Renthal

Fatbar

Those who dabble in both motocross and the pedal-type of bicycle activities will likely be familiar with the Renthal name, having been producing some of the winningest handlebars in motocross out of the factory in Manchester, UK, for several decades now. Since moving into mountain biking in 2010, the brand has claimed no fewer than six world championships, primarily in the world of Downhill, and the Renthal Fatbar is precisely what those athletes were riding to win them.

The Fatbar strikes that ergonomic sweetspot that so many bars come close to hitting but don't. Coming in at 360 grams spread across 780 millimeters, the bar's seven-degree backsweep and five-degree upsweep are just about perfect and take zero time to get used to. It's constructed of 7000-series aluminum, and tapered and balanced to optimize it for a superb blend of strength and low weight. The shot-peened finish, where millions of tiny steel pellets are fired at the bar, lends the bar its textured surface but also notably increases the bar's fatigue life, as does the hard anodizing process that also gives it its distinct gold finish. In short, the bar will last through many bikes, which is why the graphics are chemically applied and then over cured onto it, ensuring that they're not going to flake or fade as do so many others.

The Renthal Fatbar is 780mm wide and comes in four different levels of rise: 10mm, 20mm, 30mm, and 38mm. It weighs approximately 360 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 only with the Gold finish.