Steel bars-are they more comfy/reducing vibrations better?

[fearfactoryüberalles]

I was wondering the other day that I must build a top-end steel rigid bike with steel seatpost-stem-bars (forks are also steel of course). I got most of the parts for a rare Panasonic anyway, but the main dilemma remains: On paper, as steel materials can be more flexible than alu alloys, there should be a comfort factor I guess.

Is there any benefit regarding comfort/reducing bad vibrations :twisted: ? Also, steel stems/seatpost can be fairly light, but bars tend to be heavy and hard to get in decent sizes. Though corrosion can be a factor, but old/used alu alloy' fatigue is somehow more frightening to me :facepalm: Any experience with these parts, compared to other alu alloy materials?

Also, anyone knows a set of readily available, NOS or newly made good steel straight handlebars, min. 560 mm long and about 250 gr. or less weight, please? Some sellers are quite shy about the weight of these bars, it seems.

Cheers,
Endre

 

[TheAntsPants]

Re:

Unless you're really set on steel, I would recommend the Bontrager Titec titanium bars like the ones that came on some mid-90s Konas. Because it relies on a spacer instead of increasing diameter at the stem area, and because it's Ti, it feels like a noodle in my experience.

Diameter, wall thickness, material and bar length will all affect flexiness. You should also consider how much weight you put on your bars. If you have an upright position, it may not be worth worrying about. Or just use a fatter tyre at lower pressure.

 

[fearfactoryüberalles]

Thanks for the info. I might have a TITEC set in my stock, I'll see how it goes!

 

[Johnsqual]

Re:

Ergotec makes steel handlebars in all kinds of weird shapes and lengths. Not light: a look at their pages suggests that 480g is about the lightest steel bar they do. Cheap though, so maybe worth a try if you want to experiment. I experimented with a set of their stuttgarter bars on a commuter bike. Sold them on because I didn't like the shape but there was nothing wrong with the quality.

https://www.ergotec.de/en/products/lenk ... enker.html

 

[fearfactoryüberalles]

Re: Re:

Ergotec makes steel handlebars in all kinds of weird shapes and lengths. Not light: a look at their pages suggests that 480g is about the lightest steel bar they do. Cheap though, so maybe worth a try if you want to experiment. I experimented with a set of their stuttgarter bars on a commuter bike. Sold them on because I didn't like the shape but there was nothing wrong with the quality.

https://www.ergotec.de/en/products/lenk ... enker.html

Thanks, I've considered them, as Ergotec is a good brand anyway. But as the cockpit will include 1" Ritchey Logic forks and a sub 180 gr. steel stem it might be a bit of an overkill using bars that weigh that much. I'd like to use thin, butted steel 'bars to see how they work, but getting them seems rather difficult.

 

[hamster]

Any comfort factor is dwarfed by shock absorption from tyres.