Today while wiping my bars down the right hand drop broke off in my hand. When I removed the bar tape the amount of corrosion I found was pretty amazing.
The bars and tape were new in 2009 and I have mostly used this bike for rainy days and training rides on my rollers. About 6 months ago I noticed the bar tape on the right side drop was getting white from what appeared at the time to be sweat. From that point on I made sure I thoroughly wipe down the bike and bars with a damp cloth after every training ride.
In 2009 I had the LBS install the bars and as part of the process I had them move some 2004 Specialized handlebar gel pads to the new bars (under the tape). I think some of the gel leaked out over time and when mixed with water and sweat eats aluminum alloy? I don't think sweat and water alone could create this much corrosion.
The moral of the story is if you see something on your bike that doesn't look quite right it might not be right.
![Image]()
![Image]()
The bars and tape were new in 2009 and I have mostly used this bike for rainy days and training rides on my rollers. About 6 months ago I noticed the bar tape on the right side drop was getting white from what appeared at the time to be sweat. From that point on I made sure I thoroughly wipe down the bike and bars with a damp cloth after every training ride.
In 2009 I had the LBS install the bars and as part of the process I had them move some 2004 Specialized handlebar gel pads to the new bars (under the tape). I think some of the gel leaked out over time and when mixed with water and sweat eats aluminum alloy? I don't think sweat and water alone could create this much corrosion.
The moral of the story is if you see something on your bike that doesn't look quite right it might not be right.
