I just purchased some decades old Cinelli Milano track bars. I paid $46 delivered on ebay and this was about the lowest price I saw in weeks of looking. Someone had used them with brake levers and scarred them up a bit. I sanded them down and polished them up until the tops were pristine and they will go on my new track project. The Cinelli stem I'm using came off a 1984 bike and I similarly had to polish them up. I'll use them for the next forty years until I die and then someone else will get them and be glad for the treasure. ... I think two years life expectancy for modern bars and stems compares less favorably to these timeless classics. Ebay sales stats have determined that used modern stems and bars are virtually worthless at least compared to their original price. I've sold two Colnago stems in the last year - both for over $250. I suspect that old carbon fiber will only be useful in the future to build nests by masochistic birds and to give a little extra sting in tomorrow's terrorists' nail bombs.
Garth Libre in Miami Florida USA