Australian Mountain Bike – August 01, 2019

90 - AMB

TESTED

WORDS: BEN MORRISON PHOTOS: NICK WAYGOOD

Deity’s approach to the 35mm clamp bar and

stem has been one where they have taken

things a little slower to make sure 35mm was

really a benefit before introducing it across

their range. This is something I experienced

firsthand during our group handlebar test

where some brands sent both 31.8 and 35mm

versions of the same bar. Often finding the

35mm too stiff and unforgiving for a trail

bike and leaving me thinking was 35mm just

marketing hype? Off the back of that group test

in my mind the best overall bar was actually

Deity’s Skyline 787 bar, yep an alloy bar with a

31.8mm clamp size and not expensive.

Fast forward to 2019 and the opportunity

came up to try Deity’s 35mm options and again

as with the group test it was up to me what

bars I wanted to try. Having spent a year on

the Skyline 787, I opted for the Ridgeline alloy

bar to see if Deity had done their homework

and released a 35mm bar that wasn’t going to

rattle me apart.

I used a matching 35mm Deity Copperhead

stem, the same model and length as I used

with the 31.8mm clamp size for the Skyline 787

bar. This allowed me to set things up almost

100% the same when changing out bar and

stem to move to the 35mm clamp size. With

grips and controls installed on the new bars

everything feels very much the same when

sitting on your bike (note the 35mm stem

was slightly thicker than the 31.8mm and I

no longer had use of the 10mm space on top

of the stem). During the course of using the

Ridgeline bar I was lucky enough to use them

in some rather amazing locations such as

Maydena and Bright along with local trails in

and around Canberra. One thing that has to

be said about these bars is that while not the

most expensive bars in the Deity line up they

definitely perform higher than their price tag.

Deity were able to create a set of handlebars

that even with a 35mm clap size offers

excellent ride comfort and stability at the same

time. The Ridgeline can actually been seen to

flex when bouncing around on your bike but

you don’t feel this during the ride and here in

lies the beauty of what Deity have done with

their 35mm handlebars, stiffness and comfort

in 1 package.

A handlebar that is too stiff can really wreck

your setup no matter how much it cost. It may

look cool and it may even feel right in your

hands with the bend you like, but if it is too stiff

for you it’s a waste of money. When it comes

to bridging that gap of stiffness brought on by

the large 35mm clamp size I think it was worth

the wait. Eric and the team at Deity have done

a really outstanding job with bars that will fit

most budgets and riding styles be you after

carbon or aluminium.

Deity Ridgeline

35mm bar and

Copperhead stem

HITS

Smartdesignfor35mm

Excellentridefeel

Topnotchsweep and rise

MISSES

You still might not need 35mm

RRP:35MMRIDGELINEBARS$134.95

35MM COPPERHEAD STEM $159.95

FROM: LUSTYINDUSTRIES.COM