Spotlight on handlebars

Contents:

Broken handlebars

Victim's accounts

Theories

The different faces of Aluminium (scientific)

Given that handlebars and rims are both aluminium, why are there relatively many instantly broken handlebars, while rims, subject to the same forces, even weakened by abbasive brake blocks, are so reluctant to give up in a streak of death?

Cures

Alternative handlebars

Rotating the handlebars

Bar ends

Ka Lun Tam, Feb 2000:
Bar ends refer to additions made at the end of mountainbike ( or other straight) handlebars. Essentially, they are extra lengths of handlebars that point forward at the end of the handlebars, giving the cyclist more hand positions with which to ride.

Handgrips

Twist-grip or other gear changer for the 5 speed hub

Stem (steering column) failure

The breaking of a Brompton's front stem appeared in a tale of horror (Stories featuring Bromptons (all true) - Catastrophic failure of Brompton in traffic). Here's useful information from the discussion that followed: