After more than three decades, Ritchey WCS says goodbye to its rainbow stripes, in what really feels to me like the end of an era.
While it’s always odd (or feels wrong?) to see amateur cyclists riding in a rainbow-striped World Championship replica jersey, the much more subdued rainbow of Ritchey WCS components always felt like a fitting homage to the top-tier of our sport. And while some of the more rare Ritchey Carbon WCS components were often quite expensive, the alloy WCS line always delivered a solid price:performance value ratio. Seeing those stripes was a reminder of quality that most cyclists could actually attain.
But Ritchey’s agreement with the UCI to use their trademarked arrangement of 5 colors is done. So no more World Champion Series rainbow details on WCS components.
Op Ed: Ritchey WCS in monochrome, sadly no more rainbows
Ritchey calls it a “start of a new era for Ritchey WCS“.
“After 30+ years of a logo synonymous with victories at Union Cycliste International (UCI) World Cup and Championship races, the time has come for Ritchey — in accordance with UCI regulations — to retire the iconic rainbow stripes that identify Ritchey’s World Champion Series (WCS) product range. The agreement between the UCI and Ritchey to use the world champion stripes expired at the end of 2024 and is not eligible for renewal. Ritchey would like to acknowledge the decades-long partnership and thank the UCI for the use of the celebrated symbol.”
Ritchey built their brand working closely with mountain bike world champions. They say that started with the ‘inaugural’ 1989 World XC Champion Don Myrah a year before the UCI took over MTB Worlds, and led up to champions like Nino Schurter & Jenny Rissveds who are still battling at the top of the sport today. And the World Champion Series WCS component line reflected that ‘pro-level’ status.
But now, with rainbow stripes in the past, Ritchey says the WCS line will continue and not be limited just to “a singular focus on competition“.
A new WCS
Going forward, the Ritchey WCS series is only getting a makeover, just a simplified logo with those 5 stripes now in a single shade of ‘metallic’ gray. The technical and functional performance characteristics of WCS remain unchanged. It is still the ‘backbone’ of Ritchey’s product line-up, delivering race-ready quality that the average cyclist can appreciate and afford.
We already got a sneak peek at a more subdued monochromatic look of Ritchey components last year when their top ultralight SuperLogic range replaced its red stripes for gloss black on matte carbon graphics.
The end result is a simplified aesthetic that’s less likely to stand out or clash with whatever color bike you ride. But it also means you can better mix-and-match SuperLogic, WCS, and even Comp components while keeping a more unified look to your bike.
That’s great and all. But honestly, I’m always a little sad whenever we lose a little more splash of color from our bikes. Sure, neon is out. But everything in matte black can be boring, too…
All new Ritchey WCS components being made as of January 1, 2025, feature the new gray graphics, but there likely will still be some existing rainbow-adorned stock in shops and online retailers for the next few months. I guess that means if you want WCS rainbows, hunt them down now, otherwise take care if you are hoping to get the new unified gray look for your updated component needs.
Isn’t it a bit strange that the UCI so tightly holds blue, red, black, yellow & green stripes?
This is just my very personal opinion – but this tight hold on the iconic cycling rainbow, it seems a bit excessive.
I look at it more as a reminder of how the UCI feels the need to exert its control as much as possible. I mean, did anyone seriously confuse a stem, bar, or seatpost with a few centimeter-tall rainbow as claiming to belong to a world-champion cyclist? Or even less so as an endorsement by the UCI? And was that somehow diminishing the value of the brand that issues guidelines for how World Champion cyclists are allowed to wear the rainbow stripes next to sponsor logos on things like shoe covers, sunglasses, and face masks?
I won’t delve too deeply into how many different disparate UCI disciplines crown world champions with rainbow stripes. Let’s just say that there are several each in road, track, XC, DH, enduro, gravel, CX, BMX, trials, a full range of para-cycling disciplines, artistic cycling, cycle-ball, snow (but not fat) biking, pumptrack, eMTB XC & enduro, and eSports trainer racing… without going into even more detail or mentioning Master’s rainbows. If I had to guess, that might be 250 cyclists crowned World Champion in their respective disciplines each year, then honored by being allowed to adorn their kit with the UCI’s rainbows? And then to a lesser extent being able to put that rainbow on their cycling kit for the rest of their careers,
I say props to every one of them!
At least they are selective on where those rainbow stripes end up…
But, does the combination of blue, red, black, yellow & green stripes really need to be under the exclusive licensing of the UCI in order to preserve the honor and value of becoming a World Champion cyclist? Especially when Santini will sell you a replica World Champion Jersey or a set of World Champ rainbow espresso cups emblazoned with Santini’s own logo.
