That of course is true, if we were only trying to make the lightest, stiffest, structure (like a downtube).
But as this bar shows, in handle bars, we actually don’t want them too stiff, and we need a certain wall thickness for clamping stems, controls and grips, as well as impact resistance.
By the time you factor that in, I have not seen a big difference in weights for 35 vs 31.8 mm bars.
As a bike fitter, I really dislike 35 mm. For the first few years, there were no options for stems, now there are some, but still NOWHERE near the variety in angle, reach, and stack height of 31.8.
Add to that that bikes have gotten longer, so I am more often looking for the shortest possible cockpit for clients.
31.8 stems can be shorter than 35 mm ones.
June 29, 2023, 6:44 a.m. - Tjaard Breeuwer
That of course is true, if we were only trying to make the lightest, stiffest, structure (like a downtube). But as this bar shows, in handle bars, we actually don’t want them too stiff, and we need a certain wall thickness for clamping stems, controls and grips, as well as impact resistance. By the time you factor that in, I have not seen a big difference in weights for 35 vs 31.8 mm bars. As a bike fitter, I really dislike 35 mm. For the first few years, there were no options for stems, now there are some, but still NOWHERE near the variety in angle, reach, and stack height of 31.8. Add to that that bikes have gotten longer, so I am more often looking for the shortest possible cockpit for clients. 31.8 stems can be shorter than 35 mm ones.