February 23rd, 2011

Review: Renthal Duo Stem and DMR Vault Pedals

By Olly Forster in Renthal,Reviews

Renthal Duo Stem.

The Renthal Duo stem is not your average stem in any way shape or form and represents a completely new take on stem design. Designed and manufactured in a unique and ingenious way that reduces the overall weight without affecting the overall strength, the designers at Renthal took a radical approach to an everyday product by cutting it horizontally from the handlebar clamp to the to the pinch bolts at the rear. This process allows for greater access to the stem’s inner core and removing any unneeded material that previously would have been impossible to do without compromising strength. The Duo stem is made from top quality 6082 T6 aluminium and is available in a friendly 50mm reach with a 10 degree rise and comes in a sweet matt gold and gloss black colour way that really pops!

The Duo comes in at just over 130g, which is pretty much nothing and at the end of the day, it all helps with keeping your bike light and ultimately fast! Utilizing a unique ‘U’ shaped handlebar clamp which is designed to reduce any undue stresses being transfered from the stem, the Duo has been designed from the ground up to exceed the demands of the rider who needs to know their bike won’t fail out on the trail. When handling the stem for the first time and installing it on your bike it becomes pretty apparent that the level of manufacturing, overall appearance and the finish, is of the highest quality, but some may find the design fiddly, especially if you frequently swap between bars as you will need to undo all 6 bolts on the stem and the headcap bolt to release the bars. This didn’t bother me as I don’t swap bars very often and your only talking an extra minute of your life here, which is neither here nor there when you look at just how light this is.

The Duo stem represents innovative British engineering at its best and it’s great to see an established and dominant MX brand like Renthal, take mountain biking seriously and produce such great products such as this one. Overall the Duo Stem has seriously impressed me with both its low weight and quality of manufacturing and if your looking to save weight and have a stem which hands down looks amazing with the features and performance to boot, look no further – available now from all good Renthal and Ison Distribution dealers for £80GBP

For more information head over to Renthal

DMR Vault Pedals

I can remember buying my first pair of DMR pedals back in 97/98 and back then, they were simply the only choice in quality platform pedals in an industry obsessed with disco slippers and devil pedals, but thankfully times have changed and the platform pedal movement has grown from strength to strength. DMR’s first pedals, the original V12′s with their bright orange bodies and blue end caps, were also one of their original products and the V12 proved so successful that it remained, to the untrained eye that is, very similar to it’s original shape and feel for the last 14 years! The Vault pedal is their latest offering to the platform pedal market and the first pedal to significantly move away from the V12′s traditional shape and more importantly, size.

The Vaults are massive! At 115 x 115mm they dwarf everything DMR has previously released and stand shoulder to shoulder with their main competitors on the burly pedal front, but at 350 grams, the Vaults are pretty light to say the least. The main body is made from 6061 aluminium with a large concave foot bed to increase stability and feel while the overall shape aids in effortlessly shedding mud. The main body is also only 17mm thick, which obviously makes for a light pedal, but ultimately on modern bikes with their low BB heights, it also increases clearance. The Vault’s are also fully serviceable, running on a DU bush and cartridge bearing to keep them running smooth and efficiently, but there is also the after market option of larger ‘Terror Pins’ to increase grip and a Ti axel to reduce weight even further.

Straight out of the box and onto the trail the Vaults felt great, giving good, unrestrictive movement on the pedal and excellent grip with out too much of one or the other. I may remove some pins to increase the grip marginally for full on DH, but I find excessive grip detrimental to my riding position on the bike and I like to stay as loose as possible while maintaining good contact through my Five Tens. With the advent of quality pedals such as the Vault and sticky rubber shoes, it comes down to personal preference with where the rider feels grip is sufficient and where it needs to be improved or decreased. Like all pin based platfrom pedals you can increase grip by removing pins and increasing the weight distribution to fewer pins and like anything it is always worth having a play to ensure your happy with the overall feel and performance.

With an RRP of £90GBP, the Vaults are almost £40 more than their standard V12, but what the Vault represents is a premium pedal with the feel, finnish and features to compete with a market where pedals can often be far, far pricier. Overall, I’m very impressed with Vaults and with a price that puts them well below the main competition while competing head on with performance, the DMR Vault pedals definitely get the Factory Jackson seal of approval.

For more information, head over to DMR Bikes.

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