Handlebars

[Stew]

Would you know if the Ritchey WCS Curve is stiffer than the Deda Zero 100 bars?

[ziscwg]

The only real way would be to put both on the bike and have a realistic load put on there and measure the deflection. That's rather an expensive way to go.

If you can get a hold of both in a shop, you could try a twist with both hands on the end of the bars. You could see how flexible they are that way. It might be tough to tell though is they are real close. Carbon isn't always stiffer than Al either.

[ronf100]

Check out these two reviews and see if they help:
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/catego...and-stem-45174

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/catego...xis-stem-45173

[AndrwSwitch]

Would you know if the Ritchey WCS Curve is stiffer than the Deda Zero 100 bars?

I'd talk Ritchey and Deda (and maybe some other companies) into giving me some handlebars to break. Getting a faculty member with a PhD behind his name might help...

I'd identify the loading directions of interest and put some strain gauges on them. Using a jig involving a load cell, I would slowly increase the load, recording the applied force and the strain at each gauge, until each handlebar broke.

I'd try to talk someone into publishing it. Thank Ritchey, Deda, and whoever else gave me a bar profusely, to try to insure that when someone asked me how I'd tell which stem is stiffer, I'd have a way to figure it out.

[looigi]

You guys are over complicating it. I'd put the bars in the vise on a mill with a clamp around their center (as they are clamped by a stem), put a dial indicator against the end, and push on the end of the bars with with a known load. I could set this up and do it in about 20 minutes. I happen to have Deda Zero 100 bars on my bike, but no access to the Ritchey bars in question for comparison. However, FWIW, I don't believe bar flex to be an issue and as such, no interest in setting this up and doing it.