[S.K.C.]

This gives me the wood like no other:

http://http://dirtmag.co.uk/news/category/products/exclusive-renthal-downhill-bars/dirt-1234466.html

...interesting.

 

[AlmostHeaven]

This gives me the wood like no other:

OMFG! I really want to fvck that bicycle right now!!!111!!

Come on freaks.

You like a bike or you don't like a bike.

Stop saying you want to have sex with a bike/get sexually aroused by bikes.

It's just weird.

that is all.

 

[CountryBoy]

I will have some on order right when they are availible if the weight is right.

 

[tfree120]

Reminds me of sunline. With a similar look and same type of moto background.

 

[MinorThreat]

It'd be particularly cool if they made different bends (i.e. - - the "Gee Atherton bend" or the "Greg Minaar bend") with varying up-/backsweeps.

 

[Bicyclist]

The stem looks really bad, but the bars and chainring both look pretty cool. Not sure I'd go for them over Sunline or e13, respectively, though.

 

[S.K.C.]

that is all.

Ha! LoL...

Yeah - it does kinda remind one of Sunline's foray into the DH market, but Renthals are like THE handlebars of choice for a lot of motocross riders. It will be interesting to see what kinds of manufacturing and technology they bring over to the DH market. If they can make some 25mm rise, 710mm wide, 31.8 clamp diameter bars that weigh in around 290 to 300g - I think that's a good start.

...and yup - the standard stem is fug as all hell. I don't like to put fashion before function, but sometimes... a little eye candy is a good thing.

 

[bullcrew]

chainring is cool! stem ehhhhh, bars ehhhh! Ill stick with protapers!

 

[tfree120]

...and yup - the standard stem is fug as all hell. I don't like to put fashion before function, but sometimes... a little eye candy is a good thing.

Agreed. Maybe they don't realize on a downhill bike you can see the stem.

 

[jon-boy]

Now if you go to the Dirt site and look at the new Hope stem... that is nice.

 

[CBJ]

Its a bar whats the big fuss?

 

[Jim Mac]

Its a bar whats the big fuss?

From what I recall, Renthall makes about a million moto bar variations. Maybe people are thinking they will get a slice of that diversity?

 

[kx199]

most of you people are ridiculous. sunline is trash in the moto world. all parts dont have to be "eye candy" they need to do their job. go buy all the anodized parts and bling you can hahaha

 

[General Lee]

Ha! LoL...

Yeah - it does kinda remind one of Sunline's foray into the DH market, but Renthals are like THE handlebars of choice for a lot of motocross riders. It will be interesting to see what kinds of manufacturing and technology they bring over to the DH market. If they can make some 25mm rise, 710mm wide, 31.8 clamp diameter bars that weigh in around 290 to 300g - I think that's a good start.

...and yup - the standard stem is fug as all hell. I don't like to put fashion before function, but sometimes... a little eye candy is a good thing.

they made the stem ugly to temper your excitement about the bars; in other words, it's to keep your chubbie from getting too big.

 

[kx199]

I agree that a little eye candy is nice but its not top priority. What do you really want an absolute beautiful stem with the name Renthal on it that costs a hundred bucks but is a junker? Maybe its a good thing that companies put more time into function than form. From a moto background Ive seen too many squids on the track that have thousands in bling. Doesn't make you twist it any harder.

 

[big cal]

I agree that a little eye candy is nice but its not top priority. What do you really want an absolute beautiful stem with the name Renthal on it that costs a hundred bucks but is a junker? Maybe its a good thing that companies put more time into function than form. From a moto background Ive seen too many squids on the track that have thousands in bling. Doesn't make you twist it any harder.

or pull it?

 

[DJColdwater]

more info via Pat @ Ison-Distribution

"Currently the Oversize bars are running at 710mm but this has already been highlighted that a wider one would be better. The black jump bars (22.2mm clamp area) are 680mm which is a good length.

The stem has a load more material to be taken off it. It weighs 218g at the moment but it will go sub 200g

4 arm chain rings are coming in 32, 34, 36, 38 and are not ramped
Bmx chain rings are coming in 25, 27, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40

We only have prices for chainrings at the moment and they will rrp at £39.99. Which is a fair price compared to others already out there. They are also hard-coat anodized making them extremely hard wearing."

 

[S.K.C.]

I agree that a little eye candy is nice but its not top priority. What do you really want an absolute beautiful stem with the name Renthal on it that costs a hundred bucks but is a junker? Maybe its a good thing that companies put more time into function than form. From a moto background Ive seen too many squids on the track that have thousands in bling. Doesn't make you twist it any harder.

Agreed.

Function and sound engineering are ALWAYS a top priority. But unfortunately you need both aesthetics and a solid design if you want to sell a product. A DH bike is like any other peronal effect - to an extent it's an expression of the customer's individuality. To that end as a manufacturer it is advantageous to have both form AND function. Look at DH components made by Straitline - beautiful to look at AND solid components with sound engineering and design work to back it up.

Unfortunately, with the way we as humans are put together - the natural tendency is to want the item that sparkles the most. It's one of the components that sells product. Now if the product is complete crap and breaks - people will figure that out soon enough and the product will disappear. But what's the initial motivation for the purchase? Appearance. I'm willing to bet that a majority of the time, the motivation for the purchase is based on the appearance. So yes, a company should always put function first, but to have a successful product - that's not the only priority. Don't believe me? Look at some of the crazy designs Spesh, Ibis, and Yeti have come out with. In some of those cases the function of the product was so unique that it actually dictated a unique form.

Say that 2 new comparable products are released into the market. Given the choice between a product that is pretty and a product that is durable - the market will eventually shift toward the one that is durable - that's economics. But if you have two comparable products where durability is equivalent... then what are you left with? What is the added value? What makes one more desireable to the consumer over the other? Form. Aesthetics. Individuality. Uniqueness. i.e - How the product looks.

I don't think a majority of people necessarily buy "bling" for their moto bikes or DH bikes because they think it's going to make them go faster - I think it's more of a personal statement about their individuality.

 

[Udi]

If they can make some 25mm rise, 710mm wide, 31.8 clamp diameter bars that weigh in around 290 to 300g - I think that's a good start.

That might have sold two years ago.

These days, the standard is 750-760mm bars with 19-20mm rise at 280-310g. I'm pretty sure no performance minded racer cares about the brand name on them, as long as they meet the aforementioned criteria and don't break.

 

[S.K.C.]

That might have sold two years ago.

These days, the standard is 750-760mm bars with 19-20mm rise at 280-310g. I'm pretty sure no performance minded racer cares about the brand name on them, as long as they meet the aforementioned criteria and don't break.

...well - I said "it would be a good start..."

I think instead of "standard" you may mean "trend"?

I mean if something is a standard then doesn't that mean it's something that applies to "all" or "everyone"?

Wider bars do provide more leverage and stability for the rider on the bike, but at some point you sacrifice steering response. It's personal preference of course and no two riders like the same length, but I think that the kinds of set-ups the general public sees on World Cup bikes piloted by the top UCI riders is impractical for your average racer. The example I refer to in this context would be Fabian Barel running 300mm wide bars. That's crazy wide, but with his bike set-up and the speeds he's hitting - it works for him.

Supposedly the method for determining proper ergonomic bar width is to hold your arms out in front of you in their natural should-width-apart location and measure from the outside of one hand ot the other. But again - not an exact science - bit of a "black art" really - elusive to get it right. It's just trial and error to find what works for you personally.

 

[ohio]

That might have sold two years ago.

These days, the standard is 750-760mm bars with 19-20mm rise at 280-310g. I'm pretty sure no performance minded racer cares about the brand name on them, as long as they meet the aforementioned criteria and don't break.

How about some different bends?

Also, bars that are much wider than my shoulders start to feel pretty awkward so 30" wide bars aren't the answer for everyone.

 

[worship_mud]

funny, that moto companies start producing for the mtb / DH market. seems as if we're not that small anymore....

 

[Udi]

I think instead of "standard" you may mean "trend"?

I was the first to jump on the "it's a trend" wagon but after years of preaching the same lines you guys are, I jumped on a low 760mm bar for giggles, and there's no way in hell I'm going back. There's more to it than leverage and stability, I've found they added some extra hand-to-foot distance which helps inspire a little more confidence, and the leverage gives you a LOT more control while drifting. Going from 710 to 760 made me feel like I was slowing down time while sliding, I have no other way to describe it.

Most expert/elite level riders here seem to agree (regardless of body shape/size) so I think it's a lot more than a trend. Smaller guys are on 720-730, bigger guys or guys with wider shoulders are on 740-760. Heaps have tried 800 and decided they're too wide (+ either cut down or gone back to ~750mm bars) so I think we've found a sweet spot.

Ohio -
Yeah different bends are great, but the fact of the matter is there's a fair amount of choice out there already. Check out the Reverse Fli-Lite (760x20mm), Burgtec Ride Wide (750x20mm), Deity Dirty30 (760x25mm), Funn Fatboy (750x30mm), Sunline V1 (738x20mm). They all weigh in the 280-300g range, and having tried them all, I think they all feel pretty good even though they have slightly different sweep numbers.

Not saying more isn't merrier (au contraire!), but rather that Renthal will want to match the competition before they can beat them.

 

[Killerbarbies]

I had Renthal XC bars 14 years ago on my Pace RC-200 bike....Pace had them made by Renthal. That's my ha'penny worth of nostalgia. I'll sort out a photo if I can.

 

[Steve M]

Its a bar whats the big fuss?

Shut up man, the DH world badly needs more bars and stems - as it is we have virtually no options, and having a different bar/stem is proven to make your bike at least 20% faster, if not more!

Seriously though, who cares? These and stems... the two products I simply could not be any less excited about due to the fact that they're completely inanimate and don't make any difference to how well the bike works (provided they're the right size). If someone manages to make them cheaper than the rest of the market, maybe then there'll be a good reason to give a ****, otherwise woo freaking hoo.

 

[profro]

Now if ProTaper can make an updated bar in current lengths and rises. However a DH bar with a CR High bend would be perfect for me.

However I like the look of the BMX chainring.

 

[rewster]

if they're anything like the moto products, i'd opt for protapers. used to race moto, and i can't remember how many "practically unbendable" renthals i went thru. then again, i tended to crash alot

 

[S.K.C.]

Socket:

Seriously though, who cares? These and stems... the two products I simply could not be any less excited about due to the fact that they're completely inanimate and don't make any difference to how well the bike works (provided they're the right size). If someone manages to make them cheaper than the rest of the market, maybe then there'll be a good reason to give a ****, otherwise woo freaking hoo.

The next topic of discussion: Handlebar Grips

The Moderator: will be Socket.


Discuss.

:biggrin:

 

[RD3]

I really like the chainrings, especially since they are hard ano.
For bars I am a Protaper fan too and think a slightly wider version would be nice.

 

[dan wask]

As someone who has been impressed by renthal's moto products, I'm stoked to see them doing downhill stuff. I'll take some bars and a chainring please.

 

[caballero]

any news when the bars will be available ??

 

[JCL]

I'd rather support a mountain bike specific brand.

 

[TheTruth]

chainring is cool! stem ehhhhh, bars ehhhh! Ill stick with protapers!

Wow, straight from the trend whore himself. But really, how can you hate on a two bolt stem like that. It looks dope. I bet your twenty6 stem is lighter though.

 

[GoodbyePorkPie]

Geez always the anganst

The Renthal bars are 7 series alloy you guys usually poo poo yourselves over 7005 alloy?

Pro tapers are also 7 series, and have been around MTb for years so not some random moto company dropping in!

RentHL have been testing MTB specific bars for some years its not new, and no doubt they will be up there.

They also have a Fatbar 750mm low rise bar as well.

Relax people too much Plab on here.

Good stuff S.K.C

 

[S.K.C.]

Thanks man!

Everyone knows Renthal for having DEEP roots in moto, so I figured their foray into the realm of DH MTB wasn't going to be just a half-hearted experiment. They've had a ton of experience in making handlebars for moto for YEARS so it'll be interesting to see how their MTB line holds up to abuse.

Now if ONLY they'd offer their bars in BLACK...

...just sayin'... it would be nice...

 

[bizutch]

The bike whore in me considers all bars other than those garishly glossy, near liquid mercury Chromag bars to be obsolete.

That being said...the little moto grom in me mowed a LOT of freaking grass as a teen hoping and praying my bike would stay together long enough to drop cash on a set of padded crossbar Renthals, a ProCircuit pipe, some Alpinestars boots and a Bell Moto 5.

But, every time I crashed I only cracked water pump housings, shifter and brake levers...and myself.