tick@Shasta.ARPA (08/27/85)
Does anyone have information and/or opinions concerning TTT handlebars and stems? Are they safe, reliable, and stiff? Are the bars drilled for internal routing of brake cable? Who sells them? Information from Lickton's Catalogue indicates the superleggro bar has a drop of 13cm. Why so shallow? What are the differences between the Break Away, New Record and Alloy stems? In relation to this, is it safe to drill Cinelli bars (if this question has been discussed before, I apologize)? Where and what size bit should be used? Evan
flip@osu-eddie.UUCP (Tom Phillips) (08/29/85)
... > and stems? Are they safe, reliable, and stiff? Are the bars drilled > for internal routing of brake cable? Who sells them? Information from ... > > In relation to this, is it safe to drill Cinelli bars (if this question > has been discussed before, I apologize)? Where and what size bit should > be used? > *** REPLACE THIS nuevo WITH YOUR super *** drilling... not a very good idea. on any brand bar, thinnest to thickest, you are fooling with the structural integrity of the bar. I have heard reports of bars failing at the hole and snapping and I have witnessed stress cracks around the holes on a friends bars. Im sure that there is a ( right ) way to do this but i'd rather leave it up to the people who know how than to risk sheering of part of the bar and ripping my self up. oh well... just an opinion. flip -- Flip Phillips The Ohio State University Computer Graphics Research Group ...!osu-cgrg!flip ...!osu-eddie!flip
diegob@cca.UUCP (Diego Gonzalez) (08/29/85)
All the popular bars on the market -- 3t, Nitto, SR, Specialized, and Cinelli -- are well made items when used as intended. The 3t are as strong as Cinelli, I believe, but may lack the finish work of the latter. Not all bars work with all stems, but the folks at a good shop as well as most catalogs will advise you on correct combinations. Now I know that some makers have drilled bars, stems, and frames for internal runs of cable and that it appears to be the latest fad. However, for very sound reasons, traditional bicycle designers have followed the practice of routing cables outside of the frame and components. Like the effective shape of the egg, the round form of tubes used in bike construction gain strength from uniformity of curvature. The curves tend to distribute stress more evenly than other shapes. Drilling holes in tubes like the alloy handlebars (especially when no reinforcing grommets are used) creates a point of weakness and poor stress distribution. Until such time as a manufacturer makes a specially strenthened bar for routing brake or shifter cables or both, I would continue to run such cables under the bar wrapping.
leimkuhl@uiucdcsp.Uiuc.ARPA (08/30/85)
Recently, digging through my stack of BICYCLINGs I read that you should never drill the bars if you weigh more than 160lbs or if you ride in the mountains. The latest research has shown that the shoulder/arm/frame interface is critically important for generating power (the biggest change in training for 84's olympic athletes was an upper body development program). Even though I weigh just 145lbs, I wouldn't want to take a chance on weakening the bar, in light of this discovery. TTT stems and bars are probably just as stiff as Cinelli if slightly less well known. After all, Colnago puts TTT stuff on all their bikes, and when I was in Italy recently, TTT was all I saw. I don't know about individual models, though. -Ben Leimkuhler
fred@varian.UUCP (Fred Klink) (09/03/85)
> Does anyone have information and/or opinions concerning TTT handlebars > and stems? Are they safe, reliable, and stiff? Are the bars drilled > for internal routing of brake cable? > > In relation to this, is it safe to drill Cinelli bars (if this question > has been discussed before, I apologize)? Where and what size bit should > be used? Both TTT and Cinelli are very good, reliable products which probably explains why you see them on most top-of-the-line racing bikes. Go to a good local shop-- they certainly carry both brands. Aero brake cables and handle-bar-end shift cables are generally routed under the *tape* not inside the bar. A hole in an alloy handlebar tube would be a point of weakness.
kjchapman@wateng.UUCP (Kevin J. Chapman) (09/09/85)
If I may deviate slightly from the topic: my 1.5-year-old
Miyata 1000 has recently started suffering from creaky handlebars.
They creak when I apply pressure on one side or the other, but not
both, which leads me to think that the stem or headset might be the problem.
I've tried tightening the stem clamp, but to no avail. Does anyone
have any ideas? If it will help, the bars are the alloy type with
a reinforcing tube in the centre (Sakae Road Champion Randonneur),
stem is an SR Royal, and headset is a Tange Levin sealed bearing.
Thanks in advance,
Kevin
P.S. Charges have been laid in the Calgary bike incident - I'll post the
article tomorrow if I remember to bring it in.
--
Kevin Chapman
Computer Communications Networks Group
Waterversity of Uniloo
'Loo, Ont., Canada