Renthal FatBar Lite Carbon Handlebar: Rider Review

Our "Rider Review" article series features the honest reviews from verified purchasers of Worldwide Cyclery. They contain the photos, thoughts, feedback & overall review you are looking for. 

Known for their history within the moto industry, Renthal has also created a reputable name within the MTB world, helping lead athletes to Worldcup DH podiums and even EWS championships. You can imagine the name Renthal strikes riders as a brand they can trust and that is exactly why our buddy Sam chose the carbon Fatbars as his handlebar upgrade. Let's see what he thought about the upgrade!

Overview

I chose these Renthal Fatbars because I wanted a carbon fiber bar from a reputable manufacturer. I've heard too many horror stories about carbon bars breaking and wanted to avoid buying carbon bars from unknown brands. I'm familiar with other products from Renthal and have been happy with their build quality, so I decided to go with the Renthal FatBars.

First Impressions

They arrived with minimal packaging (just cardboard tag) and were incredibly light compared to the stock alloy bars that came on my Marlin 6. I'm not sure on the actual weight specs, but it feels like its less than half the weight of the stock alloys. They were super easy to install, I just had to make sure not to over-tighten any of the clamps. I don't have a torque wrench, so I just installed everything so it was just tight enough to stay put and not rotate under force. Over-tightening can damage these bars, so just be aware of that before installation.

Conclusion:

Within the first minute of riding, I could tell the front end of the bike was now significantly lighter. Getting the front wheel up took a lot less effort, and the bike overall felt more nimble and agile. Having switched from flat alloy bars, to carbon 30mm rise bars was a huge upgrade that I can genuinely say improved my riding. They are a bit pricey, but if you want to seriously improve the handling and shed some weight off your bike, these are the bars you want. I've had them for almost two months now. I've had multiple crashes (OTBs and running into trees) on them they seem to be holding up really well. - Samuel Gacad-Cowan