We are pleased to announce that on March 4, 2025, an updated Rich Text Editor will be introduced in the MyFitnessPal Community. To learn more about the upcoming changes, please click here. We look forward to sharing this new feature with you!
Bent handlebars
bstamps12
Posts: 1,184
Is there anything the LBS can do about bent handlebars? I crashed & bent mine slightly...no damage & I can still shift, brake, etc. fine. It's really just a cosmetic thing & my OCD over my new bike. (The nearest bike shop is 45 minutes away & they tend to take a while with repairs so I wanted to see if you all had any experience w/ bent handlebars before I went through the hassle of taking my bike all the way there)
0
Replies
-
What sort of handlebar and material? If steel, they should probably be able to get it back into shape. If aluminum, I would just replace it.
Aluminum doesn't take as kindly to bending and reshaping as steel does.
Even so, if straightening approaches cost of new...0 -
They're aluminum unfortunately. I think I'm just going to live with them for now since it's just cosmetic. Thanks for the advice.0
-
Whenever I've bent handlebars on any of my bikes (yes - I've done a few sets - was a bit of a weight weenie in the past, rode a lot, crashed quite a bit) I've always swapped them straight away. Aluminium generally "work hardens" as it bends - which means it gets more brittle, hence the recommendation not to try and bend it back. Frankly - how much is your face worth to you ?? More than the cost of a set of 'bars... thought so - CHANGE THEM NOW ! When handlebars break - if you're lucky, you get away with a broken collarbone. If not, it's usually a couple of teeth skin, hair. Or it could be really serious.
Sorry to be a bit of a buzz-kill, but it really is something that if it's damaged, you swap out. End of.0 -
Agree with The Big Yin and Wellbert completely. I would definitely invest in new bars, especially since you say they are aluminum. With steel, you can usually rely on it better in terms of structural integrity. Aluminum, you'd be surprised. I've never had it happen to me but I have heard of it failing mid-ride. Many years ago, I actually had a steering tube fail. (Whatever the steerer is called that is inside the head tube connecting the bars to the front fork.) It wasn't aluminum, was in fact steel I think, but it had either sustained some kind of damage I did not know about or could easily see, or it was defective from the beginning and finally failed, and I ended up doing an endo/face plant at the bottom of a hill directly to the bush to the right of a stop sign when I lost complete control. That was on a ten speed, a Nishiki International, circa 1974-75. A beautiful bike, despite that one issue. Ah, the memories. But yeah, don't mess around, if you even just suspect something could fail, get it replaced!0
-
Swap them out for new ones now. One thing you do not want is bars to fail during a fast descent!0
This discussion has been closed.