or sprint over 35 this might not apply...

at least once per season.

[lnomalley]

every racing season .. new bars and stem, seat post and frame. cassettes as needed. chain every 2/3 months or so..... gruppo .. every other season unless its crashed to bits. saddle 2 or 3 a year. bars replaced after any hard impact too. shoes every season. rear der. cable housing 3 or 4 times a season.

[Roy E. Munson]

Obviously this is a joke, right?

[Tony Edwards]

every racing season .. new bars and stem, seat post and frame. cassettes as needed. chain every 2/3 months or so..... gruppo .. every other season unless its crashed to bits. saddle 2 or 3 a year. bars replaced after any hard impact too. shoes every season. rear der. cable housing 3 or 4 times a season.


Okay, if you're serious, you literally ride at least 20 times as much as I do.

[CalfeeFly]

Everything fatiques at some point including steel and aluminum. Last season a rider out of one of my shops had an older handlebar. The owner told him he should replace that and the stem at least because they wouldn't last much longer. He thought it was a ripoff. He did a face plant doing about 30 when the bar broke on a descent.

Bars and stems are cheap especially for that type of bike. You are looking for the newest carbon weight weinie special. Be safe.

P.S. I was on a ride with a guy whose old crank arm broke. He went down very hard and could have been really hurt badly. He was just lucky he wasn't sprinting but rather climbing slowly approaching an intersection.

[Big Dan]

Just to be safe..you should toss the whole bike every 12 months...... :help:


Actually I can dispose of them up for you...... :D

[resolved]

can i offer a dealy price for your worn out goods?

every racing season .. new bars and stem, seat post and frame. cassettes as needed. chain every 2/3 months or so..... gruppo .. every other season unless its crashed to bits. saddle 2 or 3 a year. bars replaced after any hard impact too. shoes every season. rear der. cable housing 3 or 4 times a season.

[lnomalley]

*scratches head* was it something i said? this is the beauty of sponsors.. i suppose.

[lnomalley]

Okay, if you're serious, you literally ride at least 20 times as much as I do.

i am seriously serious (at least for my racing bike).. my fun bike will last for years and years (its ti).....but i still replace the bars, seat post, and stem every year.

you dont think this lightwieght stuff is designed to last longer then that do you? think about the forces your bars are under at the clamp, day after day..... think about that stem and the stem bolts and what they go through when you are descending at 40 or 50.... or riding over rough road.

[vandeda]

I've said it in the past and I'll say it again ... doesn't the frequency of replacement depend on miles (and type of usage and the rider ... I say that 'cause I'm a 125 lb weenie) rather than years? I know last year my Calfee saw <1000 miles if I remember right ... whereas a forum member put 11,000 miles on his Ottrott. Who's bars/stems/whatever should be replaced first?

Years alone is a useless measure.

After how many miles should a bar be replaced? Or more like, what range of miles (with the low end for strong riders who put more stress on their equipment and high end for us weenies?).

Dan

[Roy E. Munson]

I admire your strength and power. Most of the pro's and Cat 1/2 guys I know get multiple seasons out of frames and components. I also know some salesmen who would love to see you coming! :banana:

[Dr. Doofus]

Ernest doofus says:

The gruppo from shimano was dull and alumnium. The old coach who was the druggie said he went through at least one gruppo a year, but not the fast kid, who was a good coach and sat very quietly in the cafe, sipping espresso as he listened to the jerk and nodded even though the jerk was not right, and always left two coins under his plate when he was finished.

The bottom brackets and headsets were the first to go. They wore quickly on the old roads and you could never keep the water out when it rained, and it rained often, and you would sit quietly in the cafes and watch the girls who didn't mind your bad flemish, and they were pretty in their uniforms form the mattress factory. But they never talked of mattresses, and they would not lie on your mattress, even though your legs were very smooth in the rain and it was Belgium.

The doofus replaced his bars and stem each year. they were light and made by Ritchey, who was liked by Richard, and made very good parts, but he did not really make them and they came from Taiwan.

[saab2000]

My Cinelli 66s and 65s are ancient. I have some from the '80s still running. My Croll (which is talked about here occasionally) is sporting Cinelli 66s, though they are dual groove, so they are not all that old, but they are probably close to 10.

I am considering replacing my Modolo Curvissimas with some Deda deep drop bars. I guess the Modolos just don't work with my hands, though they are good when climbing out of the saddle on the drops. Don't hit the wrists.

[jerk]

the jerk replaced his cinelli 65s when they bent from the stupid muscle tension intervals the jerk was doing a few months back...
jerk

[vaxn8r]

i am seriously serious (at least for my racing bike).. my fun bike will last for years and years (its ti).....but i still replace the bars, seat post, and stem every year.

you dont think this lightwieght stuff is designed to last longer then that do you? think about the forces your bars are under at the clamp, day after day..... think about that stem and the stem bolts and what they go through when you are descending at 40 or 50.... or riding over rough road.
I'm 185 or so, still race now and then, +/- 6,000 miles a year...and I never replace that stuff. Maybe a seat once every few seasons, a cassette every few years....my frequent change-out is a new chain every few months.

Not too worried about it. If you're worried about bolts snapping on your stem I don't see how you descend anyway. Maybe there's as much chance of stem failure from incorrect installation and tightening as occurs from actual failure from "fatigue".

How many times do you hear someone snapping their brand new chain? It isn't usually the one that's been on the bike for a year. I just think failures seem to happen pretty early if they are going to happen. It's all in the design. Proper installation is also very important with this lightweight equipment.

[saab2000]

The jerk is a lot stronger than I am if he can bend handlebars from sheer strength.

I bent some 66s once when the bike tipped over and landed on the bar. I bent them back and rode happily for years. I don't remember how I did it, but it did entail removing them from the stem.

I did break a stem once and it is pretty scary. It was a Cinelli XA stem. The kind which was supposed to look like the 1R but was not as cool. Anyway, I was descending in Switzerland when it snapped right in the front. I was extremely lucky. Basically all that held me from going down was that a chunk of aluminum held the bars in place with the bolt. The ride home occurred at about a walking pace.

[zap]

vandeda-your right. But I don't count miles for every bike. So I have no choice but to estimate how old bars are.

I'm more careful with the tandem since there seems to be more "out of the saddle" struggle going on. So every 5 years or so here.

Singles. Ya right. Fashion police probably dictate change every time there's a new bling bar on the market. Seriously, if I raced all the time, I'd probably change every 3 years or so.

Carbon bars. First hard hit from a crash.

Stems. Only when a steel stem had a wee bit to much rust for comfort. Otherwise, I don't like flexy stems or ti bolts on h bar clamp so I'm not to worried about fatigue here.

[lnomalley]

I admire your strength and power. Most of the pro's and Cat 1/2 guys I know get multiple seasons out of frames and components. I also know some salesmen who would love to see you coming! :banana:


i never said i was strong or that i was stronger than anyone. so you need not admire anything from me. just from the traveling alone the bike get pretty banged up.... its lightweight starship aluminum and maybe i can get two years out of it, but its rare to go two years on a racing frame wihout breaking it in a crash anyway. all the the bits i mentioned are provided by sponsors or team or reimbursement.... except the chain.. which i replace when it stretches which is every three months or so....saddles break down... hell the first part of the season out here it rained nonstop for what seemed like months.. that for sure killed a saddle before spring sprung.

replacing bars and stem every year if you ride a lot (if it is lightweight stuff) is just common sense. you can get away with more (maybe two years) but in my opinion that is pushing it.

i don't see what the big deal is.. i get the parts for free or ona deal, use them, and then flip them on ebay, and make a small profit or at least cover costs.

[lnomalley]

How many times do you hear someone snapping their brand new chain? It isn't usually the one that's been on the bike for a year.


how the heck can you have a chain last that long??? they stretch and wear, replacing one every 3k or so (given the amount of stretch) is a lot cheaper than replacing tons of cogsets... i wish i could get a year out of a chain!

[jerk]

The jerk is a lot stronger than I am if he can bend handlebars from sheer strength.

I bent some 66s once when the bike tipped over and landed on the bar. I bent them back and rode happily for years. I don't remember how I did it, but it did entail removing them from the stem.

I did break a stem once and it is pretty scary. It was a Cinelli XA stem. The kind which was supposed to look like the 1R but was not as cool. Anyway, I was descending in Switzerland when it snapped right in the front. I was extremely lucky. Basically all that held me from going down was that a chunk of aluminum held the bars in place with the bolt. The ride home occurred at about a walking pace.


a month of muscle tension intervals in the drops on 15 year old handle-bars made out of very thin aluminum will do wonders to a handlebar even under a weak jerk like the jerk. the pics are here somewhere if you search.

jerk

[erty65]

i never said i was strong or that i was stronger than anyone. so you need not admire anything from me. just from the traveling alone the bike get pretty banged up.... its lightweight starship aluminum and maybe i can get two years out of it, but its rare to go two years on a racing frame wihout breaking it in a crash anyway. all the the bits i mentioned are provided by sponsors or team or reimbursement.... except the chain.. which i replace when it stretches which is every three months or so....saddles break down... hell the first part of the season out here it rained nonstop for what seemed like months.. that for sure killed a saddle before spring sprung.

replacing bars and stem every year if you ride a lot (if it is lightweight stuff) is just common sense. you can get away with more (maybe two years) but in my opinion that is pushing it.

i don't see what the big deal is.. i get the parts for free or ona deal, use them, and then flip them on ebay, and make a small profit or at least cover costs.

You replace bikeparts because you think they`re unsafe, and then you sell them on ebay?

[vaxn8r]

How many times do you hear someone snapping their brand new chain? It isn't usually the one that's been on the bike for a year.


how the heck can you have a chain last that long??? they stretch and wear, replacing one every 3k or so (given the amount of stretch) is a lot cheaper than replacing tons of cogsets... i wish i could get a year out of a chain!
Did you even read my post?

[lnomalley]

You replace bikeparts because you think they`re unsafe, and then you sell them on ebay?


i sell them as used and a list the date purchased, miles, and condition., i would never buy a used handlebar and neither should you, but that doesnt mean i shouldn't sell it or that people dont buy them. i certainly would never sell anything that is cracked....

why is everyone so friggin on the trigger critical here.. someone asked a question about handlebar life span and i gave an honest answer. e-richie said the same thing and no one is up on him about it. geeez, lighten up pleeeeeease.

i never use a helmet for more than two years either.....

[mdeeds71]

Inomally,

Considering I do not have a sponsor...and I pay full price for any part I use...I do go to ebay for things that state they have little use or are new...But I find it in bad taste that if you find a part unsafe or unsuitable for use that you would sell it to someone who if buying that level of part may use it as well for racing...they call them privateers...

I tell you what...I agree that you need to spell out age and mileage...but do you place "not acceptable for race usage" on the ebay listing???

What if the manufacture/sponsor gives you a part for free...since it was unacceptable for PRO usage in Europe...and it fails...how would you feel...

Now I will be researching my purchases on ebay for people willing to put me in harms way...

FWIW...you have made yourself liable now...should have never opened that door...

[lnomalley]

Inomally,

Considering I do not have a sponsor...and I pay full price for any part I use...I do go to ebay for things that state they have little use or are new...But I find it in bad taste that if you find a part unsafe or unsuitable for use that you would sell it to someone who if buying that level of part may use it as well for racing...they call them privateers...

I tell you what...I agree that you need to spell out age and mileage...but do you place "not acceptable for race usage" on the ebay listing???

What if the manufacture/sponsor gives you a part for free...since it was unacceptable for PRO usage in Europe...and it fails...how would you feel...

Now I will be researching my purchases on ebay for people willing to put me in harms way...

FWIW...you have made yourself liable now...should have never opened that door...

oh dear. thank you for clearing the internet and specifically ebay of people that are selling USED parts! I never sell damaged parts, often times sponsors provide blems to smaller teams, and I never mislabel or mislead. the parts i sell are used, that i am selling them regards that i no longer wish to use them. there are some parts that i would never buy used (lightweight stems and handlebars among them). i've never had an issue with any item i've sold, frames or components included. you are responsible for what ever you put on your bike a slong as i am not misleading you..
and in answer to the original question... i think its consevative yet well within reason to replace handlebars every year if you ride a lot. there is nothing unethical, inappropriate, new or strange about this. if you ride three days a week or so, or aren't racing 60 plus events a year, i'm sure three years s appropriate.

what do you think you are getting when you purchase something used??? the point of all of this is to get you to think about things like your stem, handlebar, and seat post.. consider the wear and tear, and forces at the clamp, and intervene within a reasonable lifespan of the part. if you look, most manufactureres have recommendations about replacement, especially on light parts. i've seen horrible failures of stems, seatposts, and bars, and i derive comfort in knowing that my equipment is well prepared for the stresses it will endure.

a 15.5 lb aluminum bike with light parts that is loaded on and off a car rack or shipping box several times a year, raced every weekend from feb until october,a nd trained on six days a week rain or shine.... well, the parts certainly have a life span. if you even ride half as much they have a similar-ish life span.

so think about what's on your bike. have you ever seen how a pipe cutter works? makes me wonder about clamp force and stress risers. do you ever realize how hard it is to transfer torque measurements to a bolt because they are different when you lube? how many cycles before a bolt fails without warning. this is your health and well being entrusted to these parts and it merits being thought about.... this is why the emphasis on mega light parts for recreational use is sometimes a little scary. this is also the beauty of ti bikes.. becasue they tend to last a lifetime.

as far as me being liable for selling 'dangerous' parts on ebay... that is siliness. i responsibly sell used parts that i no longer wish to use. i would never put a used carbon handlebar on my bike. ever, no exceptions. but someone selling a used one isnt being unethical.


i've got one guy here insinuating i am a sucker because i said i replace my bars every year and therefore am a chump, and another one assuming i am liable for injuring people because i sell used parts.... what's up with the assumptions?
all i am doing is being vigilant about the stuff on my bike and suggesting you think about it and do the same. you know how often you ride, the conditions in which you ride, and hopefully have read the manufactureres recommendations for usage. you know if your bike is assembled properly and maintained and you should understand how and why parts fail. just use common sense. if you are a clydesdale with an addiction to carbon, i would be careful, if you are a racer i would be conservative,and if you are just fredding around i would just follw the advice of your local bike shop or email the part maker. if you think this stuff is supposed to last ten years you are generally wrong. but, that doesnt mean it will fail in ten years.



that's all i can add to this.

[CalfeeFly]

Most folks have seem to have forgotten the guy's parts werer 15 years old. That is old by any measure if you plan to ride the bike extensively.

As far as used parts...they are that used. I've even sold used tires as suitable for a flat paved trail but I don't want to do a 40 mph descent on them. One guy bought most of them and wrote a "rave" review. He had cotton casing tires for a minimal amount for the 5 to 10 mile ride he does on a paved trail. :banana:

People are very willing to take chances on used parts and that is their right. I have gone to the flea market at the Velodrone in Trexlertown. A friend of mine were amazed how quickly the used Rev X Spinergy wheels were sold. Riding those used is a chance I would never take even if I rode the flats of NJ. (I had them once so no flames please.)

I would suggest that we could agree if someone has 15 year old used parts and intends to ride that bike extensively that he is taking a chance on one part or another failing.

Going out to ride. :bike:

[mdeeds71]

I agree with the consensous of replacing parts on a finite time of use...I ride about 2000 plus a year and will race maybe three times this years since I am getting back into cycling...


But what I am interested in is...

Are the parts not suitable for racing use??? From the way I read the post...thats what I was assuming..By all means I may be assuming to much...my appologies....

But we have been using super lightweight aluminum and titanium in the airline industry for years...It does exceed the carbon for wear and tear as well as longevity...but does have a finite life as well...I trust my life flying it as well as my family...It seems that most of the problems we have had with metals are inproper care or installation...that is what causes most of our failures around 96%...I take the same regard to the bikes I own...I ensure the proper installation and care but would not think replacing yearly would be advantageous...rather on mileage and condition of use makes more sense...but used aircraft parts have to make a inspection before being sold and installed...seems some of the cyclist out there may not do that or improperly instal and item and label it as weak.

Any way

again misunderstood the concept....

[Dr. Doofus]

From Cyclingnews.com:

What made things even more interesting was a very technical and rough descent back into the town center, with the cold Connecticut winter taking its toll on the road surface. Amazingly, only one major crash occurred on the course when a rider's handlebars broke, causing him to careen off the road near the top of the descent, with his fork broken off the frame and a shoe left clipped into a pedal.

replace your crap

hope the fast kid did all right

[jerk]

he'll do fine doof.
jerk

[Matt Barkley]

I just replaced 3 sets on my 3 bikes after a friends broke (3 1/2 yrs old bars) - and after seeing some other brand new ones (albiet, plastic bars) break earlier this season...

[cycleman_21]

This is a great and infomative thread, thank you, I NEVER would have had ANY thought about changing some of these parts and now I am scared chi7less of them on my 01 xc mtb.Time to visit the lbs :beer:

RC

[Jeff N.]

I have lately switched to an ITM Forged Lite Lux stem, with matching ITM 330 bar, in the oversized 31.8 clamp configuration. EXTREMELY strong and stiff 4-bolt clamp design. I consider it an upgrade of sorts, not necessarily a switch based on the other set up being worn out or whatever. Jeff N.

[Ozz]

I was looking for an excuse to switch my bars and stem to silver ones....I guess this thread gives it to me! :cool:

[Serotta PETE]

Please keep in mind that we we keep on shaving grams off everything, the longevity of the items will decrease. This lightness will also not necessarily allow a warning. As many others have said, it depends on type of riding, strength, weight, etc.......but for me

I discard chains in 2K miles (fellow I ride with has 6k miles on a CAMPY 10spd and thinks we are nuts for doing this)

Bars and Stem - 10K but I do not use the light stuff)
Seat Post - Aluminum 10K
Seat evey other year.

It is like insurance, for over the years I have seen seat rails, bars, chains, etc break on others. I am a chicken little!!!

I discard the items and do not sell them - - - so if you are in Raleigh during garbage days feel free to take them.

[Serotta PETE]

Just to confirm that there are two (or more) sides to every story and neither side has to be wrong______--

I met a fellow last week who has ridden across the US a few times on his Myata 1000. He still has the original equipment including 27 1/4 (not 700c) rims and the Suntour shifting stuff that came with it. I was shocked for he has many many miles of loaded touring on it and is still going strong!

He is thinking of getting new wheels - not because he thinks he needs them BUT because it is getting harder to find 27 1/4 when he is touring,,,,

:bike: :beer: :bike:

pete

[saab2000]

That sounds like my brother, who likes to ride. I tell him all the time of things that would make him a better rider and so on and so forth. He exists in a happy oblivion.

Another friend of mine is even worse. This year he is thinking of taking the major step of going from a 6-speed freewheel to a 7-speed. I am not making fun of him, but I keep telling him that they are no longer available. He seems to think that stores will have stocks of them, etc.

I gave him a bike which did not help matters. Some of you may remember my Swiss Itca racing bike from the '70s. I could not sell it for anything which would make my time worthwhile, so I gave it to him. Now he has two ancient bikes to feed!

I have a bunch of old Campy 8-speed stuff just lying around, and you can still get cassettes for 8-speed. I have offered to help him out. He has no money. He still won't do it! He just lives on a different planet.

For him the aluminum fork on his '86 Cannondale is "new" because he got it around 1990. It replaced the steel fork which came with the bike.

He rides 65 bars from when they had no grooves.

Actually he is a cool guy. But replace anything? Forget it!

Compared to guys like that, we are all mega high-strung and never happy. He is totally satisfied with his old stuff, even though I continue to try to get him to "upgrade" to newer stuff.

[vandeda]

Compared to guys like that, we are all mega high-strung and never happy. He is totally satisfied with his old stuff, even though I continue to try to get him to "upgrade" to newer stuff.


6-speed freewheels certainly are available, and they're dirt cheap. I get mine for my old Centurion for less than $10! I can't even buy a single cog for my Campy Record 10-speed for $10. The problem with 6-speed ... hubs. I cannot find any quality 6-speed hubs. That's ok since the bike is waiting on Surly New hub that will be single-speed/fixie.

I love my Campy 10-speed ... but then, I love the fact that the old stuff on my Centurion is reliable, isn't finicky at all, is dirt cheap, and takes quite a beating. The Centurion has seen plenty of downpours, but just keeps on going. I never even worry about the Centurion or it's parts 'cause it's all so cheap. The bike isn't light by any means, isn't all that stiff, is mildly comfortable, but brings me as much joy as the other bikes 'cause it's such a nice ride, can't do anything wrong.

So ... I see where he's coming from. Them old bikes, sometimes, can turn out to be real gems :D

dan

[saab2000]

vandeda,

I have an old bike myself. I also have a private stock of freewheels which should last me the rest of my life. It is my 1987 Grandis, which will be up and running as soon as those Veloflexes make it from Minneapolis to Appleton, WI. I will pick them up in about 10 days.

Where do you get cheap freewheels? Yeah, Shimano makes some things, but they are like 14-34 6 speeds for Huffys and bikes like that.

I have checked QBP and a bunch of mail order places and the only place I can find them is at the places which sell "classic" components and get an arm and a leg for a NOS Suntour or Regina freewheel.

Where are you finding them?

About 2 years ago I did find a place in Switzerland where I talked the guy into letting me into their basement. It is a large, performance oriented store which also does a lot of mail order stuff. Anyway, they had literally hundreds of freewheels. I bought about 4 or 5 for my own use. I also got some other stuff. Just like a kid in a candy shop, I was!

This place was incredible. They had little drawers full of Campagnolo small parts. I saw a drawer with probably 300 Cobalto nuts for the "C-Record" Cobalto brakes. Incredible.

I told him that there is a huge market for this stuff. He acted like he did not know anything. I think he didn't. But someone there did. He said that a collector from Japan came in about a year before I was there and cleaned them out, spending tens of thousands of Swiss Franks. Given what I saw, and the fact that he said that the Japanese guy bought about 80% of the old Campagnolo stuff they had, I would guess that this constituted a major portion of all NOS Campagnolo stuff in the world.

It is probably showing up on Ebay now and is getting 10x what the Japanese guy paid for it.

'nuf about my freewheel story. They are out there, but I think that they can be hard to find.

[e-RICHIE]

From Cyclingnews.com:

What made things even more interesting was a very technical and rough descent back into the town center, with the cold Connecticut winter taking its toll on the road surface. Amazingly, only one major crash occurred on the course when a rider's handlebars broke, causing him to careen off the road near the top of the descent, with his fork broken off the frame and a shoe left clipped into a pedal.

replace your crap

hope the fast kid did all right

from vn report of stage two:

[vandeda]

saab2000,

Check your PM

Dan

[tch]

reading too much Hemingway lately?

[saab2000]

vandeda,

No PM.... sorry

[shinomaster]

I remember back when a European team like Credit Agricole first started using Ritchey WCS bars that the Mechanics said they would change out every racers bars every month.
I also remember reading once in Winning magazine that Phil Anderson replaced his chain sometimes after every race!