Twisted Engineering - Carbon Bars
- Thread starter bkwdc
- Start date
So those bars in the pics above are the Gen 2 style that just came out and unfortunately it appears that you are unable to see the cool CF weeve any longer. Not really a concern but I was digging the talking point.
I called Doug (there are 2 Dougs in charge at TE) and he told me all about the new Gen2 style and also mentioned they now cost more at $280/ set. I mentioned that they still showed $250 on his website to which he replied "it's getting changed tonight as all new orders have been Gen2 the last month which cost more to make". So I went ahead and submitted my order right then before the price increase occurred.
I have not received a tracking # yet but I believe they are all handmade once an order arrives.
I called Doug (there are 2 Dougs in charge at TE) and he told me all about the new Gen2 style and also mentioned they now cost more at $280/ set. I mentioned that they still showed $250 on his website to which he replied "it's getting changed tonight as all new orders have been Gen2 the last month which cost more to make". So I went ahead and submitted my order right then before the price increase occurred.
I have not received a tracking # yet but I believe they are all handmade once an order arrives.
swazi_matt
Active member
I just got off the phone with him and invited him to come to this forum to clear up some things.
I asked if this was a practical or theoretical concern. He said that plenty of people are using the BRP with the TE bars, but he has never cut one open to be sure there is no damage to the sleeve.
I asked if this was a practical or theoretical concern. He said that plenty of people are using the BRP with the TE bars, but he has never cut one open to be sure there is no damage to the sleeve.
Hi Guys, this is Doug Cain from Twisted Engineering. Sorry for the delay, I had to get permission from the site admin.
I first want to thank AZRickD for inviting me to your forum and everyone who has purchased our bars for the positive feedback. We appreciate any kind of feedback. Positive is always great, but negative is where we improve.
I was primarily asked to join to clear up questions regarding a rubberized mount set up, so I will do my best to do that. If both sides of the lower portion of the mount are manufactured from one piece or are physically tied together somehow there is no problem using one. However, if the mounts are individual that gives them the ability to twist and flex and not stay in line with the other clamp. When you have a rigid metal bar between them, that keeps the alignment. But when you have a bar that can flex the way ours do, that's what causes the problem. That constant flexing at the edges of the clamp have caused the aluminum sleeve, is some cases, to have stress cracks. This has only been in a few cases, and we don't actually know if any of that transfers into the underlying composites. That sleeve is very thin and serves no structural purpose at all, it's only for wear and labeling. We have not been able to evaluate the issue because the people that have sent us pictures regarding this are still running the same bars. For these reasons we don't recommend running any kind of individual flexible mount on our handlebars.
The other side of all that, is while I have no doubt those mounts are a good product, and do what they are intended to do, you won't need them. They may in fact take the natural feel we have designed into the bars and change it.
Thank you again for inviting me to this discussion. If any one has any further questions please don't hesitate to ask.
swazi_matt
Active member
Thanks for that and welcome
So next question, what is the upgrade to the new gen 2? Or was I right?
So next question, what is the upgrade to the new gen 2? Or was I right?
Lol. I had to laugh when I read that.
No...unfortunately its not helping the profits. People were concerned about the bars being able to snap off and leaving them stranded in the middle of the woods or a race. Definitely a legitimate concern, and as difficult as it would be to actually do that, we didn't want to hide behind the idea that aluminum bars can snap off too. So we went back to the drawing board and came up with this new design. This bar is next to impossible to actually snap off. That's not to say you can't damage it, because anything can be damaged. Howver if you actually crash hard enough to damage the bar you will still get home or possibly finish the race. Whatever the case may be.
I'm not going to get into exactly what we do for obvious reasons, but, this was accomplished by adding an almost indestructible "Twisted Core" to the bar and more materials in select locations. This also added a significant amount of time to the manufacturing process. Unfortunately that translates to higher cost.
Please keep the questions coming, we appreciate the opportunity to shed a little more light on our product.
The BRP sub mount has a solid base, so I will presume to say it is safe.
If I were to use my Protaper top mount, it would be even stronger and would give me a place to mount my speedo. I think the geometry to bolt on the inner guards is roughly equivalent with that generous slot cut out.
If I were to use my Protaper top mount, it would be even stronger and would give me a place to mount my speedo. I think the geometry to bolt on the inner guards is roughly equivalent with that generous slot cut out.
Any disadvantage to the other type of suspension bar?
The carbon bars both locates the grip and act as the spring(leaf type, sorta.) The other type uses portions of bar and pivots to locate the grip with a separate non-metal spring. Elastomers were used without dampers in the first mtn bike suspension forks because some damping was created by the exchange of energy to heat.
I personally like the simplicity (no moving parts) of the TE bars, but I wonder if your buddies missed anything form the flexx suspensions design.
Hi,
How does Twisted Engineering plan to address the issue with current international (FIM) enduro technical rules:
33.12
Handlebars made from carbon-carbon, carbon-kevlar and/or other composite
materials are not authorised.
It is clear that progress cannot be stopped but there is a definitely legitimate concern about neverending hunt for minimal weight and resulting compromises in reliability. Certification of some sort?
How does Twisted Engineering plan to address the issue with current international (FIM) enduro technical rules:
33.12
Handlebars made from carbon-carbon, carbon-kevlar and/or other composite
materials are not authorised.
It is clear that progress cannot be stopped but there is a definitely legitimate concern about neverending hunt for minimal weight and resulting compromises in reliability. Certification of some sort?
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