Did anyone else see this? Sorry, it's kind of long.
From:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech.php?id=tech/2004/features/bontrager
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CN: 31.8mm handlebar clamps. Did the world really need yet another bike
component 'standard'?
KB: Yes and no.
I agree with you in one respect; there are too many handlebar clamp
dimension standards as it is. It's a mess.
But that is an old problem. Cinelli and the other established road bar
manufacturers started it and carried on with it, though they could have
simplified it at any point easily. The cycling world has had to live
with it for a long time. In the short term the new standard adds a
little additional complexity to fitting bars and stems to a bike,
though it is not as subtle or dangerous as the 26.0/26.4 issue.
There is a brighter side to it though. It opens up some possibilities
for developing new handlebars and it could simplify stem and handlebar
standards eventually too. In the future road and MTB bars, stems and
forks can have the same dimensions at the points at which they connect
to the bike. Finding the stem you want is more likely since dealers can
stock more sizes and angles because they don't have to stock parts in
all of the clamp standards. Finding parts that conform to the older
standards will still be a breeze on Ebay.
One aspect of the new standard seems to be a bit grim though. (This is
where I get to hop up on my old soapbox for a little ranting - you knew
I would, eh?)
There were some broken bars and stems in the Tour this year, one in a
sprint that was pretty messy. There has also been a lot of chatter
about using precise torque meters on stem clamp fasteners in order to
avoid damaging lightweight handlebars, damage that I have seen happen
fairly often in the field. I think there is a connection.
Product designers and engineers need to understand what is and what is
not possible (or maybe what is and what is not a good idea is a better
way to say it) when they are designing parts to the new standard,
especially when the parts are delivered to anyone who wants one instead
of careful, professional mechanics. The larger diameter/thinner wall
approach that works so well on frames is not always a good one on bars.
Stems that have been trimmed to a minimum create very small contact
areas between the bars and the clamp. An overzealous application of a
wrench (something that is inevitable in spite of warning labels and
lectures from dealers) is going to lead to damaged, and eventually to
broken handlebars. That is not something the world needs.