Ever had handlebars break in half?

[swee'pea99]

Oh yes. Just riding along minding my own bidniss and suddenly felt something a bit weird about the handling, and before I'd had time to do anything beyond thinking 'What the...?' the whole left hand end of the bars just broke clean off. Fortunately it happened in a quiet side street with no-one around and no stress, so I didn't even come off. Bit shaken tho'...

Ended up riding the rest of the way home with just the one handle...a bit hairy, but I made it ok. Going very very slowly...

 

[hackbike 6]

Yes I had it once in Walthamstow years ago as I seem to remember.I think in the 1980's.

 

[BentMikey]

Funnily enough I had this last year - my tiller stem broke:

 

[mickle]

I rarely have failures; a Campag mech imploded in 1984, broke a rear axle in '87 and I had a spoke go in '93.

I must be due another one soon.

 

[bikepete]

Yup, a few years ago. Just pulling off from the lights, hauled on the bars and one end just pulled up, held on by a tiny flap of remaining metal. Was lucky not to go down. Had noticed a creaking noise for a few days before, should have taken note. Ancient alloy bars of course.

 

[J4CKO]

Yes, ally bars as a kid on a racer, out of the saddle, snapped, crashed, it hurt as I hit a pole with my shoulder, how I didn't break my collar bone I will never know.

 

[Sittingduck]

Had a BMX stem bust and the bars came right up out of the headset
Pretty scary thing when you're 9 years old and going downhill!

 

[hackbike 6]

I rarely have failures; a Campag mech imploded in 1984, broke a rear axle in '87 and I had a spoke go in '93.

I must be due another one soon.

I had a rear axle go and I stupidly left the bike at Tottenham.Someone nicked it.

11/10/1988 I just checked my records.

 

[ComedyPilot]

I rode my little brother's Grifter back from the pub one night and it snapped in half!!!

My older brother was riding home (from the pub) and MISSED a hump-back bridge and flew into the river 15 FEET down!!!

Anyone with North Yorks knowledge, it was the bridge just out of Dalton towards Thirsk.

 

[fossyant]

Like Mickle really.....touch wood...not had any failures other than 3 spokes snapping on my current MTB cheap wheels (all recently), although they were easily fixed and didn't stop me riding.....

 

[HLaB]

Touch wood (my head will do) I've not had any sudden failures other than a brake cable and that was probably my fault, lack of maintenance and a chain snap before I bought a chain checker.

 

[Mr Pig]

When I was a kid the bars on my Chopper snapped, but then I had just jumped three-feet up in the air off a home-made ramp and crashed a*** over elbow :0)

 

[yenrod]

Mine once went doign 25mph just after 'cranking it' and I thought why do the bars feel funny

Still - the tape held it together..they where the old Cinelli soft alu-type that where square'ish shape - which the old Motorola team rode from memory.

I now run ITM's.

On an MTB level had some 133 bars god know who made them but talk about silly thin'ness.

They thankfully 'went' on a level path...though I did stop and put the crack in clamp of the stem.

 

[monnet]

It happened to a guy in my club he was turning a beast of a gear up a beast of a hill, next thing he was all over the tarmac with a broken wrist. TO get home he had to borrow someone elses bikewhile they (an experienced a cross rider) steered the broken bike home.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I have yet to have the bars go. But have had the clamp bolt on a quill stem fail. Many years ago going to work I was at the top of the road about to turn into an alleyway I used as a short cut, applied the brake and the handle bars swiveled in the clamp and I had to drop onto the bottom of the drops so i could stop it.