Ritchey WCS Ergomax, Streem alloy bars add comfort on road, gravel; plus new grips

Two new Ritchey WCS alloy handlebars join the WCS Venturemax flare bar to round out their drop-bar offerings for road, gravel and adventure bikes. First up is the WCS Ergomax that gets a good amount of elongation in the flats for a more comfy perch, which sits upright with a 25mm rise, and their Ergo drops shape.

The Ergomax’s drops flare at a 12º angle with a 3º flare sweep, with a Di2 plug port wire access point on the ends. The bar is made of 7050 alloy, has a 128mm drop, 73mm reach and comes in at a claimed 270g for the 42cm width, but also available in 40, 44 and 46cm widths.

The WCS Steem gets elongated flats, too, and more Ergo drop. It has the same drop and reach measurements, but gets a more subtle 2º/2º flare/flare out on the drops. This one has triple-butted 7050 alloy for the material and comes in at a claimed 275g for the 42cm width. Other sizes are 38, 40, 44 and 46 cm.

Both bars come in the “Blatte” matte black finish that looks surprisingly like carbon, and both will retail for $94.99.

If your endurance adventures tend to be on mountain bikes and flat bars, the new Ritchey EGP Locking Grip uses an ergo shape and dual density, gel-infused squishy rubber to improve comfort.

Plenty of nubs, ribs and textures keep your grip secure on the outside. Inside, there’s a helix shaped construction so that as you twist them, the rubber grabs the handlebars tighter so they won’t slip or spin. They also have a locking collar for more traditional slip prevention. Outside diameter is 32mm, length is 133mm, and weight is 133g per pair. Available in black only, retail TBA.

2019 Ritchey Ultra detail photos

We covered the launch of the new Ritchey Ultra in detail in this post, but thought we’d take the chance to get a few detail closeups of the new steel trail hardtail mountain bike.

Ritchey’s been making steel road, cyclocross and mountain bikes for years, but has managed to keep things up to date where it mattered like with a slim tapered headtube that fits internal lower bearings.

Cables and hoses run externally across most of the frame, with a port to feed internal stealth dropper posts at the base of the seat tube. We’ve inquired about that rear brake hose routing (guides on the seat stay, but routed on the chainstay) and will update when we hear back.

RitcheyLogic.com