There were years where we questioned the validity and longevity of 35mm handlebars, but those days have come and gone. 35mm bars have become the new norm, with the stiffness afforded that provides maximum control of your machine, and wider, lighter bars becoming easier to access. Race Face, of course, isn't new to the game, as they've been pushing the envelope to build beefier components for years. They are back again with another iteration of the Race Face SIXC 35 20mm Rise Carbon Handlebar, allowing us to eagerly tackle the mountain with lightweight stiffness that reminds us of why we swapped our bars in the first place.

Race Face begins the construction 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 despite 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 820mm length, with its tapered cut makes the bar both lighter and wider than the 31.8mm version. Falling in beteen the 35-mm DH rise, and eager 10-mm rise of the XC oriented bar, the 20-mm rise of this model allows for the perfect balance of control and shred-ready strength.