Hello all. Just got my bar cut at a LBS as i didnt want to mess with cutting carbon. I requested the 800mm bar to be cut down to 760mm. The two cuts are at different lengths, albeit small difference, uneven, and aren't the cleanest thing I've seen. There is fraying inside of one side and saw guide marring on the outside of both. I have a carpentry background, so it's hard to see a cut like this. Am I being reasonable in thinking this is sub par for $25? Or, am i being a dickhead?
by Tamahaac
10 Comments
Certainly sub-par work, I’d take it back to them and have them even it out on the longer end (and if you’re worried about the fraying/marring, even out both ends to make them nice. That’s mostly sandpaper work at this point.
Likely you’ll not even notice the length difference, that’s negligible. I’d be happy with this if I did it myself, but if I paid a bike shop to do it I’d have expected a better result than this.
Nothing structurally wrong with the bar and your grip covers it anyways. Personally i wouldn’t say its a big deal.
This is something I’d be happy with if I had done it myself. However, you’d expect better from “a pro”.
In all fairness, difference is really small, doubt you’ll feel it. If anything, you can offset your grips to make up the tiny difference.
Sub par for sure, not as clean as I’d like.
I’d go in and clean it up with a Dremel making sure I’m wearing a mask and vacuum out the carbon dust. Carbon dust is scary schtuff
It’s fine. If you want jobs like this done well, do them yourself.
Still, better than the time one of my mechanics cut the same side (of his own new bars) twice….
These discrepancies are going under your grips and will not be noticed visually or functionally. While it’s disappointing, I would ask myself “what’s do I want the LBS to do and what difference will it make?”
I’ve seen worse. Get yourself a sanding block with some 400+ sandpaper to flush the cut, and use a small piece to add a bevel to the edges when you’re done.
The saw guides from bike companies like Park are not great. They allow a decent amount of lateral saw movement within the guide. I much prefer the 3d printed guides I created for this purpose: https://www.printables.com/model/85140-saw-guide-collar-for-cutting-1-1-18-1-14-bike-stee
Cutting carbon is nothing to be afraid of. Just wear a mask and cut outside. Carbon blades are about $10, but a 32TPI or higher tooth count hacksaw blade will also work.
Wrap blue painters tape on the steerer and mark your cut on the tape. That will reduce dust and reduce external fraying. Clean the cut with high grit count sandpaper and/or a fine file.
It’s impossible to avoid tear-through entirely, but you can reduce it by cutting light and slow.
Damn they charged you $25 for that? My shop did it for $10 and it was a lot cleaner than that..
Looks like someone went at it with a junior hacksaw!