Home > Bike Types > Mountain Bike

Race Face Does the Big Tease for 35mm Handlebars, Stems

29 Comments
Support us! Bikerumor may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn More

raceface-atlas-35mm-stem-2014

Race Face just gave us a little sneak peek at their upcoming 35mm bar and stem lineup. The new parts will span their SixC, Next, Atlas and Turbine groups. That likely means a wide range of carbon and alloy options for all manner of riding, from XC to aggressive North Shore shredding.

Shown above is the Atlas 35 stem. More pics and items below, details as we get them…

raceface-atlas-35mm-stem-2014

raceface-atlas-35mm-stem-2014

raceface-SixC-Next-carbon-35mm-handlebars-2014

Nice to see the versatile but lightweight SixC go big with three different rise options.

raceface-SixC-Next-carbon-35mm-handlebars-2014

raceface-SixC-Next-carbon-35mm-handlebars-2014c

The modern 35mm standard was first introduced by Deda Elementi, and we’ve got a few of those items on test. Then Easton dropped a couple options on us at Crankworx two years ago (well, sort of, the official announcement came a bit later).

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

29 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
pants and jacket
pants and jacket
10 years ago

oh for gods sake

Menga
Menga
10 years ago

I thought it would be 38mm handlebars.

joe
joe
10 years ago

hahahah exactly

MotoPete
MotoPete
10 years ago

I am addicted to new technology……. but the bike industry has to go easy on the ‘Local Bike Shop” with all these new standards. question: How many different bottom brackets should your local bike shop have in inventory, so when you need one last minute, you don’t think they suck?

bin judgin
bin judgin
10 years ago

just what i’ve always wanted, a stiffer handlebar! wait what?

filibuster cash
filibuster cash
10 years ago

Two current clamp options is a lot? I don’t think it is. We handled the change to 31.8, and we’ll handle the addition of 35.0. We don’t know if this will stick, or supplant 31.8, but if it does either, it will be no big deal. A good deal of shops only stock cursory options anyway, because there’s too much diversity and personal preference. As far as bottom brackets go, though, I agree. I’m still happy with JIS. BB30, though noticeably stiffer than all other options, is a pain. Direct spindle-to-bearing-to-frame contact is just asking for it. Ham-fist the first installation (guilty), and the bb click will never go away. As far as the other press-fit options go, I cannot keep them straight. Making the highest torque part on the frame plastic just worsens the problems.

WHilgenberg
10 years ago

Why? 25.4 was stiff enough and they went to 31.8. Now we are going to 35? I think this is not at all necessary…

fanboy
fanboy
10 years ago

let’s not talk about headset “standards” either.

Champs
Champs
10 years ago

Yet where riders put most weight and power, we carry on with the 9/16″ pedal spindle.

Frank
Frank
10 years ago

“Yet where riders put most weight and power, we carry on with the 9/16″ pedal spindle.”

Shhhhhhhhhh! They’ll hear you.

I dunno. I think there is some merit to this 35mm thing. I mean, it’s slightly more than 10% larger in diameter, so it must be magically “lighter and stiffer” – as we all know that larger-diameter-parts-that-we-don’t-yet-own always are.

29only
29only
10 years ago

I love it when the word “standard(s)” being used on bicycles.
Feels like pedaling 85mph

Charlie Best
Charlie Best
10 years ago

At the store I work at we can get most parts from our suppliers within 24 hours, we don’t find it necessary to keep “one of everything”.

This might be progress, it might be cynical attempt to briefly corner a market that supplies new tech hungry riders with deep pockets. Time will tell, but it’s not really worth getting upset about.

BB30 – yeah, it’s not great. As a mechanic the 10 minutes it takes me to replace an Hollowtech/GXP/Ultra Torque outboard BB and the reasonable replacement price puts the threaded shell and outboard cup system at the summit of modern BB technology.

Loyd Flanders
Loyd Flanders
10 years ago

This is [deleted]!

Loyd Flanders
Loyd Flanders
10 years ago

Also show us the engineering behind all this. Larger Outer diameter means nothing with out a discussion about wall thickness and mass. This is just pure marketing. Bring back 25.4 is say!!
So bogus

RideBeerSleep
RideBeerSleep
10 years ago

I think I am going to hold out for 36mm bars to match the soon be best thing ever of 36″ wheels.

Quinn
Quinn
10 years ago

I’m with Loyd this is Total [deleted], 25.4 is Fine for Most applications, 31.8 is Definitely strong enough, and if it isn’t I want to see metallurgical advances Not simply a marketing ploy

Alex
Alex
10 years ago

Will they be offering the stem in the longer 60 and 70mm lengths?

1Pro
1Pro
10 years ago

holy cow. some of you luddites ain’t even stuck in the 90’s. you’re stuck in the 50’s or worse, your great grandmothers womb.

i think it would be entirely acceptable if every bike brand had a unique BB, HS… etc for each model. who cares. does the EGR valve on your ’09 mazda 3 fit your friends ’96 civic? no. it probably doesn’t even fit the same year mazda of a diff model.

bin judgin
bin judgin
10 years ago

ah the infamous car to bike comparisons.

Luke
Luke
10 years ago

I do find that a bigger bar improves stiffness immeasurably when there’s a 2.4″ balloon of rubber twisting about on the ground and 160mm of fork stanchion hanging out of my fork lowers. Oh, wait. No. No it doesn’t. I was also happy on 25.4mm, one of my bikes still runs it, and this constant strive for “bigger” in the bar/stem area is utterly pointless on mountain bikes. On road bikes it’s another story, though.

captain derp
captain derp
10 years ago

25.4 clamps aren’t sufficient for bars that are 730mm or wider, just doesn’t create a stiff enough interface.

Sevo
Sevo
10 years ago

While I hate new standards and agree with point about how that affects local shops potentially.

But…I held out on 31.8, but would never go back to anything smaller now. 35mm bars actually are based off sound engineering. Easton for instance was able to make bars lighter, stiffer, and beat their standards.

31.8 was a blessing for shops. Prior, mtb stems had a different spec than road. Road had two different standards. Now only one stem is needed for stock.

Does everyone need it? Probably not. But I’m 220lbs and 6’2″. I like BB40, tapered steerers, big posts, and excited for 35. Doesn’t mean you should, but it works for me.

EpicThroatBeard
EpicThroatBeard
10 years ago

y’all are over looking some of the secondary values of the changes in “standards”.
On one level it helps decrease the amount of old, horrible parts with questionable provenance. If you work in a shop you know what i’m talking here.
On another level we are pushing our builders to work within confines that were set sometimes 50 years ago. There are many things that we can do with bikes if we open the standards. 35mm bar clamp has a huge affect on the stem as well. it really lets the designers get moret from the materials.
Some new things will stick and some new things will fall.
too much typing, i’m going to hit laps of the Whistler park on my Joshua Z0.
wish we luck, there is no way these tried and true standards are going to fail me today.

Tandumb
Tandumb
10 years ago

You know when this will all truly sucketh? When the zombie apocalypse hits and we’ll all be scavenging a wide grey wasteland looking for random parts to keep our bikes rolling, all while staying on the run from zombies… …”Amen! A handlebar! Yes, I can finally.. wait… whuuuat? It won’t fit my stem!?!? Must. cram. bar. into. stem…. Aaaaaaaaarrrrgh!” Crunch! – as a zombie chomps my ankle.

Until then, I say bring on the evolution of bike part awesomeness. I love me some mail-order goodies.

ccolagio
ccolagio
10 years ago

Deda first got into the 35mm and for road – i could see this actually making sense. it gives you a nice large bar diameter on your flats and makes it more comfortable for those who prefer a large grip. that sounds fantastic. But for MTB – i dont see the point. i highly doubt anyone has wanted a stiffer interface than 31.8 can offer and handlebars are already at 780+mm in width so i doubt they really need to go any wider unless you are 7ft tall – then finding any bike that fits is an issue.

patrik
patrik
10 years ago

First one to 40 wins!

Rain
Rain
10 years ago

more space to mount mandatory micro switches for electronic doodads and assorted gizmology. Maybe all the batteries can go inside and the exposed surfaces can be solar panels.

Whatever

evil
10 years ago

1st the bars got longer-now bigger around…….can I gets some of that stuff?

djconnel
10 years ago

I agree: this is dumb even on a road bike. I pedal with my legs, not my arms. I don’t even know why I’d want super-stiff bars: a bit of flex = vibration reduction = more comfort.

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.