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steel, right?

Old 09-15-21, 01:34 PM
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cyrano138
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steel, right?

This is going to sound really stupid but I assumed these were aluminum bars. Looking at them I think they probably aren't? Feel free to tell me I'm dumb but if anybody could confirm that would be fun.


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Old 09-15-21, 01:41 PM
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Put a magnet on it to see. Aluminum is not magnetic, steel is. I would have guessed they were aluminum if they didn't have all that rusty stuff, but Also seems to be a very thin wall, which would be expected in steel. However, it might be difficult to determine the wall thickness, and the 'rust' might just be conveniently coloured residue from old bar tape.

The magnet is the key.
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Old 09-15-21, 02:10 PM
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Originally Posted by ClydeClydeson
Put a magnet on it to see. Aluminum is not magnetic, steel is. I would have guessed they were aluminum if they didn't have all that rusty stuff, but Also seems to be a very thin wall, which would be expected in steel. However, it might be difficult to determine the wall thickness, and the 'rust' might just be conveniently coloured residue from old bar tape.

The magnet is the key.
I didn't think to use a magnet cuz there are some kinds of stainless steel that aren't magnetic. Or so ever it. Anyway this one is definitely magnetic and the rest is definitely for real rust. Here's a picture after I wire brush to some of it off of the pitting.


To be 25.2 if my calipers are reading them right. Does that sound right? Is that an actual handlebar dimension from late '80s Taiwan Road bikes?
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Old 09-15-21, 02:23 PM
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Yeek!
That's a No-Ride recommendation from me!

FWIW, stainless steel is very rarely used in bike construction, with the exception of spokes and some expensive frames from boutique builders. Many stainless steels are less strong and harder to work with than cro-moly and its cousins, and corrosion of non-stainless steels is effectively halted with paint.
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Old 09-15-21, 02:46 PM
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Where are you measuring the 25.2? Typically when looking for others you go by the the diameter of the section the clamp grabs it at. Old bikes can be a lot of different diameters. But 25.4 wouldn't be an unreasonable guess. I'm surprised it's not written on them or stamped on the part that goes under the clamp.

I assume the thread title no longer matters. Or is that rust looking stuff just the remains of old tape or adhesive and the stuff that looks like pits just the angle of the picture?
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Old 09-15-21, 03:39 PM
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I found 2 ads for used "Sakae-Modolo Anotomic Bend" bars and both looked like and were listed as Aluminum with a clamp dia. of 25.4 which sounds correct. Sure does look like rust in the photos though so take some sandpaper and lightly sand off the "rust" to see what's underneath.

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Old 09-15-21, 03:48 PM
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The pictured SR bars are steel in the drops with an aluminium sleeve in the stem clamp area.
Measure the alu clamp section for stem fit. Some were 25.4mm, some approx 26.0mm.
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Old 09-15-21, 05:19 PM
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They're totes steel. I was confused for the same reason one of the responders above pointed out -- all the ones I had seen when I looked on eBay were aluminum. But these are about three times as heavy as the sakae champion aluminum bars that I have sitting around, magnetic, full of bad rust, and headed for the bin.

They do seem to be 25 point something. The calipers I have are not digital so it can be tough sometimes to figure out the difference between .2 and .4. I threw one of the bars I'm certain is 25.4 into the stem and it fit fine so I'll just replace it with 25.4 no matter what it was.

At least it'll save some weight on the bike. I had read some threads about the yakota legend and everybody was raving about how light it was, but I was pretty disappointed when I picked it up. Didn't seem any lighter than the carbolite 103 Peugeot I had previously built for my wife.
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Old 09-15-21, 05:33 PM
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Originally Posted by ClydeClydeson
Yeek!
That's a No-Ride recommendation from me!

FWIW, stainless steel is very rarely used in bike construction, with the exception of spokes and some expensive frames from boutique builders. Many stainless steels are less strong and harder to work with than cro-moly and its cousins, and corrosion of non-stainless steels is effectively halted with paint.
Thanks for the info...
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