do handlebars 'expire'?

[vqdriver]

i jumped on the flat tops bandwagon fairly early with the aluminum fsa wing pro compacts. but now that i think about it that was like 15 years ago. over that time i've changed up my groupset and fit so the clamp areas have see some stuff.

do these things have any type of a fatigue life that i need to know about? total mileage on them is unknown, but not a lot as you all as i transitioned to mtb after some close calls on the road.

alternatively, i'm getting the bug to tinker so what's the new hotness in bars with a flat top section and shallow drop? are the riser drops still a thing?

[Mark McM]

Handlebars (or any other metal part of bicycle) don't have a "use by" date, but they can fatigue with usage. The fatigue life of a given handlebars has a lot of variables, including material/alloy, miles, rider size/weight, riding surfaces, usage, and environmental conditions (wet/humidity, exposure to corrosive substances such as salty sweat, etc.). Lightweight handlebars or handlebars used by heavy, strong riders will likely have a shorter fatigue life than heavier handlebars used by lighter riders. But a well built handlebar well selected for a particular usage may have a very long fatigue life.

As we have no information about your handlebars and how they have been used, we can't really say how much fatigue life they may have.

[tellyho]

I can't imagine how you'd judge when a set of aluminum handlebars had "gone off". Currently riding 60+ year old bars on two bikes that are totally fine . Certainly, though, fatigue happens.

[unterhausen]

Some people have very corrosive sweat. If you aren't one of those people, it doesn't seem like a handlebar will fail. I have to admit I don't trust my '70s Cinelli bars because the center sleeves could be hiding something.

[rothwem]

Originally Posted by unterhausen

Some people have very corrosive sweat. If you aren't one of those people, it doesn't seem like a handlebar will fail. I have to admit I don't trust my '70s Cinelli bars because the center sleeves could be hiding something.

Haha yeah I’m one of those people. I recently killed a set of bars by sweating through them at the hood to bar clamp area.

[d_douglas]

That terrifies me! I only use alloy bars (because carbon bars creep me out) and even my Easton AX50 commuter bar sometimes makes me wonder, only because it is stored in a covered (secured), but non- heated/climate controlled space.

[redir]

I had a stem break right off on me in a Cyclocross race once. Fortunately I was going slow and it was right before bombing down a big hill too. So I can't get the idea out of my head that stems expire. I suppose handle bars too but I still rock some oldies on my vintage steel.

[benb]

Tough call. Maybe sometimes it's easier or will make you feel better if you go ahead and replace stuff. Because no one is really able to say how big before it's an issue, how hard you have to ride, how bad do the roads have to be, how bad does the weather actually have to be, etc..

I replaced my stem this year partly over this. I am on an 8 year old bar on one bike and am thinking about it there. Maybe I treat myself and get a carbon bar since I've managed to not replace a bike for 8 years.

I did ride my MTB handle bar for a really long time without issue, and personally I'm 99% sure I don't have the corrosive sweat issue.

[merlinmurph]

Originally Posted by vqdriver

do these things have any type of a fatigue life that i need to know about?

Gee, I don't know, what do you think?

PXL_20230423_173114647 by Dan Murphy, on Flickr

[bigbill]

The only bars I ever destroyed with sweat were Scott Lemond Drop-ins that I used when I lived in VA Beach. Hot, humid, and Off the Front tape that acted like a sponge. They corroded through right above the hoods. I have a dedicated trainer bike and I change the tape once a year to check the bars (Ritchey Comp something).

[rothwem]

Originally Posted by merlinmurph

Gee, I don't know, what do you think?

Hell yeah! Another bar killer.

I’ve attached a better picture of my bar break. Gnarly ****.

I only use aluminum bars on my road bike because I’m a cheapass, but I since my most recent failure I’ve started to look for bars made of 6000 series aluminum instead of 7000 or 2000 series aluminum since 6061, though weaker than 7075 or 2024, is more resistant to corrosion. A big plus also is that the 6061 bars are cheaper too. I wonder if they’re stiffer also, since the 6000 series is weaker, they probably have to use a thicker cross section, and since modulus doesn’t change much between alloys it would be stiffer.

Stiffer, cheaper and more corrosion resistant, all at the cost of 40 grams? **** yeah.

To be honest though, I think there was a significant galvanic component in my failure, origination looks like it was right at the clamp, which isn’t crazy surprising. Steel and aluminum don’t really get along when they’re submerged in salty water. I’m not really sure the alloy matters in that circumstance, one might last slightly longer than the other but I think they’ll both fail eventually. The 6061 bars will cost less for replacing regularly though.

[deluz]

I have also used the FSA wing pro and have had them on multiple bikes.
I still have them on my tandem and are more than 10 years old.
On my other two bikes I have PRO PLT ergo carbon.
They have a much flatter top section and very shallow 120mm drop.
I really like them and being carbon they will not corrode.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by benb

Tough call. Maybe sometimes it's easier or will make you feel better if you go ahead and replace stuff. Because no one is really able to say how big before it's an issue, how hard you have to ride, how bad do the roads have to be, how bad does the weather actually have to be, etc..

Typically, there are signs of corrosion and fatigue before failure. But often you have to look for it. With frequent inspection, these signs can be found before failure. But few of us do close inspections of our bikes on a frequent basis. In the case of handlebars, inspection can be difficult to do without unwrapping the bars. So it isn't unusual that the first time people notice a fatigue crack in a handlebar that had been growing over time is the point at which the component finally fails - but, if they had inspected the part just before the final failure, the crack would usually have been able to be seen.

(Fatigue can be a problem in aircraft as well, and the potential consequences can be disastrous, so aircraft typically have scheduled inspection looking for signs of fatigue. Aircraft are often designed with removable inspection panels, allowing technicians to have a good look at internal components.

One of the most important components on a bicycle is the steerer tube, which unfortunately is completely hidden from view so it is difficult to inspect. It would be really neat if someone were to design a head badge that was actually a removable inspection panel, allowing the steerer to be inspected periodically. This might be of even more benefit on bike with fully internal hoses/cables/wires, in whcih the hoses/cables/wires might rub against the steerer, possible wearing a a notch or groove and weaking the steerer. Pulling the fork is a major job with many bikes with fully internal routing, so here is a case where periodic inspection is more important, while at the same time is so difficult that it may not be done very often.)