Race Face SIXC 35 35mm Rise Handlebar Carbon/Silver/White, 35mm, 820mm

There was a time when we doubted that 35mm handlebars would take off, they seemed too big, too stiff, and like another proprietary part that drifts through the masses and disappears. But that was before we rode with them, and discovered the truly improved handling you experience from a stiffer bar capable of steering your machine through tight ruts and bouldery rock gardens. Race Face has been in the 35mm game from the beginning, as a company of renegades from British Columbia who always push the limits, so it should be no surprise that they've got another iteration of their lightweight, stiff, carbon fiber 35mm bar, the Race Face SIXC 35, 35mm rise carbon handlebar. Race Face begins construction of the SIXC with unidirectional carbon fiber, allowing standards to be set high for durability without adding excessive weight. Counterintuitively, the wider dimension of the bar at the stem clamp allows for lighter weight, paired with having a stiffer interface. Because 35mm bars are so much stronger than 31. 8mm bars, Race Face's engineers are able to go back and remove large amounts of excess material, tapering it down on the ends without risking reduced torsional rigidity that might cause bending, twisting, and flex that we don't want from a bar. Collectively this comes together to make a lighter, stiffer, and stronger handlebar, which inarguably means a better handlebar. With the extra strength, stretching to wider standards becomes possible, and even though the bar comes in a super-wide 800mm length, with its tapered cut makes the bar both lighter and wider than the 31. 8mm version. With 35mm of rise this model is the highest version available, making it perfect for bomber laps of lift access DH and aggressive gravity riding.

Price: $184.99 from Backcountry