-- Investigators blame mysterious chemical reaction; expensive aftershave under microscope
Catastrophic failure or workshop Charlie - which is worse?
When it comes to handlebars the lesser evil is the evil white powder.
LABC legal counsel Marty T. had some explaining to do when Wallis Cycles removed handlebar tape to reveal what mechanic Stephen Wallis described as the worst erosion he'd ever seen.
Oxidation - so much that it covered the workshop floor.
What's more, the bars were thin and brittle and, in two places, even holed.
Witnesses wondered aloud about a chemical reaction - cleaning compound, sweat, and tape glue? Aftershave, even?
Dr of Bicycle Engineering Mike P. made a quick assessment:
"Carbon will not deteriorate in that way. When aluminium corrodes (oxidises/rusts) it turns into a white powder. So it's dust to dust stuff you are looking it, not mould. Aluminium is extremely reactive. Pure aluminium on exposure to air, instantly oxidises. Normally that oxidation (Aluminium Oxide) is quite stable, so a very thin layer keeps it shiny and protects the pure Aluminium underneath from oxidising further. It does continue to oxidise, but lacquer or even polish or oil will slow it right down. The reason it has rusted in this case is that the salt in sweat is a catalyst, so it keeps the oxidation right on going. The square hole - I'm picking it is just the incidental shape of a hole-through. Near the centre? Not sure. If a hole it is so bad it's hard to imagine the bars didn't break, or that they stayed straight. And a bit of luck we still have Marty."
Carbon or aluminium bars?
One view is that carbon develops hard to detect stress fractures and one day, BOOM, no hands horror.
Sure, aluminium eventually fails, weakening and bending, but it rarely snaps.
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