Thank goodness that didn't happen to us - but it could have been much worse. Recently, the carbon handlebars of a test bike snapped off when we were stationary, while checking the suspension fork set-up. The damage shows how delicate load-bearing carbon parts can be. After a thorough investigation, the manufacturer of the handlebars attributed the breakage to incorrect installation of the lockout lever, which had crushed the handlebars and irreversibly delaminated the fibre structure. In this specific case, the spacer for the lockout attachment, which is intended to prevent crushing, was missing. An operating error - yet the handlebars lack the reserves that a safety-relevant product should have.
Another problem is tolerances during production: you can't see what's inside from the outside. The conclusion from our handlebar breakage test (BIKE 5/14) was: "With a few exceptions, the results of carbon handlebars in the test leave a bland aftertaste. Due to huge tolerances, customers often buy a pig in a poke when it comes to carbon fibre." The expert engineer Dirk Zedler is familiar with these problems: "A carbon handlebar is produced by manually inserting the fibre mats. Every single component must therefore be checked for quality in the factory, otherwise risky products will be sold." You can find all the background information in the large Handlebar breakage test from BIKE 5/14 online.
Broken handlebars: How you can protect yourself
- Carbon handlebars react sensitively to clamping by the stem and fittings and may only be fitted using a torque spanner. The maximum torque (see manufacturer's instructions) must not be exceeded under any circumstances.
- Carbon assembly paste should be used between the handlebars and stem to ensure a secure fit.
- The fittings are only screwed tight enough to allow them to twist in the event of a fall.
- Lockout levers must not be fitted without the spacer provided.
- In order to recognise damage at an early stage, you should regularly check the handlebars and stem for signs of pressure, clamping or cracks.
The top 3 carbon handlebars from our BIKE test:
Consistency is what counts when manufacturing handlebars: if just one out of 1000 fails, it's a disaster. In order to check the dispersion, we therefore subjected three handlebar/stem combinations to up to one million load changes in the test. The Syntace Vector Carbon also survived this torture unscathed. Here are the three best models from the test in BIKE 5/14.
Syntace Vector Carbon
The Vector Carbon was indestructible in the test rig test and is probably the safest handlebar on the market. So stable that the test machine was switched off. Its key data: 227 g, 760 mm, 188 euros.
Syntace Vector 7075
The counterpart to the test winner, but made from 7075 aluminium. If you don't trust carbon and absolutely want to ride a metal bar, you won't find a more stable aluminium handlebar at the moment. 309 g, 780 mm, 82 euros.
Enve Riser Mountain Bar
The Enve is the lightest of the wide handlebars, and it also proves to be impressively durable on the test bench. However, it does not come close to Syntace in terms of consistency. 190 g, 745 mm, 270 euros.
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