The wide front plate of the Atlas AM clamps down snugly with a U-shaped join to the stem to leave an almost invisible mitre between the face plate and stem body. This adds strength, minimises the possibility of over-clamping the bars and gives an almost one-piece look that oozes quality.
The stainless steel bolts are pre-greased and the steerer clamp uses two diagonally opposing bolts to minimise stress on the steerer tube. The Atlas AM is CNC-machined from 6061 T6 billet, and while the CNC sculpting is admirable and edges neatly bevelled, it doesn’t look over-worked. Its 170g weight puts the AM in the heavier trail use category.
Riding, the AM felt robust and positive, with enough confidence to soak up drops. It felt stiff and seemed to transmit trail buzz to the bars more than others. Its CNC waisting, grooves and bevel edges made it trickier than normal to align it with the front wheel when fitting though. Odd but true!