The Dread Easton EC90 99gram Carbon Fiber Handlebar

[Onefred]

Against the wise advice of am-b, I bought this bar from my LBS and after one race it has cracked.
Wow! I am surprised that it failed so quickly. I use a Ritchey WCS stem, no bar-ends, Shimano XT
brake levers and XTR shifters. I was careful not to over tighten anything and I tightened the stem
very evenly. It was not a catastrophic failure and it still seems strong and reliable, but still...

I don't know what came over me, the bar just kept staring at me and I kept staring at it and
thinking, "It's 60 grams less and $100... It should be OK... You only weigh 150# plus you are
going to cut it down to 20" and you don't use bar-ends..... Go for it... Just do it and stop
thinking about
it. Do it! Go! Now!" Cha-ching.

The race course was very muddy and at the bottom of a descent there was a semi hard turn with some
slick rock which when mixed with my muddy tires spelt crashing and going into a rock garden. My
hydro brake lever got bent but I was able to bend it back and continue. The pressure against the bar
would be like squeezing the brake lever so hard that it fractured the carbon where it mounts. It was
pressure coming at an angle like this that did it
iu. Is this normal?

I'm not really a gram counter but lately I have been a little too obessed w/ having a sub 20# mtn
bike. I'm at 21 now and there is really nothing more I can do. How do people get sub 20 pound mtn
bikes anyway?!

So does anyone think that Easton will warranty this bar? I am about 90% sure that because it was
raced they will void the warranty. It seems all companies in this business have this policy now. The
warrant card says it has a five year against defects, but I thought these had lifetime warranties.
Would it be too dishonest not to admit that I was racing? I mean $100 and 1.5 hours later, come
on... That's pretty poor, isn't it?, or is it?

Any advice other than don't buy Easton carbon fiber? Should I just stop whining, cut my losses and
buy an EA70 or equivalent bar?? Dang.

Dave

 

[Slacker]

onefred wrote:

> Against the wise advice of am-b, I bought this bar from my LBS and after one race it has
> cracked. Wow!
>
> Dave

Dumb ass... sorry someone had to say it ;-)

Easton has great customer service and has warrantied countless carbon bars by now. There's some
warranty contact info here http://makeashorterlink.com/?L21312B97

--
Slacker

 

[Spademan O----L]

"onefred" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Against the wise advice of am-b, I bought this bar from my LBS and after
one
> race it has cracked. Wow! I am surprised that it failed so quickly. I
use
> a Ritchey WCS stem, no bar-ends, Shimano XT brake levers and XTR shifters. I was careful not to
> over tighten anything and I tightened the stem very evenly. It was not a catastrophic failure and
> it still seems strong and reliable, but still...
>
> I don't know what came over me, the bar just kept staring at me and I kept staring at it and
> thinking, "It's 60 grams less and $100... It should be OK... You only weigh 150# plus you are
> going to cut it down to 20" and you don't use bar-ends..... Go for it... Just do it and stop
> thinking about

Here's a thought - maybe you wouldn't have crashed trying to turn a corner if you hadn't cut your
bar down to 20" ...

Steve.

 

[Gazzer]

"onefred" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...

> Any advice other than don't buy Easton carbon fiber? Should I just stop whining, cut my losses and
> buy an EA70 or equivalent bar?? Dang.
>
> Dave

The racing clause is baloney. You don't turn into some kind of hulk like monster because you're in a
race, and besides, a handlebar that weighs less than a toilet roll is hardly something you'd use for
everyday riding and so most of the hyperlight gear is really specifically targeted at racers, or
obsessive compulsives who build light mountain bikes for some kind of tax loss. Get your warranty if
you can and by a sensible metal bar that wont put you in a neck brace.

cheers

g

 

[Jon Bond]

"gazzer" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "onefred" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
>
> > Any advice other than don't buy Easton carbon fiber? Should I just stop whining, cut my losses
> > and buy an EA70 or equivalent bar?? Dang.
> >
> > Dave
>
> The racing clause is baloney. You don't turn into some kind of hulk like monster because you're in
> a race, and besides, a handlebar that weighs less than a toilet roll is hardly something you'd use
> for everyday riding and so most of the hyperlight gear is really specifically targeted at racers,
> or obsessive compulsives who build light mountain bikes for some kind of tax loss. Get your
> warranty if you can and by a sensible metal bar that wont put you in a neck brace.
>
> cheers
>
> g

My Easton EC70(?) Riser has been pretty bombproof. Survived the 3' drop that killed my old frame
just fine, and I gave it a thorough going over before putting it on the new bike. Checked it over
after my hard concussion-causing crash last semester, and again, looked perfect. Then again, I only
weigh like 130 right now

If I was to buy a new carbon bar, it'd probably be a Maxm one.

Jon Bond

 

[Michael Paul]

"Jon Bond" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "gazzer" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > "onefred" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:<[email protected]>...
> >
> > > Any advice other than don't buy Easton carbon fiber? Should I just
stop
> > > whining, cut my losses and buy an EA70 or equivalent bar?? Dang.
> > >
> > > Dave
> >
> > The racing clause is baloney. You don't turn into some kind of hulk like monster because you're
> > in a race, and besides, a handlebar that weighs less than a toilet roll is hardly something
> > you'd use for everyday riding and so most of the hyperlight gear is really specifically targeted
> > at racers, or obsessive compulsives who build light mountain bikes for some kind of tax loss.
> > Get your warranty if you can and by a sensible metal bar that wont put you in a neck brace.
> >
> > cheers
> >
> > g
>
> My Easton EC70(?) Riser has been pretty bombproof. Survived the 3' drop that killed my old frame
> just fine, and I gave it a thorough going over before putting it on the new bike. Checked it over
> after my hard concussion-causing crash last semester, and again, looked perfect. Then again, I
> only weigh like 130 right now
>
> If I was to buy a new carbon bar, it'd probably be a Maxm one.
>
> Jon Bond
>
>
my flat bar is going just fine too. it's not the superlight version though. I don't even remember
what version it is but it's 3-ish years old.

Michael

 

[Onefred]

"Slacker" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> onefred wrote:
>
> > Against the wise advice of am-b, I bought this bar from my LBS and after
one
> > race it has cracked. Wow!
> >
> > Dave
>
>
> Dumb ass... sorry someone had to say it ;-)

You told me so! Know what was the first thing that entered my head when I saw the crack? "S-L-A-C-K-E-
R!" I had to swallow a bit of my pride to post this ya know.

> Easton has great customer service and has warrantied countless carbon bars by now. There's some
> warranty contact info here http://makeashorterlink.com/?L21312B97

Yeah, I'll go to my LBS and admit that it happened during a race and we'll see what happens. I'm
already sure that they will have to call their corporate office just to figure out how to get their
thumbs out 'a their butts (What ever happened to the small Mom-n-Pop owned local bike shops?). God
only knows how long it will take to even find out if Easton will warranty the bar. If they don't, Oh
well, ya live 'n learn. It bums me out a little but no big deal.

Dave

 

[Pippen]

"onefred" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

<snip>

> The race course was very muddy and at the bottom of a descent there was a semi hard turn with some
> slick rock which when mixed with my muddy tires spelt crashing and going into a rock garden. My
> hydro brake lever got
bent
> but I was able to bend it back and continue. The pressure against the bar would be like squeezing
> the brake lever so hard that it fractured the
carbon
> where it mounts. It was pressure coming at an angle like this that did it
> in. Is this normal?
>

Hard to say what is normal in a crash. If the impact bent your brake lever then I would assume that
there was some force there. Remember that the lever impact will have a cantelever affect on the
mounting point of the break (assuming this is where the handle bar broke). Also remember that the
impact on the bar from your hands is distributed over an area many times larger than the area of the
bar used by the brake lever mount...

<snip>

> So does anyone think that Easton will warranty this bar? I am about 90% sure that because it was
> raced they will void the warranty. It seems all companies in this business have this policy now.
> The warrant card says it has a five year against defects, but I thought these had lifetime
> warranties. Would it be too dishonest not to admit that I was racing? I mean $100 and 1.5 hours
> later, come on... That's pretty poor, isn't it?,
or
> is it?
>

Not sure this would fall under racing or crashing... If you had not crashed would the bar have
broke? Its one thing to "I was just riding (racing) along and it broke" and another to "I was riding
(racing) along and crashed and it broke".

> Any advice other than don't buy Easton carbon fiber? Should I just stop whining, cut my losses and
> buy an EA70 or equivalent bar?? Dang.
>
> Dave
>

In my opinion you do not have a claim. If I understand you correctly you crashed (in a race which
really has no bearing on the situation) and broke your handle bar. Unless Easton has a crash
replacement policy I think you are SOL... I would think that upon inspection they will be able to
tell by what I will assume is a shearing break of the bar that an outside force caused the failure
and not a defect... I'm not saying don't try to get a replacement just do be dissapointed if you do
not get one...

Cheers,

-p

 

[Stephen Baker]

Pippen says:

>Also remember that the impact on the bar from your hands is distributed over an area many times
>larger than the area of the bar used by the brake lever mount...

Ummmm..... but at a much larger distance, which results in a higher bending moment, which results in
an easier break. Unless we're talking about karate here ;-)

Steve

 

[Pippen]

"Stephen Baker" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Pippen says:
>
> >Also remember that the impact on the bar from your hands is distributed over an area many times
> >larger than the area of the bar used by the brake lever mount...
>
> Ummmm..... but at a much larger distance, which results in a higher
bending
> moment, which results in an easier break. Unless we're talking about
karate
> here ;-)
>
> Steve

Steve,

Excellent point... let me explain where I'm going with mine in a little more detail.

I will refer to the inside edge (closest to the stem) of the brake lever mount as A, the outside
edge (closest to the grip) as B and the edge of the stem on that side C. When a force on the brake
lever is applied initially the force will be absorbed by the action of the brake lever, at some
point the brake lever will stop (either the caliper pistons or the V-Brakes have fully "locked"),
I'm assuming this is before the brake lever touches the bar. At this point two things (many more but
will not address) are going on. First there is a "bending moment" from point C to A (which as you
stated is less than from the grip) and second which I think is the most important is the torsional
effect from point A to B. I see at the moment the brake lever is maxed out before touching the bar
there is a force vector going forward at point A and backwards at point B creating a shearing effect
across points A and B on the handle bar. Add this to the stress from the bending moment from A to C
and I would think that the bar would have damage at point A?

Of course much of what I have commented on is speculative given the information that I have which I
will admit is meager at best... Hopefully we both agree that it was the crash that broke the bar and
not bar defect caused by normal race/riding wear and tear...

Cheers,

-p

 

[Jonesy]

"onefred" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Against the wise advice of am-b,

LOL! A first!

[snip tale of woe]

Well, Dave, I'm sorry to hear it. Even if you weren't racing, I think Easton doesn't warranty crash
damage, but I don't know for sure.

I got an Answer carbon bar, and it's been OK. I haven't crashed (much) and it's still holding up. I
think I'll get an Al one next time, however. The weight savings ain't worth it, and the supposed
benefits (vibration damping) just aren't noticeable.

Durability uber alles.
--
Jonesy "No more chi-chi for me"

 

[Onefred]

"Pippen" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:KCY1c.119347$4o.161288@attbi_s52...
>
> "onefred" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
> <snip>
>
> > The race course was very muddy and at the bottom of a
> > descent there was
a
> > semi hard turn with some slick rock which when mixed
> > with my muddy tires spelt crashing and going into a rock
> > garden. My hydro brake lever got
> bent
> > but I was able to bend it back and continue. The
> > pressure against the
bar
> > would be like squeezing the brake lever so hard that it
> > fractured the
> carbon
> > where it mounts. It was pressure coming at an angle like
> > this that did
it
> > in. Is this normal?
> >
>
> Hard to say what is normal in a crash. If the impact bent
> your brake lever then I would assume that there was some
> force there.

You know, it really wasn't a bad crash. I didn't get one
scratch or bruise or anything. I was surprised to see the
brake lever bent and I was even more surprised to see how
easy it was to bend back. Appearantly, the metal that
Shimano (or is it Grimerica) uses is very soft.

> Remember that the lever impact will have a cantelever
> affect on the mounting point of the break (assuming this
> is where the handle bar broke). Also remember that the
impact
> on the bar from your hands is distributed over an area
> many times larger than the area of the bar used by the
> brake lever mount...
>
> <snip>
>
> > So does anyone think that Easton will warranty this bar?
> > I am about 90% sure that because it was raced they will
> > void the warranty. It seems
all
> > companies in this business have this policy now. The
> > warrant card says
it
> > has a five year against defects, but I thought these had
> > lifetime warranties. Would it be too dishonest not to
> > admit that I was racing?
I
> > mean $100 and 1.5 hours later, come on... That's pretty
> > poor, isn't
it?,
> or
> > is it?
> >
>
> Not sure this would fall under racing or crashing... If
> you had not
crashed
> would the bar have broke? Its one thing to "I was just
> riding (racing)
along
> and it broke" and another to "I was riding (racing) along
> and crashed and
it
> broke".

I'm still using the bar but I'll probably replace it before
the next race. It still seems quite strong, tho.

> > Any advice other than don't buy Easton carbon fiber?
> > Should I just stop whining, cut my losses and buy an
> > EA70 or equivalent bar?? Dang.
> >
> > Dave
> >
>
> In my opinion you do not have a claim. If I understand you
> correctly you crashed (in a race which really has no
> bearing on the situation) and broke your handle bar.
> Unless Easton has a crash replacement policy I think you
> are SOL... I would think that upon inspection they will be
> able to tell by what I will assume is a shearing break of
> the bar that an outside force caused the failure and not a
> defect... I'm not saying don't try to get a replacement
> just do be dissapointed if you do not get one...

Yeah, I hear ya.

Dave

> Cheers,
>
> -p