Deity has only recently offered bigger bore, 35mm diameter, handlebars. The range includes two carbon options, with the Skywire here the lighter weight enduro/all-mountain model.

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It’s light at just under 230g for a full 800mm wide bar, and the pricing is comparable to popular rivals like the RaceFace SixC carbon bar I swapped out for it. Neat details Deity added include a textured, non-slip, stem clamp area, and also similarly textured end segments to help prevent grips spinning.

In order to save weight and add comfort, there are slightly fewer multiple uni-directional carbon plies here than in the brand’s DH bar claimed as the ‘world’s strongest carbon bar’. The Skywire has 9-degree backsweep, which is one degree more than I usually prefer, but, rolling the bar, it was actually easy to find a perfect angle, which isn’t always the case when numbers aren’t what you’re used to.

Using Deity’s own stiff, wide-clamping, 35mm reach stem, my cockpit felt noticeably more solid than with the Race Face SixC/Atlas set up previously. Skywire steering feels very direct and precise, with slightly less compliance and flex at the bar than the comfiest carbon bars, but damping still feels good, without too much vibration and sharpness feeding back into hands.

Overall Deity has struck a really good balance between stiffness, responsiveness and comfort (for my aggressive riding style and 83kg weight anyway), but the brand’s 35mm Skywire set up might feel a bit too muscular and unyielding for lighter and/or slower riders that don’t push that hard.