(Mtb) Carbon vs Aluminum handlebar

[Mvm1]

Hello people, recently I started to riding again my mtb and I've always used aluminum handlebar, since I was active about 6 yrs in a row cant tell if aluminum was bad... Now that ive only 3 weeks back on the trails can tell that my hands and wrist suffer from the impacts (passing the hr on the bike). My question is if theres a big difference between the carbon and the aluminum in terms of impact absorption, comfort and lifetime of the handlebar.

Have a great ride, and thanks!

(Currently using Easton EA70)

 

[Salty seadog]

I think any damping effect carbon bars may provide will be lost once you get off the road .

 

[fossyant]

Very little difference I would say - check your suspension setup !

 

[Drago]

The damping effect is rot perpetuated by an ignorant and sycophantic media. A carbon bar of equal stiffness to a bar of another material will pass vibrations to the rider identically. Indeed, the alloy or steel bar has greater mass, so like-for-like with stiffness they would possibly actually be better in that regard than carbon.

Some decent grips would be more beneficial.

 

[Kajjal]

What bike do you have ?

The main shock absorbers on a MTB are the suspension, tyres and to a lesser extent the grips on the bars. Having the right size / types of grip can also help but this varies. I would look at your suspension and tyres first.

 

[Milkfloat]

What bike do you have ?

The main shock absorbers on a MTB are the suspension, tyres and to a lesser extent the grips on the bars. Having the right size / types of grip can also help but this varies. I would look at your suspension and tyres first.

And crucially your limbs, they are the biggest and best shock absorbers, make sure you’re are not riding your arms locked out.

 

[FishFright]

The damping effect is rot perpetuated by an ignorant and sycophantic media. A carbon bar of equal stiffness to a bar of another material will pass vibrations to the rider identically. Indeed, the alloy or steel bar has greater mass, so like-for-like with stiffness they would possibly actually be better in that regard than carbon.

Some decent grips would be more beneficial.

Google Scholar has pages of papers on the subject supporting the ignorant and sycophantic media. You really ought to inform them how they have gotten it wrong.

 

[Drago]

Perhaps you could explain how out of 2 equally stiff items, one could provide superior damping properties than the other? (Leave out mass for a moment, keep the maths simple). They can't.

It's A question of yield strength, mass, and a bit of mathematics, damping being a simple function of the attenuation of vibrations as they travel through a material, with heat as a by product.

Try and understand the problem instead of selectively referring to the interweb.

 

[Levo-Lon]

I have carbon bars, there far lighter and that's where it ends.
Easton bars are superb btw

As said above Tyre and tyre pressures, suspension sag and your own body are key.

Rough guide would be 20- 30 psi in the tyres.
Sag set at 25-30%

 

[graham bowers]

I seriously doubt that the handlebar material is a dominant factor, because:

Taking this right back to basics, it is the forces that are applied to your body through the contact points that cause the damage.

In the case of riding a bike, the static components of those forces are the grips, saddle and pedals pushing you up to support your weight - accepting of course that as you move around on the bike and clench / relax on the grips, the distribution of those forces will change.

Superimposed, there are dynamic forces applied to the tyre contact points as you traverse the terrain. These forces pass through all of the components of the bike before passing through the contact points and arriving at your body. Hopefully (usually) they will be attenuated by the mechanical characteristics of those components.

Having set the scene, its impossible to tell with the information given what specifically is dominant in causing the discomfort. It would be interesting to understand what bike you are riding, its condition, and the terrain / distance you are traversing by the way.

I think I'd begin with the basics of checking the fit of the bike. For example, something as simple as tilt forward on the saddle can transfer weight to the hands and cause hand problems -don't ask me how I know. Also, as has been alluded to above, check out the bike is in good order and the tyres are at an appropriate pressure for the terrain and your weight.

Edited to add, changing hand position periodically can be beneficial. In the context of an MTB, use / install and use bar ends.

 

[FishFright]

Perhaps you could explain how out of 2 equally stiff items, one could provide superior damping properties than the other? (Leave out mass for a moment, keep the maths simple). They can't.

It's A question of yield strength, mass, and a bit of mathematics, damping being a simple function of the attenuation of vibrations as they travel through a material, with heat as a by product.

Try and understand the problem instead of selectively referring to the interweb.

It's a matter of the behaviour of a fibre reinforced composite material versus a crystalline metallic one. The behaviour of two are markedly different.

When it comes to material science do I trust an random guy on a forum or pages of peer reviewed scientific papers? Hint Google Scholar only returns those kind of results.

I, for one, have not had enough of experts and hold their research in much higher esteem then what an ex bobby can remember from school.

 

[bpsmith]

There’s absolutely no gain from the millions spent on R&D when it comes to materials used on cycling equipment and components.

I for one can’t understand why we moved away from the single speed, Penny Farthing and solid tyres. I don’t trust the views of anyone who has ridden anything otherwise.

 

[fossyant]

Don't forget, the OP is just getting back into it. His arms and hands will ache, especially on flat bars - I get hand pain unless I can move about - in and out the saddle.

Changing from alloy to carbon won't make that much difference. Keep at it, and it will get less painful (assuming the bike is set up correctly).

 

[Mvm1]

First of all thank you guys for all the replies, also for the ones that answered that the suspension might be the main trouble well im using Fox Factory 32 TALAS 29 120 FIT CTD TA fork which imo its a really good suspension which provides the enough absorption, as I said before I didnt had this problem during the days I was riding daily. I do agree completely with @fossyant in which ill suffer at least the first month during 1hr+ rides since my arms/wrists are weak and they dont have the enough strenght.

I was assuming the carbon did had this higher absorption since thats what Ive heard, but sincerely I needed to know more about it.

Once again, thanks for the replies to ya'll and if theres any more ideas I would love to read them all.

Greetings!

 

[fossyant]

Don't go blowing good money on something extra fancy when it can be down to 'practice'. I sufferer alot when I came back to MTB after giving up the road bikes - drop bars are far better for long hours). My hands still get painful, especially if it's a flat run where I'm not out of the saddle, as the one hand position (even with no rough stuff) can cause things to get worse.

Stick with it, more rides needed !

Make sure your sag is set 25-30% on the forks when you sit on the bike.