The extra width options and bang-on stiffness/flex ratio make the Funn Kingpin another good choice for your long travel machine.

Handlebars need to perform a pretty important task, what with all the steering and holding on. So it’s important that your bar choice allows you to get on with riding, without worrying that it’ll let you down. This Funn Kingpin is a good example a bar that quietly (maybe not aesthetically!) gets on with the task.

Funn Kingpin: measured for success

Funn has pushed the measurements a little compared to most other brands. Not content with sticking to the ‘normal’ 780 or 800mm, Funn goes beyond with 785 and 810mm options. Time to start breathing in even more on tight trails. There’s a wide range of rise options available as well as 31.8 and 35mm bar diameter choices. The other figures are pretty similar to the accepted benchmark Renthal Fatbar, just pushing the backsweep out a smidge to 8°.

Wide and bright. The Kingpin measures in at 785mm.

Read: Funn Strippa stem review

As the Kingpin is aimed at providing DH level performance and reliability Funn has used a pretty hefty aluminium construction. Weighing in at 282 grams in the narrower 785mm x 31,8mm width/diameter, it comes in a few grams heavier than the best but a damn sight lighter than many. Even better, the good news is the Kingpin is a tad cheaper than a lot of the rivals, so that weight discrepancy can easily be overlooked.

Measurement markers make it easy to set the Kingpin up.

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How does it feel?

Clamp it on the bike and the measurements feel pretty much spot on. The backsweep/upsweep combo put your hands and wrists in a perfectly neutral position, so presented no issues for my cronky wrists. In the 31.8mm diameter version I tested there was a perceptible amount of flex felt when pushing hard. This flex wasn’t at the level where it felt too much though. In fact it helped to take some of the buzz out of the trail. but if you’re looking for the stiffest bar on the circuit then you’ll need to look elsewhere. That extra width though, might be just the ticket for the larger rider needing a little extra leverage.