BRANDS Renthal rider Loic Bruni
outside of Manchester, to see how the business operates. Now comprising three main buildings, the Renthal HQ is home to production, R&D, quality control, and the commercial departments of the company, with 80 permanent staff based there.
The largest of the three buildings is production, where swaging, heat treatment, CNC machining, shot peening, CNC handlebar bending, plasma cutting, rumbling, broaching, gear cutting and more are carried out. Renthal’s R&D team is also based here, with a state-of-the-art testing laboratory at their disposal.
Model years A key aspect of Renthal’s business is its approach to model years.
Collins said: “Renthal isn’t a brand that follows the model-year product introduction. Rather, launching products as and when they are available. There are currently a number of updates in development for existing products.” Best-known for its handlebars, grips, and stems Renthal has been looking to expand its product range in future.
“Fast forward the clock to today, Renthal Cycle products are now distributed into 45 countries, through 49 aftermarket customers. The product range has also expanded considerably, now consisting of 54 handlebars, 18 stems, 14 grips and seven chainring fitments.” Earlier this year I visited Renthal HQ in Bredbury, just
Collins said: “The next product will be a category diversification, with an all-new product for Renthal. We can’t say too much right now but watch this space for an announcement of the exciting new product, in late 2023.”
Covid fallout Like most brands in the bike market, Renthal has had its struggles through the Coronavirus pandemic and its fallout.
Collins said: “Business has not been normal since March 23, 2020, when the first Covid lockdown commenced. Since then, it’s been a roller coaster of challenges, the latest of which is an industry experiencing very high levels of inventory. This problem is not particularly of Renthal product or that of any single brand, but a general issue across the board.”
Renthal started out manufacturing aluminium handlebars for trials motorbikes
48 | September 2023
Consumer demand remains at a good level in most regions, according to Collins, but there is still cause for concern: “The issue is the market for parts and accessories is of a given size. “When there is so much stock of all brands in the market, this has a diluting effect for everyone. We are definitely seeing the tide turning and our distributor customers are placing more regular
orders, as those inventory levels return to more normal levels. This increase in order intake frequency intake is bolstering the outlook that consumer demand is still good.”
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