# Sneak peak at brand new Ritchey Handlebar



## Ritchey_Dave

At the office here we've all been testing out one of our new handlebars, the WCS EvoCurve. We basically took the best of both worlds and meshed them together. The result is a bar with the comfortable ergo tops of the Evolution and the rounded, shallow drops of the Curve.
Drop: 131mm
Reach: 83mm
Width: 40, 42, 44cm
Weight: 250g





































What do you think?


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## WWU

Cool. Sounds confortable.

Why not call it the Curvolution?


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## Andrea138

I like it- looks like a biomax and an FSA compact had a lovechild. Those happen to be my favorite two bars


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## C-40

*thoughts...*

The reach from the hooks to the brake lever looks huge. Not great for the short fingered. That was my complaint with the FSA K-force compact bars.

The space between my finger shift lever and the bar is only 20mm with bar tape on. I use Easton EC90 SLX3 bars, with a minor mod that brings the brake levers in a little closer. A little epoxy putty on the ergo body, right behind the quick release pin works wonders.


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## Ritchey_Dave

C-40 said:


> The reach from the hooks to the brake lever looks huge. Not great for the short fingered. That was my complaint with the FSA K-force compact bars.
> 
> The space between my finger shift lever and the bar is only 20mm with bar tape on. I use Easton EC90 SLX3 bars, with a minor mod that brings the brake levers in a little closer. A little epoxy putty on the ergo body, right behind the quick release pin works wonders.


Ahhh small hands. A friend of mine suffers from that same problem. Our Logic II bar however would be perfect for you. It's a slightly shorter reach (72mm) than your Eastons as well as a shallower drop (125mm). That small distance might mean the difference between modifying your levers and saving some precious grams:wink5:


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## cwmbikes

So when can we buy them?


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## Ritchey_Dave

cwmbikes said:


> So when can we buy them?


We usually do a yearly release of new product, but due to the high demand and encouraging feedback we're getting from our teams, we're releasing them early. They should be available either in your local bike shop or online in about a month.


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## rubbersoul

They do look good. Will they be available in a carbon version?


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## Ritchey_Dave

rubbersoul said:


> They do look good. Will they be available in a carbon version?


Not at the moment. If there's a significant demand we may consider it though.


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## rubbersoul

Ritchey_Dave said:


> Not at the moment. If there's a significant demand we may consider it though.


Here is 1 vote for these bars in a WCS carbon version.
________
Buy glass pipes


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## rubbersoul

The Ritchey website states that these bars are 270 grams. If a carbon version could be had at around the 200 gram mark, that would be perfect.
________
MARIJUANA DISPENSARY RESEDA AND HART


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## Ritchey_Dave

These bars just arrived in our warehouse! Order a pair from your local Ritchey authorized bike shop and see what the United Healthcare riders are all buzzing about!


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## kccarpenter76

Dave - can you comment on the Curve vs the EvoCurve? Is the Curve intended for small hands with the EvoCurve geared towards riders who just want the shallow drop? I have the Curve (which I really like) but I'm wondering if the EvoCurve would be better for me since there would be more room on the shoulder between the tops and the hoods.

Also looks like they aren't available for sale on your site or anywhere else yet? Do you know when they will be available to purchase?


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## Ritchey_Dave

kccarpenter76 said:


> Dave - can you comment on the Curve vs the EvoCurve? Is the Curve intended for small hands with the EvoCurve geared towards riders who just want the shallow drop? I have the Curve (which I really like) but I'm wondering if the EvoCurve would be better for me since there would be more room on the shoulder between the tops and the hoods.
> 
> Also looks like they aren't available for sale on your site or anywhere else yet? Do you know when they will be available to purchase?


Good questions! The Curve and EvoCurve are really just variations of a short reach/shallow drop bar. The Curve being the more traditional in shape and the EvoCurve with a slight ergo top section. If you take a closer look at the first and third picture you can see how the EvoCurve has a minimal back sweep. That section also has a bit of ovalizing in the bar to give your hands more surface area when riding on the tops. It's subtle but makes a huge difference when you're tired and nearing the top of that big climb. It also allows for a larger area between the bend and where you'd have the hoods of your levers. Hope this helps.

Oh and our site is having problems with that right now. They are available to order and should ship out if you place an order for a pair. These are brand new, as well as being a mid year release, a lot of bike shops might not be aware they're available yet. Rest assured any authorized Ritchey dealer can special order them for you.


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## malanb

for my hands,the best ritchey bar is the classic bend, it gives me more space on the drops. and it is a flat surface, I have small hands and the logics are a lil bit uncomfy. I've used them for years logic and logic 2, but I find it is a bit hard to get to the brakes. Also they tend to bang my wrists on drops, and I find myself using just the little ends of the bar mos of the times. nothin like classic bend for lever reach and long rides on the drops


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## kccarpenter76

Thanks Dave. Sounds like its really more about the shape of the tops then the reach/rider hand size/lever placement? I love everything about the Curve, just wondering about getting more reach but I don't know that I like the the ovalized tops vs the classic shape. Does the EvoCurve top lend itself to more wrist-bang when sprinting? Perhaps the Curve is the better choice for more time in the drops (crit-bar?) and the EvoCurve has the upper hand when climbing?


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## Ritchey_Dave

kccarpenter76 said:


> Thanks Dave. Sounds like its really more about the shape of the tops then the reach/rider hand size/lever placement? I love everything about the Curve, just wondering about getting more reach but I don't know that I like the the ovalized tops vs the classic shape. Does the EvoCurve top lend itself to more wrist-bang when sprinting? Perhaps the Curve is the better choice for more time in the drops (crit-bar?) and the EvoCurve has the upper hand when climbing?


That is pretty much the case. However, Angelo, our resident cat 2 sprinter, has been using the EvoCurves for most of this season and hasn't banged his wrists once. He give the bars two enthusiastic thumbs up. It's really a preference thing.


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## acckids

Last year I switched from the Biomax the FSA Wing Compact and am really sold on this concept. Glad to see the new model from Ritchey.


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## Ritchey_Dave

acckids said:


> Last year I switched from the Biomax the FSA Wing Compact and am really sold on this concept. Glad to see the new model from Ritchey.


Maybe you'll switch _back _to Ritchey???


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## mayukawa

As I can't seem to find that bar in any local stores yet, how does the radius of curvature of the EvoCurve for the top curve compared to the BioMax? I like a tighter bend on the top (so there's a longer straight section for the hoods). From the above picture, it seems there's not much of a straight section for the hoods. How ovalized are the tops? I hate wing bars (but slightly ovalized is fine with me). Also what angle are the wings relative to the hood section?


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## Ritchey_Dave

mayukawa said:


> As I can't seem to find that bar in any local stores yet, how does the radius of curvature of the EvoCurve for the top curve compared to the BioMax? I like a tighter bend on the top (so there's a longer straight section for the hoods). From the above picture, it seems there's not much of a straight section for the hoods. How ovalized are the tops? I hate wing bars (but slightly ovalized is fine with me). Also what angle are the wings relative to the hood section?


Good questions! The top bend is very similar to the Biomax as we've found tight bends to be preferable as well. The slight sweep backwards of the tops require a tighter radius giving it lot's of space to rest your hands between the hoods and top bend. In fact that's one of the most common observations with the feedback we've gotten. 

The ovalizing of the top is minimal. Ergo wing bars are great if it fits your anatomy. Truth is, most people have pretty different anatomy. The ergonomics of the EvoCurve is enough to be beneficial yet subtle enough to fit most everyone who's tried them. If you set them up to have the top reach section level with the ground the oval sections will be slightly tilted back.

Hope this helps!


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