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What have you broken on your bike recently?

iRider

Turbo Monkey
Apr 5, 2008
5,672
3,124
Carbon bars offer pretty much no performance advantage,....
But what about the pic of my bike hanging on a scale that I need to post in nerd forums to get street cred? Didn't think of that Woo, the only real performance advantage that counts when being a bicyclist. :D

I've cracked every carbon frame I've ever owned but one. And none of them made me lose control of the bike. A handlebar however.... You don't ride out of that.
This guy wants to have a word with you.

 

konifere

Monkey
Dec 20, 2021
607
753
You think he rode that out, but in fact that was taken just moments before the fatal incident. He was biting his lips because of the pain that the carbon shards were giving him in his right hand, then the left side broke, he broke his teeth on his stem, then died underneath the rally car that was speeding behind. Just google "Alpecin Fenix ML rally car accident" and you should see the video.
 

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
19,909
10,507
AK
Theres some talk about how they run the cars behind the racers to maximize the high pressure air in front of the car and minimize the low pressure that forms behind the racer due to drag, nascar-style.
 

bullcrew

3 Dude Approved
@kidwoo I'm proof that natural selection doesn't work....I'm still here.

On a serious note:
So I get your stance on carbon bars and totally agree on the clamping force and stress...

What's your take on sixc, x01 and descendent carbon cranks? I know they can fail but I've seen aluminum give out too...but curious to your stance
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
@kidwoo I'm proof that natural selection doesn't work....I'm still here.
for now.....


sram carbon cranks are garbage. The inserts on both ends pull out of the molds and reveal the creamy white center.

I used a pair of sixc cranks on my dh bike for two seasons. After that I took them off and just put a pair of old saints back on. They were doing the same thing as this. https://www.reddit.com/r/bustedcarbon/comments/uw511v/race_face_sixc_mtb_crank_thought_it_was_a/

I've seen their less burly shit open up but don't think I've seen a consistent problem with the sixc cranks, unlike literally everything carbon that sram makes.

I used to say the same thing about sixc handlebars years ago, at least in comparison to some truly dangerous shit like renthals, but I met a guy who was like 60% bruise at crankworx one year, a few days after his brand new handlebars broke on him 2nd day out. Given who he was, he knows how to ride, and knows how to put on handlebars, and was hauling ass into a turn/compression. They just about damn near paralyzed him from the looks of things. Get @jsthulsman to show you his helmet cam vid of his buddy off a ladder drop at (I think) snowshoe.


People always fall into this nonsense of aLuMiNuM bReAkS tOo...yeah no shit. It's the manner in which each fails that's the bigger issue. When you nail an aluminum crank or just overburden it on a fuck to splat, they bend, and don't let go of either the spindle or pedal insert. I've pedaled out of the woods on mangled bent pedal spindles before, even stripped out of the threads and wedged back in with caveman hammer. You're not doing that with the bottom of your crank ripped off.
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
I said crank, not dentist IQ test

Leave it to the bike industry to take well, proven, established designs and figure out how to make them dangerous

Like I've said over, and over and over again: MTB industry 'advancement' relies solely on the stupidity of their customers. They know this, I don't know why no one else does. Anyone who buys something that looks like that kinda deserves it.
 
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bullcrew

3 Dude Approved
for now.....
Lmao my dad used to say the same thing till he realized that after all the carnage, dumb shit and should be dead accidents that there had to be a reason for me to still be upright...
So he sat back and enjoyed watching, mom just turned her head and pretended it wasn't happening...

Btw I appreciate the insight and was planning on swapping bikes over to Canfield cranks anywase...so looks like I'll do it just to get it done sooner ..as far as bars I have 2 sets of carbon renthal that I have kicked the shit out of but I'll look to replace..

Yes, carbon is hard and snaps , aluminum is strong and bends...choose your failure...we don't use chromoly on certain parts of builds but choose DOM...same reason, material characteristics for failure or stress.
 
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mykel

closer to Periwinkle
Apr 19, 2013
5,414
4,164
sw ontario canada
So, I'm planning on replacing my Syntace Vector Carbon bars after the end of the year as it will have 5 seasons on it. (If I live)

What are some recommendations for a 31.8 alloy bar that is decently compliant? I have a Spank Spike 800 Vibrocore on the DH bike that I like so another Spank is a possibility. Being this is for the new school geo trailbike, a 780 width is fine. So what do you recommend?
 

Gary

my pronouns are hag/gis
Aug 27, 2002
8,414
6,297
UK
Exactly How much "compliance" do we really need in a bar cushioned from the ground by 200mm of sophisticated suspension and a spoked wheel wrapped in a 2.5" diameter pneumatic tyre around 24psi and 4mm thick soft rubber grips between the nasty unforgiving butted alloy tube and your hands?
 

sethimus

neu bizutch
Feb 5, 2006
5,261
2,385
not in Whistler anymore :/
So, I'm planning on replacing my Syntace Vector Carbon bars after the end of the year as it will have 5 seasons on it. (If I live)

What are some recommendations for a 31.8 alloy bar that is decently compliant? I have a Spank Spike 800 Vibrocore on the DH bike that I like so another Spank is a possibility. Being this is for the new school geo trailbike, a 780 width is fine. So what do you recommend?
sqlab 3ox 12°
 

HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
7,509
6,841
Exactly How much "compliance" do we really need in a bar cushioned from the ground by 200mm of sophisticated suspension and a spoked wheel wrapped in a 2.5" diameter pneumatic tyre around 24psi and 4mm thick soft rubber grips between the nasty unforgiving butted alloy tube and your hands?
I agree with that very much, my Antidote carbon bar has been my favourite handlebar by far, I don't think it had any flex.
Current 35mm carbon bar is borderline for flex, she bends a bit under power.
 

velocipedist

Lubrication Sensei
Jul 11, 2006
560
702
Rainbow City Alabama

So, I'm planning on replacing my Syntace Vector Carbon bars after the end of the year as it will have 5 seasons on it. (If I live)

What are some recommendations for a 31.8 alloy bar that is decently compliant? I have a Spank Spike 800 Vibrocore on the DH bike that I like so another Spank is a possibility. Being this is for the new school geo trailbike, a 780 width is fine. So what do you recommend?
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
But what about the pic of my bike hanging on a scale that I need to post in nerd forums to get street cred? Didn't think of that Woo, the only real performance advantage that counts when being a bicyclist. :D



This guy wants to have a word with you.

sir this is a thread about mountainbiking, not international grape smuggling
 
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jstuhlman

bagpipe wanker
Dec 3, 2009
17,236
13,998
Cackalacka du Nord
30 years of riding mountainbikes, with others riding more aggressively and abusively than average users, yet not switching out parts every 5 minutes like spAnsrd racers, and watching people get fucked up from broken carbon bars over, and over, and over again.

more like a novel than a story really

I like stiff carbon frames. They ride differently and if done well, with a level of precision that takes a heavier aluminum frame to duplicate.

Carbon bars offer pretty much no performance advantage, but with all the corner cutting, new shit to market bs of this idiot dependent industry, and inherent downfalls of carbon....exacerbated by being literally the only carbon component on a modern mountainbike that receives clamping forces, by design. A force that specifically compromises cured carbon weaves.

I've cracked every carbon frame I've ever owned but one. And none of them made me lose control of the bike. A handlebar however.... You don't ride out of that.
what frame didn't crack...GG?

my first nomad (the "c" one) cracked from such a weird, awkward landing off of a small jump. second one (a "cc") has been fine for a lot longer...
 

bullcrew

3 Dude Approved
R model zeb on a bullit 3 months old came apart and took out the upper part .customer said it felt like it wasn't working as well and making a clanking noise lol...well yeah the damper and top cap were separated...

Rockshox customer service is no joke...they took care of the warranty and in a good way...
However our other BOX suspension left me hanging pretty bad. Some wrong parts lately and bad quality control (like a cartridge no oil on it from factory)...rockshox bottom end dampers I've seen separated a few times this year as in no loctite and not tightened...the upper end has been pretty spot on...

20230802_133852.jpg
20230802_134422.jpg
 

Nick

My name is Nick
Sep 21, 2001
24,703
16,085
where the trails are
I've been using the One Up carbon bars and haven't died yet, but when alumMINEEUM bars were the choice I used those Chromag OSX bars, which are the business. I think I have a mint + a BNIP pair if anybody is shopping.
 

toodles

ridiculously corgi proportioned
Aug 24, 2004
5,785
5,167
Australia
Yeah I've got the Chromags on my bikes now. Still think the 31.8 OSX feels like it has a different sweep/feel than the 35mm even though apparently they're the same. Wish they did the 31.8 in a 35mm rise though, seems like only 25mm now.