Importance of Safety-Critical Bike Components

It’s common to hear horror stories about component failures that won't just leave you stranded, but can directly lead to injury, or, in rare cases, even worse.

I often hear people warn against messing around with “safety-critical components” such as steerer tubes and handlebars, but that it’s fine to buy cheap copies of other, less-critical, parts.

Now, I don’t want to sound like an anxious, fear-mongering, panphobe, but I’m increasingly of the opinion that