Pinkbike Product Picks
Renthal Fatbar Lite Carbon
Launched at the end of last year, this is the first carbon handlebar Renthal have ever produced. When it was released we took an in-depth look at the production and development of the bar, so we won't go into too much detail here. Sitting at 740mm it is narrower than a lot of us here at Pinkbike would reach for. Speaking to Renthal about this, they acknowledge this, but explain that their experience with its aluminium brother is that there is a strong market out there for this width, which is precisely why they chose to release this handlebar before the wider, carbon DH bar they have in the pipeline. We tested the 20mm rise version, which tipped our scales at a 2g over claimed their claimed weight of 180g. Like all Renthal bars they have 7 degrees of backsweep and 5 degrees of upsweep, identical to Renthals aluminium bars.. MSRP $159.99 www.renthalcycling.com
![photo]()
Pinkbike's Take:
Works Components Narrow/Wide Chainring
We are a bit surprised we haven't seen a narrow/wide chainring from a UK company before now. More so than in any other country, UK trail riders embraced 1x drivetrains well before the arrival of SRAMs XX1. Yet this Works Components ring is the first British offering we have seen in production. The West-Midlands based company are best known for their angle-adjust headsets, but are expanding their range. The quality of machining, is top notch, as you'd expect from a company so small that it is the owner, Rick, and his father who do nearly everything themselves. The teeth are longer than many other chainrings, as Works were developing a longer-toothed chainring to aid chain retention before they considered doing a narrow/wide design. It is made from 7075 T6 aluminium, is available in 32t, 34t and 36t, to fit standard 104 BCD cranks in a range of anodised colours. Works also offer narrow/wide chainrings to fit SRAM spiderless cranks. MSRP £35.00 (sold direct from the UK) www.workscomponents.co.uk
![Simple and elegant. Works don t even brand their chainrings as a small company like them don t have a laser etching facility and it would bump the cost up to have them sent out to get it done. If you do want something brigther they offer a full rainbow of anodised colours. The detailing of the machining is great all the decoration you need and our 32t test ring tipped the scales at just 39g.]()
Pinkbike's Take:
Kenny Dynamique Bib Tights
The Dynamique bibs are full-length winter riding tights, or maybe we should call them leggings? Whatever you want to call them, they cover the entire length of your leg, with a thicker section at the knee to keep your knees warm and a Cytech chamois to keep your important parts comfortable. The elastic is tailored to offer the most natural movement possible, and there is a zip at each heel to help you get them on and off easier. MSRP: €124.70 www.kenny-racing.com
![This is why we haven t been wearing the Dynamique bibs on their own they are far from flattering but they are warm and comfortable when properly hidden. The zip on the back of the leg makes getting them on and off much easier and although the white patch on the knee may look unimportant it does a great job of keeping the most exposed part of your leg warm when the wind starts to howl.]()
Pinkbike's Take:
Launched at the end of last year, this is the first carbon handlebar Renthal have ever produced. When it was released we took an in-depth look at the production and development of the bar, so we won't go into too much detail here. Sitting at 740mm it is narrower than a lot of us here at Pinkbike would reach for. Speaking to Renthal about this, they acknowledge this, but explain that their experience with its aluminium brother is that there is a strong market out there for this width, which is precisely why they chose to release this handlebar before the wider, carbon DH bar they have in the pipeline. We tested the 20mm rise version, which tipped our scales at a 2g over claimed their claimed weight of 180g. Like all Renthal bars they have 7 degrees of backsweep and 5 degrees of upsweep, identical to Renthals aluminium bars.. MSRP $159.99 www.renthalcycling.com
While we're big fans of the styling on Renthal's handlebars, this carbon version with a raw carbon fnish and gold detailing is even less subtle than the aluminium bars, which may not be everyones cup of tea. Renthal's markings on the handlebars have always been some of the best, numbered to help you find the right position every time. A verified 182g for the 20mm rise version.
Pinkbike's Take:
 | Bar shape is a very personal thing. If you polled the Pinkbike office, you'd likely get as many favourites as there are riders. It's no secret that I like the shape of Renthal bars, they have been my go-to handlebar for about four years now. For me, the 7 x 5 degree sweep combination is the most natural and comfortable I have tried. When we first showed these bars back in December there were many people who voiced that they had hoped for a wider bar (a 780mm carbon version of the Fatbar is in development now), and I was among them - my long-standing preference is 760mm. With one of the longer-top-tubed bikes in the garage, one where the reach was on the limits for my arm length, the slightly narrower bar has really helped make the bike more manageable and fun to ride. The lesson has been that it's worth considering your bar width as a factor in the overall cockpit. Wide is good, but wider isn't always better. On shorter toptube bikes, the 760mm bars will be staying firmly in place, but it is definitely worth thinking about the bigger picture before you dismiss 740mm bars. On the trail, there is virtually nothing new for anybody familiar with Renthals aluminium Fatbar Lite, they feel the same, which is a huge success for Renthal as this is precisely what they were aiming for when they tuned the layup. What this does mean is that there is only one reason for buying the Fatbar Lite Carbon: weight. And they are lighter, they replaced a Fatbar trimmed to 760mm and saved a solid 100g. Looking at the competition, these are the lightest 740mm bars money can buy and they retain the great shape that has established Renthal as a major player in the handlebar market so quickly. As with all carbon products, they aren't aimed at being affordable, they are aimed at people who are happy to pay premium prices to have the best kit on their bikes, and these are definitely among the best available. - Matt Wragg |
Works Components Narrow/Wide Chainring
We are a bit surprised we haven't seen a narrow/wide chainring from a UK company before now. More so than in any other country, UK trail riders embraced 1x drivetrains well before the arrival of SRAMs XX1. Yet this Works Components ring is the first British offering we have seen in production. The West-Midlands based company are best known for their angle-adjust headsets, but are expanding their range. The quality of machining, is top notch, as you'd expect from a company so small that it is the owner, Rick, and his father who do nearly everything themselves. The teeth are longer than many other chainrings, as Works were developing a longer-toothed chainring to aid chain retention before they considered doing a narrow/wide design. It is made from 7075 T6 aluminium, is available in 32t, 34t and 36t, to fit standard 104 BCD cranks in a range of anodised colours. Works also offer narrow/wide chainrings to fit SRAM spiderless cranks. MSRP £35.00 (sold direct from the UK) www.workscomponents.co.uk
Simple and elegant. Works don't even brand their chainrings as a small company like them don't have a laser etching facility and it would bump the cost up to have them sent out to get it done. If you do want something brighter they offer a full rainbow of anodised colours. The detailing of the machining is great, all the decoration you need, and our 32t test ring tipped the scales at just 39g.
Pinkbike's Take:
| We did have some issues fitting our 32t test ring to Race Face cranks. On both SixC and Turbine cranks, the longer crankarms interfere with the chain, in the end we had to space the ring out from the crank arm to get it to run smoothly. We spoke to owner, Rick, about this and he told us that he had been running their prototypes on Shimano and SRAM cranks, where there is no issue. One of the great things with a small company like Works is that Rick took one look at the problem when it was explained to him, did some measurements and told us he just needed to rotate the tooth pattern by a few degrees to fix the issue and that it would be resolved for their next production run. On the Shimano SLX cranks we then mounted the ring to there were no clearance issues whatsoever. Chainline was spot on too. Out on the trail, we paired the ring with a Shimano XTR Shadow Plus derailleur, but no chainguide or extra retention, and can happily report that it has been issue free. Even on rough, rocky terrain, we couldn't coax it into slipping up and dropping a chain. A great piece of kit from a great little company. - Matt Wragg |
Kenny Dynamique Bib Tights
The Dynamique bibs are full-length winter riding tights, or maybe we should call them leggings? Whatever you want to call them, they cover the entire length of your leg, with a thicker section at the knee to keep your knees warm and a Cytech chamois to keep your important parts comfortable. The elastic is tailored to offer the most natural movement possible, and there is a zip at each heel to help you get them on and off easier. MSRP: €124.70 www.kenny-racing.com
This is why we haven't been wearing the Dynamique bibs on their own, they are far from flattering, but they are warm and comfortable when properly hidden. The zip on the back of the leg makes getting them on and off much easier, and although the white patch on the knee may look unimportant, it does a great job of keeping the most exposed part of your leg warm when the wind starts to howl.
Pinkbike's Take:
| If you live in California, you're probably looking at bib shorts like these and wondering, "Why the hell would anybody wear something like that?" There's no way around it, bib shorts look weird as hell and make life inconvenient in many ways (just try taking a leak with them on). We also don't advocate wearing them on their own. The Dynamique bibs are rated for XC/road, so we suspect many of the original target audience will do just that. Tight fitting clothing is a personal thing, so whatever makes you happy, but that's not for us, instead we have spent the winter with these under a pair of light-ish baggies. Not only does this offer some defence for your modesty, but helps keep you warmer. As a base layer for winter riding for anybody who lives further from the equator, these are more or less an essential. Through the winter, they have barely missed a ride, only being left at home if the riding was serious enough to require kneepads. Switching from these to a cheaper, thinner set of tights, we immediately missed the extra material on the knee and the comfort of the liner. For synthetic material they resist odour surprisingly well, as we did keep them going longer than we'd care to admit between washes because we didn't want to be without them on the trail. Our biggest issue with them is that the knees are white, well they were white, after a winter riding, they're more brown than anything else now. Then there is the 125 Euro pricetag, which we are sure will put some people off, but we'd argue that the comfort they offer when the weather is at its worst means that while they aren't cheap, they are good value. - Matt Wragg |
Author Info:
Must Read This Week
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup
the reason I tried carbon bars is because I have tendonitis in my right wrist and tennis elbow in my right elbow and also a bit in my left elbow, I can definately say the vibration damping of the carbon bars is absolutely brilliant, with my alloy bars after an hours ride my wrist would start to ache but now with the carbon bars I can ride for at least 4 hrs before I start to feel any discomfort at all,
and as for any strength worries using carbon bars, well I just don't have any at all, i'd just like to point out I ride rough trails/light down hill,
I forgot to mention mine are mounted on my trail bike. I have the alu and standard renthal fatbar my big bike.
But i've got a great insurance plan so whatever. They've got testing standards for bars right?
High vibration/pitch = blows hands apart
Low vibration/pitch = more comfy on descents
So which bar do you prefer? And what are the make&model of the three bars you tested?
I ordered an angleset and when it still didn't arrive a month or two later, i contacted them and got no response. They ignored all my e-mails and facebook messages. They literally stole £80 from me!
Would definitely use again, to support a few small British manufacturers.
Surprised at your experience, you must contact them again, and ask for a free T-shirt for inconvenience.
Running my 28T with SLX chain, 1050 cassette and SRAM X0 long cage without clutch. Not a single chain dropped on my FS bike for 4 months and all type of riding.
That is shocking to hear you feel treated this way and totally un-intentional!
Regards, Rick@Works
Back on topic, love my Works headset, would try a ring if they were easier to get here....
"...our scales at a 2g over claimed their claimed weight of 180g."
bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2011/08/bsnyc-friday-failed-search-for-meaning.html
Ok wow. So before this revelation, you were just buying the widest bar possible no matter what? Ok...