Race Face Atlas AM Handlebar Reviews
Reviews of Race Face's Atlas AM all-mountain low riser handlebar.
Versatility; that's what the Atlas Line up is all about. If you're the type of rider who wants to take their 4-5 inch travel bike on some epic technical singletrack one day, then some light freeriding the next, look no further than Atlas. Manufactured using high strength alloys, and highly engineered to maximise the strength to weight ratio. The Race Face Atlas products are built to conquer mountains, regardless of whether you're going up or down.
Media Reviews:
What MTB Magazine October 2007
We've been using the matching Atlas bar and its cheaper Evolve brother for a while and it's the nicest pipe we've had our hands on in ages. Wide, with barely any rise at all (19mm to be exact) but a very long taper and plenty of backsweep it's fantastic for lowering the front end of a long travel bike without losing any control. It's just flexy enough to hammer all day without losing accurate feedback or leverage in live or die situations. There are handy cut marks in the shot peened surface if you need to chop it down a bit too.
What MTB Verdict: Super low, wide and a great stiffness/comfort blend - 9/10
What MTB Gold Award
What MTB Magazine October 2007
Best All-Round Bar Winner: What MTB Awards 2007
Wide and strong enough for full ragged edge leverage, low and light enough to keep your aggression nailed onto the ground, we love Race Face's new AM bars. If you can't quite afford the Atlas then the Evolve uses the same sweet shape too.
www.bikemagic.com August 2007
Tested with Race Face Deus XC Stem
Atlas is the range to go to if you want a light yet tough product, and recently the range welcomed a low-riser bar. Race Face was one of the first companies to recognise the need for a lower rise all-mountain handlebar for bikes with increasing amounts of travel and jacked-up front-ends. And for 270g the weight isn't particularly portly. Only available in 31.8mm, you get 27in (690mm) of cold drawn, seamless air alloy with an agreeable 9° rearward sweep and a 6° upward rise. Cut marks printed on the shot-peened surface make for easy trimming of the length, and for the obsessive the marks even tell you how much weight you're saving for each bit cut off.
We fitted these items to our long-termer Enduro, our all-mountain/crash-wallop bike that gets used for testing all manner of kit, and they've stood up just fine. It's hard to detect an increase in stiffness over our previous setup, but there's certainly no loss of stiffness. Bar shape and width is, like saddles, a personal thing, but we really liked the shape of the Atlas bars. Just enough back sweep and a generous width for piloting the bike through anything.
When we received these bits Race Face didn't produce a matching Atlas stem, so we got the Deus instead. Race Face launched an Atlas stem last year though, so you can now get an all all-mountain front-end for your bike. While there are cheaper options around, that extra money gets you an increased attention to detail and the knowledge that the kit is going to last - as well as a huge range of sizes.
Bikemagic Verdict: Performing faultlessly throughout our extended test, we couldn't find any faults. Tough, rugged and reliable yet light are the keywords here.
Performance: 5/5
Value: 5/5
Overall: 5/5
Bikemagic Rated Award
Race Face has a strong following in the 'freeride/all mountain' world and this bar should find lots of fans there. The low rise prevents the front end of big forked bikes becoming too high (it's Against The Law to run flat bars on a full susser apparently...) and the generous sweep helps to keep your weight back for descending. The width is spot-on for tight and twisty descending. A sound bit of kit at an OK price.
Singletrack Recommended Singletrack Verdict: The Race Face Atlas does a sterling job for the 'freeride/all mountain' crew. Singletrack Magazine April 2006
Over the last few years we've seen front travel on trail bikes increase from four to five to six inches of travel. This has had a knock-on-effect on the height of the front end of most bikes, because increased travel means a longer fork. Some frame manufacturers are running zero-stack headsets to combat the high-tower effect, but the only other solution is a flatter stem and a 'low rise' riser bar. Race face's Atlas LR bar is one of these new 'low rise' all-mountain risers designed for long travel trail bikes.
Like most Race Face bars it's made of cold drawn, seamless air alloy and has a shot peened surface for increased fatigue life. It's only available in a 31.8 diameter but starts out at a whopping 680mm wide, so can be trimmed to fit. Upsweep and backsweep is down to personal preference but we liked the overall shape of the Atlas. Cut lines are marked on the ends of the bar and, for the weight weenies, Race Face has printed on how much each inch weighs.
Verdict: 9/10
Mountain Bike Rider April 2006
To purchase the Race Face Atlas Low Riser Bar please visit one of our Race Face Components Authorised Dealers