Hope Carbon Handlebar 35mm review

Hope’s new 35mm clamp-diameter Carbon Handlebar supersizes the brand's 31.8mm model and retails for a lofty £170/$215/€215.

Manufacturing as many of its products as possible in the UK, Hope has built up an enviable reputation for durability and fuss-free performance over the last few decades.

Hope is known best for aluminium components machined in-house. However, in recent years, the brand has branched out into carbon fibre manufacturing from scratch – something that's unusual in the UK.

First came its own high-end bike frames (such as the HB.916 and HB.130), alongside carbon handlebars such as this 35mm model.

Hope Carbon Handlebar 35mm specifications

This all-new 35mm bar joins the 31.8mm version Hope already offered, with both sizes coming in at 800mm wide.

It’s enduro-rated, but is claimed to offer DH strength, so should be suitable for any mountain bike, including the best electric mountain bikes.

The bar is finished beautifully with visible carbon weave and comes with indexed surface marking to cut down to 760mm. There are also markings to help position controls accurately.

The Carbon bar has a more bulbous shape than other mountain bike handlebars. This is intended to achieve a desired performance and flex profile, but the look may divide opinion.

Hope uses a special manufacturing process, where one of the main objectives was to produce a handlebar more compliant and comfortable than other overly stiff, filling-rattling oversized bars.

We’ve seen the Hope Carbon Handlebar being made in person. Various layers of pre-preg are laid up around a mould, which Hope’s carbon experts (who’ve previously worked on Team GB race bikes) have developed.

It features a rubberised sheath that's intended to enable better wrapping of the carbon sheets for a smoother finish. This should result in fewer crinkles and better compaction on the fibre after it’s cooked and cured.

The uncut 800mm-wide, 20mm-rise test bar weighed 244g.

Hope Carbon Handlebar 35mm performance

Hope’s 35mm bar feels rock solid and offers reassuringly sturdy steering, but is also calm and dull enough on chatter and repeated hits.

I’ve used the brand’s skinnier bar previously and, contrary to what many might expect, this fatter version is considerably less stiff.

The shape is a little less curvy than many equivalents, and tips the wrists and forearms out into a more ‘attacking’ position.

With your chest forward and weight towards the front tyre, it’s more like Renthal’s classic geometry.

This shape can also be an asset if you want to create a bit more space in a chassis that's slightly too small, but don’t want to switch out to a longer stem that might affect steering response too much.

Another major plus is Hope’s finish, which is one of the most durable I’ve ever seen on a carbon bar.

Grips and brake levers don’t scuff up the laminate and a set I’ve given a real hammering still look great.

Hope Carbon Handlebar 35mm bottom line

Assuming you like the bulging appearance and the straighter shape, Hope’s 35mm Carbon Handlebar is a good choice that rides great. It's high in quality and beautifully finished with a rock-hard surface that resists scuffing and scratching.

Being hand-made in England is great too. However, that contributes to the £170 price, which puts it up there as one of the most expensive carbon bars on the market.