F
Fred Clydesdale
Guest
it's been a number of years and a BIG number of miles, and i'm
starting to eye my old stem & bars (3ttt forgie & forma sl) with
a little suspicion. they may have years left in them, but i'd
rather not find out that's not true while pulling like hell to
get up a hill.
so...looking at what's out there now, i find that everybody seems
to be pushing the 31.8 (or 31.7 if you're deda) stuff. and that
causes my natural suspicion to kick in: if they're able to keep
something with that diameter lightweight, how thin are the walls
of the tubes? and while they're probably stiff as hell (as if
i ever had a problem with my 25.4 or 26.0 bars) i worry that it
might come at the cost of longevity and safety. they may be fine
for someone who's (1) 150 pounds or (2) gets a new bike every
year. but i'm closer to 200 pounds and replace my bikes every
20 years or so.
so what's the, uh, skinny? what's a good, solid bar/stem combo
that can deal with the miles without putting me at risk? or
does that even exist any more?
starting to eye my old stem & bars (3ttt forgie & forma sl) with
a little suspicion. they may have years left in them, but i'd
rather not find out that's not true while pulling like hell to
get up a hill.
so...looking at what's out there now, i find that everybody seems
to be pushing the 31.8 (or 31.7 if you're deda) stuff. and that
causes my natural suspicion to kick in: if they're able to keep
something with that diameter lightweight, how thin are the walls
of the tubes? and while they're probably stiff as hell (as if
i ever had a problem with my 25.4 or 26.0 bars) i worry that it
might come at the cost of longevity and safety. they may be fine
for someone who's (1) 150 pounds or (2) gets a new bike every
year. but i'm closer to 200 pounds and replace my bikes every
20 years or so.
so what's the, uh, skinny? what's a good, solid bar/stem combo
that can deal with the miles without putting me at risk? or
does that even exist any more?