Carbon Fibre Handlebars… What No One Is Telling You!

Aside from being broke af,
I don't think I'll ever get into carbon fibre bike parts,
because these things cost way too much money for something that needs to be thrown away once there's a crack.

Edit: typo

Where is the carbon repair business located? I have a specialized S works transition that has a hairline cracked in it. No one in Athens, Georgia knows how to fix such a thing which I find crazy to believe but whatever. Where is this carbon repair company located please?

Your mate is gonna suffer from lung cancer if he handles carbon like that every day. No mask or breathing aid. Just look at all carbon deposits is flung about when he is cutting it.

Good video though. Stay safe :)

this guy cuts carbon fiber without any mask ? Seriously ?

Excellent video

My Amazon bar just failed. I paid $150 for it. Thank God I was at a dead stop and was about to ascend a hill and it broke when I stood up.

But what I wanna know and what I have never really gotten a really good answer for is why is it that you can’t repair carbon handlebars but you can repair a frame. If it’s purely from a liability standpoint, then to me, it would negate the reliability any carbon repair. There are chaijstays that are pencil thin. I suspect is much more likely that the carbon frame having more mass in the area has a much less likely chance of catastrophic failure, and hence why people are so unwilling to work on handlebars where if they snap you lose control. but again for me if I am to trust a carpet frame repair, I should be able to trust handleable repair just as well.

Questions that don't let me sleep at night: why did the "Six million dollar man" end up repairing carbon bars...
🤔😅😂

I bought a Toseek Aero Carbon Drop bar for $35 couple years ago. I didn't wanted to spend over $100 to find out I didn't like them. I have seen and heard many of them failing, but mine are still going strong. I love them, but if they fail I am switching back to aluminum.

Call me stubborn but i want a chromoly frame and alloy bars coz im pretty sure it would very likely OUTLIVE me

Awhile back, I over torqued a stem bolt and cracked some carbon handlebars in the center. Before I tossed them, I tried to see how hard it would be to break them along the drops and it was near impossible.

I managed years ago to break my aluminium bar. Thankfully i could stay up right and even continue cycling with the other half of the bars. Braking was kinda odd. Got home safe.

Just in case you think alu is safe and carbon isn’t.

Stay safe, take care of your equipment, check when cleaning the bike, look for weird spots or small cracks etc. check after crashes/ falling

I had a Carbon bar fail on me years ago. Luckily without getting hurt. I've ridden only aluminium bars since then without a regret.

It just isnt worth the risk for non racers. Ive been riding road and mtb decades with 0 carbon components and am doing fine comfort and time wise.

I've snapped one, but it was on me - I used too much force on them

Carbon fibre has one place on a bike in my old school opinion is a headset spacer. thats it.

Same with seat posts, I had a very expensive Darimo Seat post disintegrate recently near the clamp, torque was below recommended as was paranoid! Contacted Darimo and had absolutely no interest in what had happened or investigating! Would never buy one of there products again.

Ok, but what does he think about using carbon fiber for submarine applications?

Nice one - the stress risers on those Specialized aero drop bars were insane: the cable hole and the aero/drop transition are unforgivable. No wonder they broke there. Unless you're at the sharp end of racing and need the aero or hill climb ultra-light, there's just no need. They save no significant weight, they're silly expensive and they fail suddenly. Straight mountain bars aren't too bad because they can be made in one, but they're still vulnerable at clamp areas and from crashing.

I’ve had my Easton EC90 since 2006 on my cyfac and they are tough.

Stop buying cheap carbon bars. A good quality bar from someone like FSA would not flex like that,

Carbon is a lot stronger than people think. My wife got hit side-on by a range rover, knocked across three lanes of a roundabout and the Ali-express carbon bars held their shape. Damaged for sure, but they still feel strong (we obviously don't use them!). Her Eddy Merckx Frame was scanned and was fine, sadly.

Mtb carbon bars are round

I know a lot of these videos are focused on road bikes, it would it be possible to do some vids on mtb frames and parts?

I’d love so see analysis of Chinese carbon frames, or carbon bars etc.

Thank you for sharing J. Great video as always.

Thank you for all these videos about carbon and how it's made, how it works and all that. Really insightful and lots of knowledge there. Thank you!

I once snapped an alloy Cinelli bar. Of course, this was after I had crashed on it 5 or 6 times. I was lucky in that it snapped while I was stopped at an intersection when I was resting my forearms on the bars. The right side just came off. I had to ride back 5 miles holding that part of the bar out of the front wheel.
I wouldn't trust any carbon bar, even after one crash.

Carbon bars are like sweet fish = Snappers

This video came after I ordered carbon handlebars. Now I am a bit scared

i've snapped a 20yr old alumunium Cinelli drop bar...and I recently had a 35 yr old steel frame snap the downtube...nothing lasts forever people.

Wheels, seat post and handlebar big no no in bikes....

I Wonder then if its not better to incl a honeycomb inside?

Throw some fiberglass in2 them .. 🙃

Looked at some carbon bars. The stories out there about their failure are scary. I went and got some aluminum compact handlebars and sent the carbon bars back. More proof from Rob.

Another great and interesting video!

Thanks Jourdain - an interesting and informative video.

some bars are too light, people tighten them too much. Got carbon bars on my mountain bike and road bike. no issues.

Jourdain Coleman is forever cutting things in half. 🤔🤨He should stop before his accidentally cuts his significant other half, in half. That could result in having a significant other quarter, right? Do the GCSE maths. I can't!😂🤣😅

you guys wore mask when cutting carbon fiber?

I had a carbon stem on my last gravel bike. I took it off to set it up to sell it. I spoted a crack in a top layer of carbon. It looked like it was possibly more cosmetic than structural as it seemed to be an additional layer added to the stem. Or, maybe it never bonded properly? It was a "premium" brand and not a cheap stem. I was wondering how long I've been riding it like that.

A bit unnerving seeing s few pro riders losing their bars. I've had round conventional carbon bars and semi aero baro by 3T on bike for some time and no issues. I think tbh the main concern is if you drop the bike you really don't know how damaged the bars might be.

Think I'll just stick with alloy, carbon seems such a faff for the weight savings...This fella you have on is a wealth of knowledge, always learn something.... (I was going to get a pair of rigid 29er carbon forks from Ali Express for my Rockhopper, but wised up and bought some new RS Judy's instead...heavy AF but at least I can trust them)

I’ll only ride with aluminium bars & stem & aluminium carbon fork, there’s a place for carbon & it isn’t the steerer tube , people buy 80mm dead to go in carbon stem so it just as well be aluminium.

You get what you pay for. Buy cheap and you get cheap.

Most Pro's use aluminium bars. When I say Pro, I mean those paid to ride, not leisure cyclists :)

I have broken 2 race face next carbon handlebars in my first years of riding and my last nukeproof horizon carbon bar is like new after 5 years of heavy riding.

"not a big difference in alloy / carbon bars and if there is I would probably not want to use them". Well that's not true, now is it? There is a reason you can buy cheap Chinese 70 pound bars made of t700 carbon. And why a Pro vibe superlight T1100, Darimo or Schmolke bar costs +400 because they are using high end lightweight material that you will not find in any other bars... My (one of the first in Europe) Pro Vibe Superlight T1100 at 152 gram is still going strong and I am heavy at 83kg! And yes, it is paper thin, measured to 1mm thick in the drops. But I don't believe Pro (Shimano) would release a dangerous product considering the size and integrity of the brand

My carbon handlebars snapped and saved my frame from serious damage but have gone back to alloy bars weight not much in it

I think if you hear any creaking in any carbon bike component then it needs to go. Regardless of how expensive that part is you're worth more than it ever is.