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The purpose of the 220 degree handlebar clamp is two-fold:
It may reduce the possibility of crimping the handlebar;
But the most important feature is it prevents catastrophic failure of the handlebar clamping function.
In a standard open-face handlebar clamp, if the faceplate or faceplate bolt breaks, the handlebars can completely detach from the stem. I've seen this happen several times*. With the C220 stem, the clamp wraps around the handlebar enough to keep the handlebar attached if the faceplate fails. If the faceplate fails, the handlebar will certainly rotate in the clamp, but at least it will stay attached (possibly preventing the rider from falling off the bike).
*This catastrophic failure is most common with 2 bolt face plates. With a 2 bolt faceplate, if 1 bolt fails, the handlebar will completely detach. This safety concern is why 2 bolt faceplates have almost entirely disappeared.
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