As one of the longest standing names in the mountain bike industry, Ritchey is a brand that many of you will be familiar with in one way or another. Chances are that you’ve owned a mountain or road bike over the years that has had some kind of component with a Ritchey label on it (we know we have). Despite having been in the game for over forty years now though, the American company still continues to innovate its range of handlebars, stems, wheels, tyres and accessories.
Of course, Tom Ritchey first started out welding beautiful steel mountain bike frames, and thankfully, elegant steel frames still make up much of Ritchey’s offerings today. In fact, we reviewed the Timberwolf trail hardtail not long ago. With a 150mm travel fork, 27.5in wheels and slack geometry, the Timberwolf has emerged as the most contemporary hardtail to come out of the Ritchey stable. To match the fun-loving direction of the Timberwolf, Ritchey had a slew of new trail-oriented products on display at Eurobike 2016, in addition to their typically lightweight XC and road components.
Everyone’s getting in on the dropper post act, and you couldn’t move at Eurobike without bumping into one. So what did Ritchey set out to achieve with the new WCS Trail dropper post?Firstly, Ritchey have set out to make the WCS Trail dropper post highly durable. A lot of Ritchey’s business is OEM, so having a dropper post that could potentially be spec’d on a large volume of production bikes means durability is key. To that end, the WCS Trail dropper features a mechanical locking system and a low-pressure adjustable air spring, which can be set as low as 15psi. No hydraulics here.The remote uses a paddle lever to engage the post, and includes both SRAM and Shimano direct-mount brake clamps, as well as a separate bar clamp.The WCS Trail dropper post is available in 30.9mm and 31.6mm diameters, but will only come in an internally-routed option. The post features a twin-bolt head for locking down the saddle rails, and a slick all-black finish. Travel is 125mm, and the post offers three positions: 125mm, 90mm and 0mm. The 90mm position is interesting, as it provides the rider with only 35mm of drop that should work well for rolling terrain where you might still need to get a few pedal strokes in while lowering your centre of gravity.The minimalist remote assembly offers multiple mounting options. It’s also quite light too, as is the entire post. Ritchey are claiming a sub-500 gram weight, which includes the post, the lever and cabling. If the WCS Trail dropper lives up to Ritchey’s durability claims, it will surely be a popular choice.In addition to the new WCS Trail dropper, Ritchey is also offering new handlebars and stems with the 35mm diameter.The WCS Carbon Trail Rizer 35 is the biggest bar that Ritchey make at 800mm wide. It features a 15mm rise, a 35mm clamp diameter and a 9-degree backsweep. Ritchey claims it weighs just 208 grams. For a cheaper alternative, you can get an alloy version that’s a fraction narrower at 780mm wide, which weighs a claimed 290 grams.Ritchey offer a line of regular seat posts too, and they’ve also dropped some new grips including the Comp Trail grip and the WCS Locking Trail Grip.Another new accessory that Ritchey had on display was this neat integrated GoPro mount that’s designed to bolt straight onto a Ritchey stem.The mount kit comes with two longer bolts that replace the upper stem faceplate bolts, and another single bolt that attaches the GoPro case to the mount.Brand new mountain bike wheels from Ritchey in the form of a 27.5 plus size. Taking their existing WCS Trail 27.5 wheelset, the the WCS Trail 40 pumps up the volume to create a rim with a 35mm inner width that makes it suitable for 27.5×2.8in plus tyres.As Ritchey produce both tyres and wheels, they’ve developed the WCS Trail 40 wheelset in conjunction with their own 2.8in wide tyres. The rim is tubeless compatible and is drilled for 28 spoke holes.40mm external width, and 35mm internal width. Note the heavily offset profile of the WCS Trail 40 rim, which Ritchey use to better balance spoke tensions. The complete wheelset features DT Swiss spokes and nipples, and is built with Ritchey’s own CNC machined alloy hubshells that come packed with sealed cartridge bearings. Claimed weight for the wheelset is 1930 grams.The legendary Z-Max tyre continues to evolve through the ages and is now available in a gargantuan 27.5×2.8in size. The Ritchey Z-Max Evolution tyre is brand spanking new, so we have few details on it.It does have a similar tread pattern to the existing Z-Max tyres, but like a lot of plus tyres, it opens up the tread a little further. Lots of angular biting edges, with the cornering blocks using a softer compound for improved cornering traction, while the centre tread uses a firmer base compound for rolling speed.Not looking for super-wide plus rims? Ritchey have also just released the WCS Trail 30 wheelset. Same design features and same build as the WCS Trail 40, but with a narrower rim that uses a 30mm external width and a 25mm internal width. Claimed weight drops down to 1650 grams.Ok, so we’re not sure we’d ever use one on our own bikes, but the Ritchey Bullmoose bar looks so rad we kinda want one anyway!More grips from Ritchey, this time for those who love the company’s classic foam grips. The Superlogic grips weigh in at just 10 grams for the pair, and they’re now available in ergonomic versions too.And there’s also the WCS True Grip, which is made from a neoprene foam for added durability and wet weather traction. Heavy though at 43 grams per pair…
