Renthal

Fatbar Lite Carbon

It might seem a bit of a stretch that world-renowned motocross component manufacturer Renthal stepped onto the mountain bike scene only a few years ago and already claims to have engineered a superlight trail-ready carbon fiber handlebar. That is, until you realize that the UK-based company not only has six mountain bike world championships under its belt, it's invested heavily into carbon fiber technology, understanding the importance of the material to the future of both mountain biking and motocross. With all that in mind, we present the Renthal Fatbar Lite Carbon, the company's take on a trail-ready carbon fiber that we think hits the bull's-eye.

Entering the world of carbon, Renthal put enormous resources into the research and refinement of the bars to ensure it would get it right the first time. Foremost, not unlike the standard DH-ready alloy Fatbar, the Fatbar Carbon Lite strikes that ergonomic sweetspot that so many bars come close to hitting but don't. Coming in at an amazing 180 grams for a 740mm-wide bar, its seven-degree backsweep and five-degree upsweep are just about perfect and take zero time to get used to. The bar is made of a unidirectional carbon fiber, chosen for its integrity and tunability, allowing engineers to dial in the right amount of flex to mitigate vibration and allow greater control, without sacrificing the stiffness or strength that is vital to an XC-, AM-, or DH-worthy handlebar — so worthy, in fact, that the bar handily passes even the most rigorous of impact tests, like the EN BMX drop test, and many others.

The Renthal Fatbar Lite Carbon is 740mm wide and comes in four different levels of rise: 10mm, 20mm, 30mm, and 40mm. It weighs approximately 180 grams, give or take a few, depending on which you choose. The bar has a seven-degree backsweep and a five-degree upsweep, and comes in one finish.