Over the last five or so years, the popularity of 35mm diameter handlebars seems to have surpassed that of 31. 8mm bars when it comes to gravity disciplines and aggressive trail riding. The larger clamp diameter ultimately means stronger, lighter bars, and results in a stiffer cockpit that's more impervious to flexing across rough terrain. The Atlas 35 35mm Rise Handlebar represents Race Face's top-end aluminum bar for these types of riding, and comes in a tall 35mm rise that keeps the head and torso slightly higher for better control on the descents. So how does a bigger bar clamp diameter make a bar both stiffer and lighter? The increased diameter of the bar at the clamp makes it inherently stronger and more resistant to deformation (twisting and bending). The strength gained by increasing the bar's diameter is disproportionately generous to the small amount of additional material used to do so, however, so now the engineers can go back and shave bar material to save more weight without compromising durability which, in the case of the folks at Race Face, is vastly more durability than most riders will ever need. The result is a super wide bar that manages outrageous strength, yet weighs hardly more, if more at all, than a comparable 31. 8mm bar. The 35mm-rise version of the Atlas 35 is the gravity-focused big brother of the 10mm-rise and 20mm-rise versions that are more focused on XC/trail and enduro/all-mountain riding, respectively.