Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
Our latest Collective Reward giveaway comes from the team at Ritchey, who’ll be setting up two lucky winners with a pair of their Beacon XL handlebars and freshly launched WCS Gravel Grips. Learn more and find out how to get signed up for a chance to win here…
We’ve teamed up with Ritchey in California for our latest Collective reward, and two randomly selected members of our Bikepacking Collective will be taking home a set of 52cm Ritchey Beacon XL handlebars with a matching set of the all-new Ritchey WCS Gravel Grips, around a $75 value for each winner. Paired together, this combination will help riders feel comfortable and in control traversing nearly any terrain on their drop-bar rig. Learn more about both below.
Ritchey Beacon XL Bar
The Beacon XL is Ritchey’s 52cm drop bar with a super-wide 36 degrees of flare in the drops, providing uniquely comfortable ergonomics and allowing for tons of handlebar bag space. The bars have a shallow 80mm drop so you can switch up hand positions and access the drops without feeling hunched over, and their relatively short 65mm reach provides a less stretched-out riding experience for long days on the hoods. The Beacon XL also features a gentle backsweep for a more neutral position when cruising along on the tops.
Designed with adventure touring and bikepacking in mind, Miles reviewed a pair last fall, and his one-line summary is that the Ritchey Beacon XLs live up to the hype. He wrapped up his review with, “The shallow drop is easy to use, the width feels natural for someone more comfortable on wide flat mountain bike bars, and the super flared profile works… Wrap these things up in some thick bar tape and you’ve got yourself a drop-bar setup that even the most dedicated of mountain bikers can get behind.”
RITCHEY WCS GRAVEL GRIP
Announced just yesterday, Ritchey’s new WCS Gravel Grips were developed to offer riders a little extra cushion when bouncing along rough terrain. Designed to bulk up the lower drop portion of your handlebars, they’re 200mm long and 4mm thick to reach right up to the bottom of the hoods. Made from neoprene, they install by simply sliding over the existing handlebar tape.
We think the WCS Gravel Grips make a great add-on to nearly any drop bar, especially the Beacon XL, as they help add some comfort when it comes time to mix up your hand position and ride down in the drops. They’re only offered in black for the time being, and they’re priced fairly at just $14.95.
Support from our members makes BIKEPACKING.com possible. If you enjoy reading the site, please consider joining our Bikepacking Collective. Membership is open to anyone, anywhere in the world, and members are automatically entered to win bi-monthly Collective Rewards (including one of these bar and grip combos), receive two issues of The Bikepacking Journal in the mail each year, have access to exclusive industry discounts, and lots more.
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