Broken handlebars

rustychisel

Well, it's taken me nearly 40 years of cycling to manage it, but I've finally broken a pair of handlebars. Mind you, they're about 25 year old bars, and I was pulling sprints on the track, but even so, I'm a bit miffed.

http://www.dbmagazine.com.au/cyclo/broken.bars.jpg

Have recently taken up some track riding at the Adelaide Superdrome (indoor boards) and converted my rather lovely and battered old 1964 Super Elliot back to full track setup. Last night we were pulling standing start laps, I'm trying a new gear (~94 inch) with a top speed of about 55kmh I guess. Was just concluding a slowdown lap and pulled onto the apron, backpedalled to slow to a stop when the bar went very soft and just folded down.

Phew, lucky, eh? :roll:

franklin pierce

rustychisel wrote:

Phew, lucky, eh?

More than a bit!

Are those the old hydraulically bulged SR/nitto bars? I've heard rumours before of those breaking at the clamp, but I'd never seen it. Maybe I should check mine now . . .

rustychisel

The stamped crest says "Kusuki" and to tell the truth I've never really bothered looking at them real close. They're definitely 24+ y.o. and came off a bike I bought back then, but I've always assumed they were faily budget level SR or Sakae or whatever... I'll check more closely when I get home tonight.

'Hydraulically bulged'... can you explain your meaning? Shaping or contruction method? These appear to be simple curved alloy tubing construction, no butting, and no special shaping. They're just shallow and conventional crit bars, and I like the shape a lot, which is why I kept 'em and used 'em.

I can't even say exactly why they broke, they just folded up and died. Maybe 25 years is old enough for a pair of bars - Will my Deda Newton's last that long? (cough, cough)

franklin pierce

rustychisel wrote:

'Hydraulically bulged'... can you explain your meaning? Shaping or contruction method?

The clamp area: the good old aluminium bars were sleeved here, some of the okay old ones were mandrel formed (just like frame tube butting) (obviously prior to bending), and nitto came up with a nifty method of bulging out the clamp area using hydraulic pressure. Sadly this method seemed to cause a rather severe weak spot at the transitions of the bulge. Hence a lot of them broke there and nitto quietly discontinued using that method.

cougie

I'd buy a lottery ticket whilst your luck is in !

Nigel Bennett

Broken about three in my cycling career. First one taught me a lesson - don't let go of the broken bit. It swoops round, constrained by the brake cable, and sticks into your front wheel. You stop. Quickly.

Second was coming down a steep descent in to Summerbridge in N Yorkshire. No way could I control it, and I ended up with a bust collarbone, too.

Third was lucky - just came apart gently and gracefully when I was about 100 yards from home. I walked.

I've replaced my bars quite often after those - which reminds me.... :idea:

rustychisel

Just bought a nice pair of chrome Cinelli Pista bars.

Franklin, the broke ones are just simple unbutted, unswaged, not hydraulically bulged or anything. All I can really suppose is that they cracked at the point where the stamped clamping lines stop. C'est la vie.

Handlebar_Dave

See also 'ITM HANDLEBARS - MULTIPLE FAILURES' showing my recent experience with ITM Bar failures and the subsequent feedback

rustychisel

thanks HD, yes, I followed that thread.