Would you trust cheap carbon bars

lapavoni10
lapavoni10 Posts: 146
edited September 2014 in Workshop
My gut instinct is no, but what do you think?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Carbon-integr ... 282wt_1399

I have had my alloy bars and stem on the bike for some time now, and would like to replace for peace of mind...being a fatty gut bucket.

Comments

  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    I wouldn't personally, but it's your money / choice.

    If you're the gambling type, and you know a good maxillofacial surgeon, go ahead and let us know how you get on :D
  • lapavoni10
    lapavoni10 Posts: 146
    hahah...erm, thanks :)
    Yeh, I dunno what I was thinking really. A new set of alloy bars and stem it is...stick to tried and tested!!
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 9,043
    No I wouldn't, I'm not overly keen on super light alloy bars either
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • ai_1
    ai_1 Posts: 3,060
    Bars are one area where the advantage of carbon isn't so clear cut. Yes you may be able to drop a little weight and may be able to gain some steering stiffness along with vibration damping if it's well designed but at the same time you end up with bars that you won't trust after any crash. I haven't looked at the weight savings available but I doubt they're huge, especially for the more budget options. I have no plans to leave alloy for now.
  • lapavoni10
    lapavoni10 Posts: 146
    I agree...apart from the bling, there seems little to drive me toward them. I just saw them on ebay and wondered what others thought....as with all these things, I guess you gets what you pay for.
  • ai_1
    ai_1 Posts: 3,060
    lapavoni10 wrote:
    ....as with all these things, I guess you gets what you pay for.
    I'm not even sure if that's true!
    I was looking at clip-on extensions recently and one of the models I was looking at came in both a carbon and alloy version. The carbon version was about 3 times the price and the only apparent advantage they gave was a weight saving of something like 15g which given the bars were something like 400g in total means you paid 300% to save less than 0.4% on weight (of the bars, not the bike). Furthermore clip-ons are for going fast when the road is relatively flat so weight is not really a big concern anyway. You'd be a plonker to go for the carbon in this case....in my humble opinion.
  • StillGoing
    StillGoing Posts: 5,211
    As someone with FSA Plasma carbon integrated bars on one bike, I can say that whilst they look good and absorb plenty of the bumps, they do restrict you in other ways. You need to calculate the stem length and angle you want when ordering for one, but then, should you want to alter your position, you're stuffed. You also have the cost of a full replacement should the bars or stem section break. On my second bike I have carbon FSA K-Wing bars and a separate stem which is a better option even if it doesn't look as good as the integrated bars. I'm now looking to get rid of the FSA bars to fit some separate items instead.
    I ride a bike. Doesn't make me green or a tree hugger. I drive a car too.
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    In this case, for once, I suspect these are fine.

    1) It's not a big brand so it isn't like a fake high end product being sold unrealistically cheaply to trap the greedy.
    2) It is a brand that Planet X for example have sold so presumably is reasonably reliable.
    3) They are hardly light so there is plenty of potential for excess bulk to make up for any poor engineering.

    But they are integrated which is a crap idea s philty3 says.
    Faster than a tent.......

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