PeteHski

I guess you think it's all the same stuff, just with a different price tag right?

Maelochs

In any case ... whatever happened to someone else ... my bars are fine, thanks.

In any case, I am deeply moved by your obvious concern for my safety.

PeteHski

After years of hard riding I would change your bars anyway, regardless of their provenance and what they are made out of. It's just not worth the bet with componenets that can potentially put you on your face in a spilt second.

hidetaka

Just pointing out some interesting difference in perception. Carbon spoked Chinese wheels are super stiff? Harsh and untrustworthy, prob gonna shatter when you hit a pothole. Lightweight Meilensteins are super stiff? Corner like on rails, great power transfer, feel safe on fast descents, etc.
It's not like the customers have any insight into each manufacturer's QC or design but if the price tag is high enough a lot of goodwill and trust will materialize. 'You get what you pay for' is the mantra repeated by all the same people who also complain about rising prices and 'big bike' marketing...

georges1

I have two carbon bars on my MTBs, both are Easton Hi Rise Monkey Lite SL Carbon Taperwall bars, will add another third same bar for my Trek Fuel. I value Easton carbon bars a lot especially for MTB for their lightness and rigidity.For my steel road bikes ITM Super Europa bars with ITM Goccia stems and for my alumnium road bikes 3T Mutant stems and 3T Mutant bars.

PeteHski

Well my perception of super-cheap, totally unbranded components is one of complete lottery and it can be assumed that no signficant QC was involved in the process. The best you can hope for is that it was over-engineered to avoid any potential failure.

Genuine branded, high-end components on the other hand are far more likely to have been designed and manufactured to a high standard. Of course you pay for that assurance, but that's the whole point. Some of the more reputable Chinese brands (particularly some of the wheel brands) are reducing this additional cost of assured quality, but that's a different story.

Jughed

And you have zero recourse if these off brand parts fail and cause a wreck/injury or damage to the rest of your bike.

I'm not a huge CF guy - personally don't really have a need for it. And since one of my first CF parts actually assploded and put me into the hospital - it makes me even more leery. That being said, I will/did buy a set of CF wheels from a major brand, and I do have a CF frame (albeit heavy and overbuilt) from a major brand - I will buy CF stuff in the future, but only from a major name brand with some backing...

The Chemist

Personally I don't see the point to carbon bars. My alloy bars from PRO have aero profile and internal routing at an insignificant weight penalty over carbon, and I'm happy to keep carbon to a minimum with just fork and wheels being more than enough carbon for me.

shelbyfv

I've read that the Ali bars are just the same as ENVE bars. At the end of the day they run off a few dozen extra, don't apply the ENVE label and sell them on Ali. Smart buyers can then avoid being ripped off by BigBar.

PeteHski

They are very good at vibration damping. When I moved to carbon bars on both my mtb and road bikes I noticed an improvement in this respect. The weight saving I agree is secondary and I didn't notice it.

Bald Paul

Where did you read that? Or is it more like "a friend's neighbors kid heard that...." type of thing?

rosefarts

There are YouTube videos of people trying to destroy knockoff carbon handlebars and were unable to do so.

It’s sort of reassuring.

Unfortunately, there is probably no quality control for these. So from a statistical perspective, you really can’t determine if the handlebars are going to last 15 years or break the first ride.

I think it’s important to categorize your knockoff gear before buying.

1. A failure will ruin your day, possibly injuring you, possibly injuring others you ride with. Death without too vivid of an imagination. Handlebars, wheels, frame

2. A failure would annoy the heck out of you and make it difficult to get back, especially on time. Seats, seatposts drivetrain

3. A failure may be uncomfortable or even simply fixed while on the road. Clothing, gloves, saddlebags, sunglasses.

Youve got to make these decisions for yourself and how far you ride from help also factors into that.

You also need to add up how much money it’ll cost you, especially if the part is likely to need replacement more frequently.

For me, I love my $12 long sleeve jerseys. That’s about it.

msu2001la

I love my Enve handlebars. They flex - that’s the point.
It’s just like the wings of a 787 hitting some turbulence.

SoSmellyAir

From my window seat, it seems to me that the winglet and tip of a 787 wing are noticeably higher in flight than when parked on the ground.

rosefarts

I think you're joking. Pretty sure anyway. If you're not, lets go through this again.

Most bike stuff is manufactured in China. It's built to exact spec's and to an expected price point. You then have a fairly reasonable expectation of quality.

For the knockoff stuff, you simply have no way of knowing whether it's being made in the same factory under a different label or whether it is being made elsewhere with no control other than the shape. Even if it is in the same factory, you can't know whether the product was tested, it's even possible that the knockoff stuff is the product that failed the tests.

I've had mixed results myself, not all carbon stuff but knockoff ebay/amazon products. I had a carbon fork that was a solid performer. A good dropper lever. A decent seat. All knockoffs. I also broke a seatpost on my first ride. Had some zippers fall off. Got two identical carbon bottle cages. One was perfect and the other dropped a bottle at the thought of a bump.

15 years ago I went to Greenland and wanted a camera for the adventure, charging would not be readily available. I bought 10 batteries online at a shipped cost of $6 each, rather than the $45 price for the OEM batteries for my camera. They all worked perfectly.

Like I said upthread though, I wouldn't gamble with my safety.

shelbyfv

Yes, a joke. Dates me though as it goes way back to when there was "serious" discussion of Pinarello vs Chinarello.

adlai

So far I’d argue that these aliexpress carbon handlebars are safer than metal bars.

reason is really simple: slippage. For metal bars I almost always undertorque the bolts and so going out they always slip forward.

shelbyfv

User error can happen with any product. Sounds as if you should invest in a torque wrench.

veganbikes

So they are safer because you cannot install bars correctly? That is the most backasswards logic I have heard in a while. They are not safer and will not get safer they are unknown random bars from a site that is more then happy to sell you anything at any price from anyone including people selling fakes and knockoffs and unsafe products. Think of it like a back alley bazaar in a very underdeveloped nation that is actually run by the richest most powerful criminal element in that country.

Torque your bolts properly and you won't have issues which is something you should do for any bar and stem on the planet.

SoSmellyAir

While I generally agree with not buying no name bars or any bars from AliExpress, China is not "a very underdeveloped nation" (or underdeveloped at all), nor is Jack Ma the head of "the richest most powerful criminal element in that country."

Liam_Lucas

Could running the cables externally, taped to the handlebar, be a viable solution? It would be a zero-cost fix. Otherwise, the options are either getting a new bar, new shifters, or new shifters along with derailleurs, which would incur additional costs.

Bald Paul

I think AliBaba Express has some super accurate torque wrenches available for $0.99 each.
Hey, you trust their handlebars, may as well put your life in the hands of a good tool as well.

tomato coupe

I can't imagine why this would be either an advantage or disadvantage.

veganbikes

Nope not what I was saying. I was not talking China or Jack Ma in terms of that analogy but Alibaba and his 40 thieves as a platform in like buying at that market. China is obviously a developed nation and Jack Ma is just an overly rich person who has fewer moral scruples but not necessarily a criminal.

rosefarts

Think about winter riding. Probably insignificant compared to wind. Between gloves and wraps, I don’t think it’s an issue.
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