off-road.cc

The RaceFace Next R 35 carbon handlebar is a sleek, hardwearing 35mm diameter bar ready for some rough enduro riding. It's light, comes in three rises and is well-tuned for damping down trail chatter, but it's still pretty stiff – and it's wide, too, with no scope for going below 750mm.

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The Next R 35 bar is 800mm long and fits 35mm clamps. We tested the 20mm rise version (10 and 35mm are available), cut down to its 750mm minimum using the handy cut lines. It has an 8° backsweep and 5° upsweep.

RaceFace aims the Next R 35 at all-mountain and enduro riding, but it's also rated for (far heavier) e-bikes too, which should give you some insight into the stiff, burly nature of this bar.

The 8° backsweep positions your hands and wrists well for efficient front-tyre loading on technical descents, and stays comfy for prolonged, enthusiastic sessions.

Made from unidirectional carbon, the bar has a matte clear coat which does an excellent job fending off scratches both from crashes and clamps. Plus it looks great... the Next R 35 is one of the best looking bars I've seen, in fact, and paired with a stubby Turbine R stem, it really does look smart. Thanks to that clear coat, it stays that way too. 

There are markings for stem alignment and, unsurprisingly, they work perfectly with RaceFace's own Turbine stem. It's unlikely they'll be obscured by other stems either. It's an easy bar to set up. 

That chunky 35mm central pipe is pretty stiff, as you'd expect, but the Next R doesn't transmit too much trail chatter, it's well damped.

I really don't think 60kg of me needs such hugely stiff bar, but I found no downsides and heavier riders could benefit. There's no choice of a similar bar in 31.8mm clamp for more flex though, as the Next 31.8mm is only available in 725mm – too narrow for most adult trail riders. 

If it's a really wide, light (215g) yet stiff bar for hard riding you're after, go for this. Alternatively, if you're happy with up to 760mm and only planning more typical trail or cross-country, the non-R model Next 35 bars will be a better fit.

At £125, the RaceFace Next R 35 is at the lower end of the price scale – carbon bars typically range between £100-£180 – making it good value as well as a stylish, high-performance option. 

• www.raceface.com

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