New handlebars are way cheaper than a new face.
this post was submitted on 12 Aug 2025
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That's not a handlebar. That's a handled it bar, but won't any longer. Send it into retirement.
It deserves Valhalla. Shiny and Chrome!
holditbar
How did you even do that? Did a Xenomorph bleed on it? I left my bike in a leaky shed for 20 years and with a couple of squirts of WD40 it's more or less fine. Yours looks like you kept it in a canal.
Their handlebar is curved like that to stop it from going in too deep..
Sweat from a bike trainer. Outdoor sun usually dries it out, but unless your trainer is in AC, the bike doesn't dry. If the tape is left damp and salty every time it's hard to see the corrosion until it's too late. Happens faster than you'd think. We often put wash cloths/flannels over our bars on the trainer, then set the fan timer to 30m after to dry things out.
or got shot.
It's sweat
Is it time? No. The time was long ago. But the second best time is now. Worship the one you have now as the holey relic that it is, may its iron oxide be ever developing.
A sharp left turn may reveal, in dramatic fashion, that the handlebar is not all right. There's a dead branch dangling on the end. Things are not likely to turn out well for this biker.
That's alumin(i)um oxide though
You're one pothole away from kissing your stem.
Perfect hole for internal cable routing!
But seriously: I’m impressed and glad you found it out now! Do you leave your bike outside under rain and sun or is it due to sweat?
It was primarily kept inside a garage, usually on a wahoo Kicker, so that is all sweat. I guess after my virtual rides in the garare it didn't have enough time to dry off and would just sit in sweat. I did have a IRL crash recently (see my post history) on that side of the bike, so it's also possible the hole came from that as well.
TIL sweat can cause that much damage to aluminum.
The other side seems fine. I think that side may have been compromised a few years back when I had it up on a stand and it fell over.
So like a scratch in the coating (anodized layer I suppose) that let the salty liquids corrode the aluminum, right? Interesting, thanks for posting :)
IDK... It looks pretty grippy textured as is. 🤷♂️
No. Its just salt from your sweat. Hit it with some tap water and brush.
I don't think that hole in the bar is going to brush off.
You don't know that /s
Just put in some ramen and epoxy. I saw it on the internet, so it must be correct.
/k/ meets r/bikewrench
Hmm. I thought it was just a piece of salt that broke off..?
Notice the absence of light reflecting off that spot, even with the harsh lighting. At that angle and with a spot that large it looks to me like it would be visible if it were still solid. It actually kinda looks like there might be some smaller holes forming just above it in the photo too.
The handlebar is fucked,. I did have a crash recently on that side of the bike (see my post history) so I'm lucky it didn't completely fail on me then.
that'll buff out
If you don't want to end up as meat crayon, yes. My handlebar broke while driving due to rust, and it was no fun.
You can prevent this. I could not, the fucker rusted from the inside out...
Nah!
You were sitting on a ticking bomb that whole time
Can you ride your bike with no handlebars, no handlebars? 🎵
Look at me, look at me 🎶
Maybe
Pff, don't listen to all these hater, jbweld it, putty it, sand it, paint it, and send it.
Jk i hope you get a new one soon.
Handlebar grip tape has always struck me as the ultimate obsolete invention. Those foam sheaths are more comfortable and they also don't fall off.