is carbon safe?
sigorman85
Posts: 2,536
hi i have just brought these Easton EC70 MonkeyLite XC Low-Rise Non-O/S Handlebars 660mm i ride xc on the weekends and to work some days im 5ft11 and im 15 stone ....my question is are they strong and wont crack or shatter? i just got this in the back of my mind :? as i am used to alloy rise bars and neva have been down the carbon route till now :?
When i die I just hope the wife doesn't sell my stuff for what I told her I paid for it other wise someone will be getting a mega deal!!!
De rosa superking 888 di2
De rosa superking 888 di2
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The material is irrelevant really - it is whether the part is designed for the job.
In a word (or two), they will be fine! I use the even lighter EC90 MonkeyLite SL. No probs. I am 13.5 stone kitted up.
I have seen more bust, snapped, shattered and fractured alloy bars than carbon.
Ride on!0 -
thats what i needed someone to say ahh dont worry its fine lolWhen i die I just hope the wife doesn't sell my stuff for what I told her I paid for it other wise someone will be getting a mega deal!!!
De rosa superking 888 di20 -
As with any part though, check it regularly and don't overdo the stem and clamp bolts.0
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cheers mateWhen i die I just hope the wife doesn't sell my stuff for what I told her I paid for it other wise someone will be getting a mega deal!!!
De rosa superking 888 di20 -
I used to always say that alu was better but really didn't know why..
Most important is that you have a product from a reputable company. Easton test their stuff to the end of the earth and I have never heard of any horror stories about their products.
Torque it right and it will out perform alu.
In fact if you screw up the torque on alu it will fold rather than crack.
I have never seen a carbon bar fail without external influence ie; a ding or some sort of previous damage.
Nowadays a superlight alu bar is scarier that a superlight carbon in my opinion.0 -
As Alloy bars outnmber carbon by probably 100 to 1, that's not really a surprise.supersonic wrote:I have seen more bust, snapped, shattered and fractured alloy bars than carbon.
Sigo, the bars are lethal, I'll happily take them off your hands and destroy them in an enviromental manner for you.....may take a few years of them being on my bike to do so of course!Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.0 -
I have the EC90 MonkeyLite SLs too and have never had any problems with them. Amazingly light, when the package came I genuinely thought they'd forgot to put bars in.0
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I am a big lad and my fat arse bounced on a cheapo Superstar carbon seatpost for 2 years with plenty of post poking out of the hardtail frame. I only stopped using it because the bike fell over and landed post first on a sharp stone taking a chunk out of the post. It was only the laquer but just to be on the safe side I binned it but then I would have binned an alu post with the same damage.
I would fit it with a torque wrench though there have been some horror stories of carbon stuff failing if you overtighten the bolts. Some of the carbon only needs 4 Nm which is not a lot.Fig rolls: proof that god loves cyclists and that she wants us to do another lap0 -
I have put plenty of miles on my carbon bars and stem, no issues.
Again make sure they are installed with the correct torque, and inspect them periodicly as you would any other contact point.0 -
supersonic wrote:As with any part though, check it regularly and don't overdo the stem and clamp bolts.
Would you say carbon is more sensitive to torque settings than alu?0 -
Easton make a carbon bar that's rated strongest out of pretty much any bar you can get (i.e. the Havoc).
Carbon can be seriously tough. Don't worry.
Also don't worry about horror stories. Most are based on unfounded worries about carbon. As said, is the product designed for the job, that's what matters. Plenty of carbon stuff designed for heavy DH abuse and you should expect them to be as durable as any other material for that use.
As for torquing, it's not that you'll likely crush the carbon when clamping on components to your bars (if you torque to spec), it's just if those components have sharp edges they can cut into the bars if they shift. Though far more likely they cut into the lacquer.
Anyway, just use carbon assembly paste. It's recommended by manufacturers, not just for carbon but also aluminium bars. The stuff allows you to pick the lower of the torque range required (don't under torque), without anything slipping. Also deburr the components going on to the bars.0 -
brilliant info here guys ......where cani find this carbon paste? and how muchWhen i die I just hope the wife doesn't sell my stuff for what I told her I paid for it other wise someone will be getting a mega deal!!!
De rosa superking 888 di20 -
Local shop might do some, but generally online anything from £5 to £15.
I got a tub of Pace Carbon Composite Shield. Was £8 at CRC but they don't have it now. They've got some Tacx Carbon Assembly Compound, £11 for a tube of the stuff.
They're all pretty much the same. They go by various names, carbon assembly paste / compound / composite etc.0 -
Highonbikes have Finishline Fibregrip in stock its only a little tube but it does last a long time.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Finish-Line-Fiber-Grip-Carbon-Fibre-Assembly-Gel-50g-/150792021423?_trksid=p3284.m263&_trkparms=algo%3DSIC%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA%252BUA%252BIEW%252BFICS%252BUFI%26otn%3D21%26pmod%3D390354181936%26ps%3D54Fig rolls: proof that god loves cyclists and that she wants us to do another lap0 -
just dont use carbon paste on carbon steerer tubes0
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why?When i die I just hope the wife doesn't sell my stuff for what I told her I paid for it other wise someone will be getting a mega deal!!!
De rosa superking 888 di20 -
Its only for using where parts need clamping to hold in place, ie bars, seatposts etc.
Its basically grease with grit in it. So in a moving environment, steerer tube, it'll help to wear the parts away.0 -
Between stem and carbon steer should be okay. Basically just apply it to the contact surfaces of the things you're clamping together.
Though with seatposts (carbon post in any frame, or alloy post in a carbon frame) you may be moving the post up and down a lot if you're that kind of person, then you may need to coat a fair bit of the post. I've found I need the stuff on the seatpost in my carbon frame to stop it slipping.
Additional thing is alloy components stuck on or in carbon can undergo galvanic corrosion where the two bond together (though typically in the presence of salt water so affects roadies more). The use of carbon paste helps protect against this. Again it's just where the components are contacting.0 -
Wear what parts?DodgeT wrote:Its only for using where parts need clamping to hold in place, ie bars, seatposts etc.
Its basically grease with grit in it. So in a moving environment, steerer tube, it'll help to wear the parts away.
The steerer is stationary against the stem, it doesn't touch the inside of the headtube.
I'm not saying you should use it, but I can't see how it will wear anything away, providing you don't fill your bearings with it.0 -
It was early in the morning when I read this/posted and for some reason I had visions of it being put over the whole length of the steerer, contacting inside the headset etc...
Didn't for one minute think he meant inside the stem ON the steerer..
As I say, it was early and I don't function very well early on
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