Renthal Product Review: MX to MTB – Bars, Grips and Chain Ring

March 21st, 2011

RENTHAL – From Championship winning MX products to Championship winning MTB Products. The connection between MX and MTB has been there for a long time, but the proximity to one another within the ‘dirt bike’ industry seemingly grows ever closer as more brands from the world of MX are realizing the importance and relevance of the MTB market. Renthal have grabbed the bull by the horns on this, carrying everything they have learned and developed in MX and applying it to MTB, topping it off by matching their association with MX teams such as the Pro Circuit team and getting the Monster Energy/ Specialized team representing them in MTB – a match made in marketing heaven? Regardless of clever product placement and playing to mountain bikers fondness of all things MX – Renthal have backed up any hype about their ‘cycling’ range by producing some of the best gear on the market. We tested the Renthal Duo Stem a few weeks ago and were blown away by just how awesome it is and the gear in this review is no different……..

Renthal Fat Bar.

The Fatbars have been some of the most instantly comfortable bars I’ve ever used featuring a 7 degree back sweep and a 5 degree up sweep. The finish of these bars is also top notch and taken straight from their MX line and looks pretty amazing too. The bars tip the scales at a healthy 350g, which is by no means light compared to some bars that are currently available, but having the strength these have will be enough for many wanting peace of mind, especially if you’ve ever snapped your bars before.

The 38’s are pretty moto and definitely felt spot on over the jumps and putting the bike on target down the track.

Fatbars come in a shot peened and anodized finish that not only looks amazing, but it’s also incredibly tough and durable too. The bar we tested was the higher 38mm option prefered by the Monster Energy team and found the position fantastic over the jumps and down the steep stuff, but with a low 10mm and medium 20mm rise options available, getting the right bar for your personal needs and riding style, is right there.

Sam Hill’s bike at the Earls Court Bike Show late last year sporting the 38’s

The Fatbar’s, Duo Stem and Kevlar Grips combo makes for one sweet cockpit with a dialed feel and looks to match! At £60GBP the Fatbars are priced perfectly, the only problem you’ll have is getting your hands on some as they seem to vanish from dealers as soon as they drop (I’ve heard Si Paton’s Descent-Gear is a good place to start…).

Laser etched positioning grid is a pretty useful feature for those who have funny bar positions and also for those who like things just right.

The positioning grid on the bars matches the positioning marks on the Duo Stem perfectly for alignment and personal preference. Both products work harmoniously together in both function and form with matching colours and graphics – also looks factory as hell too!

A common sight now on 780mm bars – cut marks to get things just right and perfect for the individual rider’s tastes and preferences.

Renthal Kevlar Grips and Grip Accessories

‘Lock-On’ style grips have become the norm in mountain biking and not without good reason, but that’s not to say they are the only option. Renthal know all too well the issues riders have with regards to arm pump and fatigue as a result of excess vibrations through the bars and having smaller grips does make a difference. Lock-on grips are always confined to a certain size because of their design, but these will also appeal to riders who hang the edge of their hands off their grips when they ride, resulting in discomfort from grabbing a metal collar run after run.

The grips feel amazing, weigh nothing at 95 grams (with the colour matching plugs) and look awesome and with the flange design many of use grew up on – what’s not to like! Notice – the ‘philips’ head screw in the end cap – a bit easier not to round off compared to a 2mm allen bolt. Clever.

The Kevlar in these grips won’t suite the “gloveless crew” as there quite tough, but these are designed to endure the rigeurs of punishing abuse over prolonged periods – a soft and medium compound is available too, so the choice is there. Being a fan of gloves, the Kevlar grips are amazing – no bull shit either. After a few rides these feel just amazing! At £12GBP these are pretty cheap to say the least and even if you buy the glue (recommended) your only looking at £16 for some premium grips that will outlast anything you’ve run to date and feel fantastic too.

Grip Glue?

This stuff is awesome, just don’t sniff it! This stuff sure beats wires and hair spray, but does it make ‘lock-on’ grips obsolete? Only if you want to run thinner grips and if that’s the case, this stuff is essential! On a downside, your looking at a recommended drying time of 8 hours, so remember to get these on Friday night before your week ends shred! Another thing I found is that there’s no instruction with how to use this stuff – it will be pretty obvious to some, but I found the ‘more the merrier’ and wiping off any excess did the trick. The glue also acts as a lubricant aiding in sliding the grips on – amazing!

The Renthal ‘Clean Grips’ are designed to wrap around your grips via a velcro strip to keep mud, oil, grease and any filth away from your grips when the bikes in the stand or being worked on outside with the elements out to get you. Definitely useful to some of you out there and another cool product from Renthal. At £4GBP there pretty inexpensive and I’d say worth having in your kit bag, just in case.

Renthal SR4 Chain Ring

Chainrings can be pretty unexciting components especially if your not bothered about weight or run a chainguide that hides it from view. If you run a ‘taco’ style guide like the e*thirteen pictured and you are fussy about having a ring that not only looks good, but also tips the scales at a crazy 35 grams and retails for an equally crazy £40GBP, then the SR4 could be just what you’ve been looking for.

The SR4 borrows technology direct from Renthal’s championship winning MX sprockets, not too mention the looks they’ve borrowed too. The machining on this ring is amazing with all excess material removed without compromising strength in what Renthal call, ‘Ultralite’ technology. One thing that struck me about the SR4, aside from just how light it is, was that you don’t have to run spacers on regular chainring bolts that you would do normally on chainguides not running a bash guard on the crank spider, which I thought was pretty neat.

The SR4 Chain Ring is one rad component that will help pimp any ride. The hard anodized surface combined with the ‘Renthal gold’ colour also help in making this everyday component stand out.

Conclusion.

To sum things up, Renthal not only make great parts for Motocross Bikes, they now make awesome parts for your Mountain Bike too. Taking lessons hard learned in one sport and using them to benefit another is always going to be a winner and keeping the branding the same across two sports with so much in common is also the way to go, especially where mountain biking is concerned.

All the parts we’ve had here to test have been fantastic and that’s all topped off with coming from a brand and a company that isn’t just a great British brand, but also a world leader in products designed for bikes and dirt action. Renthal have started a trend that I hope continues and having heard what new parts they’ve got in the works, there is a lot more to look forward too from Renthal.