FUNN Kingpin Bars 2017
Reviews / Handlebars
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At A Glance
FUNN, well known for producing high quality and affordable components, have been making bars, stems and pedals for a long time now. Their focus is on parts that we grip, stand on, or sit on, which are always important components on a bike!
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I've had a FUNNduro stem for about 5 years and has done the rounds on nearly every bike that's needed a shorter stem which, over the past five years, has been nearly every bike. What we have here, however, are the Kingpin Bars which are the newest in the FUNN line up and come in at £59 GBP in the UK.
Bars aren't usually all that glamorous; we all just want them to be the right width, have a comfortable sweep and be reassuringly strong and solid. That said, FUNN does make a carbon bar if you want to save grams or add bling, however call me old fashioned, I like a bar made of metal.
The options on the Kingpin are many. Choose from 35mm or 31.8 clamp diameter and 785mm or 810mm width. Rise grows from 7mm through 15mm to 30mm and for the sweeps, we get 5.5 degrees up and 8 degrees back. I've been using the 785mm width, 31.8mm clamp and 15mm rise, and if you like to colour match you can choose from red, orange, blue, grey, black or green. Phew, so many options. Oh, and they weigh between 290g and 315 depending on which flavour you choose.
On The Trail
Bars are not something that needs a lot of time riding before you know if you're going to like them or not. Maybe you can grow to like some components like bars but most of the time I know pretty much straight away. The Kingpin hit all the right numbers on paper and felt pretty comfy straight away on the standard first test of standing in the kitchen holding them in my hands.
Installation is as you'd expect, and the markers on the bar do a fine job of lining things up. The paint job isn't the most robust and my ham-fisted installation resulted in the removal of a few bits of decals. Definitely, something to think about if your bike is more show pony than workhorse.
On the ends, there are marks for cutting them down if you need to fit through the trees or just want an appropriate size for your shoulders and arms.
The bars' numbers for the sweep are pretty standard, and on the bike they switched seamlessly and didn't upset my cockpit. I did feel they were slightly straighter than the 8 degrees back sweep would suggest, but without getting my protractor out I cracked on and found them to be spot on. At 785mm they're already at my perfect width, so that was easy, and as mentioned they can be cut down with easy marks on the ends.
As far as durability goes, well I'm happy to take FUNN's heritage of producing strong components rather than attempt to test the bars to complete destruction, but there has been no reason to doubt them in any way.
They're not the cheapest alloy bars in town, but with plenty of options and styles, they represent a solid and dependable set of bars rather than an exotic upgrade.
Overall
With many options to choose from the Kingpin Bars have something for everyone. With good sweep and width, they will keep most riders happy and easily colour match your ride. At the price, there is plenty of competition, but there is no reason the Kingpin shouldn't be in the mix with best of the rest.
For more information visit FUNN Related
By Ewen Turner
Ewen Turner is a self-confessed bike geek from Kendal in the Lake District of England. He runs a coaching and guiding business up there and has a plethora of knowledge about bikes with an analytical approach to testing. His passion for bicycles is infectious, and he’s a ripper on the trails who prefers to fit his working life around his time on the bike.
