Here's an updated photo for a better perspective. I now have about 400-500 miles on my new Thomson road bars, in that time I have pulled as hard as I ever did on previous bars (back and forth on steep hills etc), and haven't noticed any deflection or anything to give me pause. They definitely feel more substantive than the bars I just took off (Zipp Contour SL which were a few grams heavier) but that's because there's more volume of bar in my hands, and not because they feel any "stiffer" in how I'd use that term. These are everyday bars, not that I'm a racer or anything like that. I go 185 pounds generally and they won't need any babying.