My handlebars came off while riding
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My handlebars came off while riding
Postby EugeneMorrow » Wed Jun 24, 2015 8:35 am
Lucky for me there was no traffic and I was going fairly slowly up hill. I feel over the front wheel (which I couldn't control anymore) and the handlebar column hit me above the groin. I have a tender spot there now, and otherwise just a few scratches. I am very lucky there were no cars at the time.
It was dark, and it took me a while to use my bike light to find a lug that is about half as long as my little finger and about as thick. It had come out and was lying on the road. I could get it back in, so I had to ring my wife who came and picked me up.
Has this happened to anyone else? Are Merida's known for this? Up until now I was really happy with the bike, but now I am worried that even when it is repaired, I will be wondering whether I can trust it, especially at speed.
Eugene
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Re: My handlebars came off while riding
Postby EugeneMorrow » Thu Jun 25, 2015 7:12 am
Eugene
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My handlebars came off while riding
Postby queequeg » Thu Jun 25, 2015 8:02 am
It's hard to know what actually happened to you, but it sounds like your stem actually came off (with the bars attached) the steerer tube?
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Re: My handlebars came off while riding
Postby Gunlock » Thu Jun 25, 2015 8:12 am
That sucker is nice and tight now...
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Re: My handlebars came off while riding
Postby shaky » Thu Jun 25, 2015 8:25 am
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Re: My handlebars came off while riding
Postby KGB » Thu Jun 25, 2015 9:07 am
These cheap adjustable stems look like a crappy design to me but the OP still should have noticed play in the hinge before they just fell apart.
Poor maintenance and a lucky escape.
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Re: My handlebars came off while riding
Postby EugeneMorrow » Fri Jun 26, 2015 9:32 am
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Re: My handlebars came off while riding
Postby darkhorse75 » Fri Jun 26, 2015 10:34 am
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Re: My handlebars came off while riding
Postby bychosis » Fri Jun 26, 2015 12:54 pm
+1. Pic's will help to get help.darkhorse75 wrote:I wouldn't be putting faith in a rubber band to keep me alive. Post a pic of the stem and handlebar arrangement so someone can help.
I've had loose bars before, typically on MTB after I've ocmpleted some maintenance and havent tightened everything up properly, typically because I don't want to over tighten. Fortunately I haven't had any incident as serious as bars coming off. They've rotated back a few times, twiseted on the stem once or twice. Usually a tweak with an allen key roadside (trailside?) has fixed things up promptly and off on my way.
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My handlebars came off while riding
Postby queequeg » Fri Jun 26, 2015 2:22 pm
It sounds like what you have is a threaded headset with a quill stem that is secured in place with an expanding wedge, which it tightened by a single bolt down the middle.EugeneMorrow wrote:I should have clarified: I have a Merida Crossway 100 bought in Jan 2011. The metal handlebars attach to the stem with a big lug that has a bold that screws inside it. Clearly made for easy removal of the handlebars for storage and transport. The stem has a rounded end poking forward with a hole in it. The handlebars have two parallel prongs with holes in it. The lug goes through prong-stem-prong. It's something I never paid attention to. I will check it in future - and I also think a rubber band might be useful. By holding the screw in, it won't come loose, so this should prevent the problem happening again. I love my Merida, and I accept now it was my fault for not checking this. A rubber band might make the handlebars completely reliable in future. Thanks for your stories - some of you are lucky like me that handlebar problems could have been worse.
Sort of like this:
That being the case, the only thing holding the stem in the steerer tube is the expansion of the wedge at the bottom, which achieved by tightening the bolt at the top. Always check it before you ride.
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Re: My handlebars came off while riding
Postby Derny Driver » Fri Jun 26, 2015 3:39 pm
Be aware that any stem which is secured by 2 steel bolts only requires one bolt to fail and you can have a disaster. I had a rider on an overseas race snap a bolt on a steep descent and the result wasn't pretty. He did pretty well going down that hill with his bars resting on the front wheel and steering with his knees. Slight difficulty turning the bottom corner though.
Lets just say he has been 'converted' to a 4 bolt stem man now.
Im a 4 bolt stem man too. you can get replacement titanium stem bolts on ebay to replace the steel ones if you want a bit more peace of mind.
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Re: My handlebars came off while riding
Postby queequeg » Fri Jun 26, 2015 10:54 pm
So, I think the OP is describing the scenario where the stem basically came into two parts at the hinge when the bolt fell out.
I have an R710 Oval Adjustable Stem that avoids that problem by making the whole pivot into a spline that slots together. It can't come apart just with the bolt coming out. The bolt holds the spline in place but doesn't hold the stem itself in position.
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