Are there any horror stories about Carbon bars?

tofu21
tofu21 Posts: 359
edited December 2010 in MTB buying advice
I'm looking for a new bar and I'm after something a bit light.

Should I be worried about carbon bars failing snapping, cracking etc...?
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Comments

  • The Northern Monkey
    The Northern Monkey Posts: 19,136
    no
    Santa Cruz Butcher
  • Duffer
    Duffer Posts: 379
    No problems with mine - a year of use on my HT
    Bespoke steel Hardtail
    Bespoke trail 'Susser
  • Zziplex
    Zziplex Posts: 190
    Would rather have carbon bars over aluminium any day of the week.buy easton
    Guinness for strength
  • njee20
    njee20 Posts: 9,613
    There are plenty of horror stories about both materials! Carbon when well executed is stronger, I'd never have any qualms about using carbon!
  • Northwind
    Northwind Posts: 14,675
    You'll often see pics of broken carbon bars but more often than not, you'll see they've broken at the stem or at the controls. Which more often than not means someone's overtorqued a clamp and squashed the bar.
    Uncompromising extremist
  • mattv
    mattv Posts: 992
    You dont often see aluminium bars fail because they fail in a different way. They bend rather than snap. Carbon is much more spectacular, bits of it everywhere! Both failed, but one much more obvious than the other. And I would rather know if something was broken.
  • cavegiant
    cavegiant Posts: 1,546
    No bad stories on failed carbon bars, but never get a carbon stem. Very bad story
    Why would I care about 150g of bike weight, I just ate 400g of cookies while reading this?
  • tofu21
    tofu21 Posts: 359
    cavegiant wrote:
    No bad stories on failed carbon bars, but never get a carbon stem. Very bad story

    You can't just leave it at that.....
  • tofu21
    tofu21 Posts: 359
    Must be said I am starting to favour carbon.
  • scale20
    scale20 Posts: 1,300
    Just torque the bar clamp bolts on the stem, dont go crushing the bars.

    I have just taken off my monkeylite carbon bars to use them on my new build but found that the shifter clamps had cut into the bars slightly making an indent, I never felt that the clamps were that tight. Still gave me an excuse to bin them and buy some nice salsa carbon bars 8)
    Niner Air 9 Rigid
    Whyte 129S 29er.
  • John Moore
    John Moore Posts: 580
    No problems with my Ragley Carnegie’s Carbon Bar
  • coxy17
    coxy17 Posts: 401
    i just got some carbons bars half as light and just as strong give them a go look at eastons stuff
  • rudedog
    rudedog Posts: 523
    I've got some easton monkeylite bars - the finish on them is pretty awful to be honest.
  • Northwind
    Northwind Posts: 14,675
    The finish? How do you mean?
    Uncompromising extremist
  • The Northern Monkey
    The Northern Monkey Posts: 19,136
    Northwind wrote:
    The finish? How do you mean?

    Its a bit sh*t. Even i'll agree with that one!
    Santa Cruz Butcher
  • tri-sexual
    tri-sexual Posts: 672
    big fan of carbon, can be engineeringed to be strong, stiff and very light.
    a well designed and manufacturered conponent, when fitted correctly and used as designed there is no other current material which can even come close to carbon fibre when it comes to making bicycle frames and conponents, other materials can come close but at the expense of weight.
    carbon does not suffer from fatigue but in my experience carbon do fail if incorrectly fitted or from impacts/ big crashes. i have broken carbon road frames, road forks in crashes and have broken carbon frames and numerous parts on mtb bikes from bad crashes.
    that said, i have also broken steel and ali frames and parts so no material is crash proof.
  • Northwind
    Northwind Posts: 14,675
    The Northern Monkey wrote:
    Its a bit sh*t. Even i'll agree with that one!

    Really not sure what people mean here... What's wrong with it? I've got 2 sets of Eastons and neither has anything wrong with the finish.
    Uncompromising extremist
  • tri-sexual
    tri-sexual Posts: 672
    rudedog wrote:
    I've got some easton monkeylite bars - the finish on them is pretty awful to be honest.

    ??? i really like the look of the monkeylites, i suppose it must be a personal thing
  • The Northern Monkey
    The Northern Monkey Posts: 19,136
    Northwind wrote:
    The Northern Monkey wrote:
    Its a bit sh*t. Even i'll agree with that one!

    Really not sure what people mean here... What's wrong with it? I've got 2 sets of Eastons and neither has anything wrong with the finish.

    they look good from a distance... just not a fan of the "raw" finish, i've had 2 sets of easton carbon bars and the look of the wrap isn't great.
    Santa Cruz Butcher
  • Northwind
    Northwind Posts: 14,675
    AH, but that's just appearance, not finish. One of the reason Easton kit is so good is that they don't mess about with fake weaves etc. I like it myself, function over form, but I can understand why people don't. The quality of finish ie top coat, decals etc, I don't think you could complain about though
    Uncompromising extremist
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    yep, a weave is usually just cosmetic, and adds weight.
    GT ZASKAR CARBON TEAM

    VOODOO CANZO

    Come and see me at https://www.facebook.com/biketyke/
  • The Northern Monkey
    The Northern Monkey Posts: 19,136
    Yea I know that!

    It just looks crap! :lol:
    Santa Cruz Butcher
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    but its not a poor finish lol, they are well made
    GT ZASKAR CARBON TEAM

    VOODOO CANZO

    Come and see me at https://www.facebook.com/biketyke/
  • The Northern Monkey
    The Northern Monkey Posts: 19,136
    didn't say it was a poor finish! "it just looks crap" lol.

    On my 2nd pair now and am more than happy!
    Santa Cruz Butcher
  • sjmosley1
    sjmosley1 Posts: 26
    Hi

    Im using Ritchey WCS and have for about 3 years without problems, I am x/c / all mountain and this are great, and personally I love the look at Ritchey stuff.
    http://www.ritcheylogic.com/dyn_prodfamily.php?k=98021

    Stu
  • tofu21
    tofu21 Posts: 359
    I do have a soft spot for Ritchey kit. I've got it on the road bike.

    It's a shame they don't do anything a little wider.
  • cavegiant
    cavegiant Posts: 1,546
    tofu21 wrote:
    cavegiant wrote:
    No bad stories on failed carbon bars, but never get a carbon stem. Very bad story

    You can't just leave it at that.....

    said it a few times here already, so summarised version coming up.

    stem snaps.

    steerer tube smashes through front of jaw knocking out rider.
    Then the unconcious guy with a shattered jawbone falls off his bike!

    bars are good though.
    The only carbon on my bike is on my Dorado, I trust that,
    Why would I care about 150g of bike weight, I just ate 400g of cookies while reading this?
  • The Northern Monkey
    The Northern Monkey Posts: 19,136
    cavegiant wrote:
    tofu21 wrote:
    cavegiant wrote:
    No bad stories on failed carbon bars, but never get a carbon stem. Very bad story

    You can't just leave it at that.....

    said it a few times here already, so summarised version coming up.

    stem snaps.

    steerer tube smashes through front of jaw knocking out rider.
    Then the unconcious guy with a shattered jawbone falls off his bike!

    bars are good though.
    The only carbon on my bike is on my Dorado, I trust that,

    POIDH.
    Santa Cruz Butcher
  • Pr][nCe
    Pr][nCe Posts: 626
    I snaped easton xc carbon, but at the controls, as i am a tad over tighten type guy. but had to have 3 ops to my nose after said breakage and my face to headset wasn't pretty.

    now use easton dh carbon, and bought a torque wrench, so far so good :)
    Santacruz Heckler - 2010
    http://s152.photobucket.com/albums/s195 ... =slideshow
    Santacruz Chameleon - 2005
    Cannondale F400 - 2003
  • Mooose
    Mooose Posts: 47
    Easton mokeylight SL here, so far so good, superlight yet feel solid. But I dont use this bike for the DH course or jumps! I think as long as you use the bars within their intended usage and avoid overtightening bar clamps you cant go wrong.
    Hope it says that way anyway as i don't fancy eating the stem.

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