RidingAgain Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 I read what happened to Seth with his handlebar breaking and it got me thinking about how handlebars break. It seems that most break around the area where the shifter/brakes are attached to the handle bar (or just a little inside of that area). I understand this has to do with overtightening, and possibly because it's a thinner part of the handlebar that gets a lot of pressure. I didn't see many breaks at the stem though, which you'd think would be a place where a lot of pressure is exerted, and where overtightening can take place. Just wondered if the saving on weight is really that necessary when it comes to handlebars... Why not just have thicker handlebars... Or even solid handlebars. Or maybe handlebars that are reinforced at known break points (take a piece of metal tubing and insert at these points inside the hollow section of the handlebar). Or come up with an accessory that redirects pressure away for the pressure point, effectively dispersing the pressure across a wider area. Here's a video of a lucky rider using an unusual handlebar... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntonioGG Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 (edited) Delete Edited September 4, 2018 by AntonioGG Didn't realize it was a split thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidingAgain Posted September 4, 2018 Author Share Posted September 4, 2018 What's a split thread? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheX Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 A thread that's split, duh. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidingAgain Posted September 4, 2018 Author Share Posted September 4, 2018 Honestly, TheX... You're a bit of an ass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bamwa Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 Do we really have to go back and read the haiku again? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cramsay3 Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 Willie-wonka chill! Dude should have taken a spill Handlebar made of chocolate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidingAgain Posted September 4, 2018 Author Share Posted September 4, 2018 LOL... It's like some of you folk are just hovering around looking for any excuse to pounce. You all are funny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cxagent Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 Just to get this thread back on topic - Structural parts like (handle bars and frames) tend to break where the stress is higher than the material can carry. Sometimes this is due to higher loads than expected (see picture of Seth), places where the material strength is "low" (material too thin) or places where there is a discontinuity in strength / flex. The flex discontinuity are frequently due to an abruptly ending gusset on aluminum or the edge of a ply in a composite structure. If you have seen properly repaired composite parts they try to maintain the flex characteristics all the way around the repair. The handle bar in this video broke at the edge of the heat affected zone from the crossbar weld. I don't know if this handle bar was originally manufactured with that cross bar or it was added later. Typically, original manufacturers know about heat affected zones and heat treat the part after welding. But even if the handle bar had been heat treated, the crossbar itself creates a 'stiffer' mid section and a much more flexible outer sections. I would expect it to break right where it broke. As far as adding more material / strength, it works well. But only if the reinforcement is designed to transition from 'stiffer' to 'more flexible' over a wide enough span to not create a stress concentration. So it you want to stick a metal part into your handle bars to reinforce them, make sure you include a transition zone. If you leave out the transition zone all you do is move the point of failure to the edge of the reinforcement. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheX Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 9 hours ago, RidingAgain said: Honestly, TheX... You're a bit of an ass. Honestly, I was kidding. Breath, breath... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidingAgain Posted September 5, 2018 Author Share Posted September 5, 2018 Sure man... Whatever you say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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