Ritchey Beacon vs Specialized Hover Bar // Gravel Handlebar Review

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Ritchey Beacon vs Specialized Hover Bar // Gravel Handlebar Review

Рет қаралды 42,932

3 жыл бұрын

I’ve had a chance to get some miles in on these Ritchey Comp Beacon gravel handle bars that you may have seen on this bike in the past couple videos. The defining feature of these bars is the massive 36 degrees of flare at the drops. This is my 2021 specialized diverge and the Ritchey bars replaced the stock Specialized Hover bar that came on the bike. In this video, find out why I made the switch to a “gravel specific” bar as I mention some of the things I really like about them and some of the things I’m not super crazy about either.
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Пікірлер: 95

@Scottcharliemurphey 2 жыл бұрын

Happy I found this channel! Love the nerdy bits and deeper dives. You've reviewed parts that I'm interested in AND you own a Diverge, perfect test mule! Keep up the good work!

@TheBikeSauce 2 жыл бұрын

Haha thx

@TheAnon232 3 жыл бұрын

Such a good channel, man. You’re doing so well. More subscribers to come.

@TheBikeSauce 3 жыл бұрын

Wow thanks for the great feedback! Definitely enjoying the process

@pedrolahoz 3 жыл бұрын

I found the flared controls easier to grab both from the hoods and drops, specially when navigating technical terrain. The drops for descending gnarly hills is heaven sent.

@Mosely2007 2 жыл бұрын

Nice video. I installed the Red Shift Kitchen Sinkbars and love them 47mm wide flair,and shallow drop. On my Diverge. Their cruise control and top pad make it more comfy. I've had 6 hand surgeries. These work great for me. Also their stem . I ride 40 to 60 miles daily. 80% dirt /gravel near Ann Arbor, Michigan. I'm adding them to my cross bike, it's a gravel bike now. Better in mud

@LOZUPONEJ 2 жыл бұрын

I love your honest reviews

@gzahnd 3 жыл бұрын

This was the most articulate explanation of gravel bar shape I’ve ever seen. For what it’s worth, I got here because I’m considering an Enve G Series bar, and you showed up in the search results. Thanks for the nerdery; I appreciate it in a world of mediocre opinions. :-)

@TheBikeSauce 3 жыл бұрын

Thx! Those Enve G bars though.. 👌 baller

@mattdrange4219 2 жыл бұрын

Great review! I had a similar experience with super wide flare. Wanted to like it but found the Venturemax you switched to more comfortable

@gravelymas 3 жыл бұрын

Good job! Clear and simple explanation. Cheers!

@TheBikeSauce 3 жыл бұрын

Thx for watching!

@normanchan2001 Ай бұрын

I love these bars. I do a lot of mixed terrain and these are just perfect.

@ilanpi 2 жыл бұрын

Hi there! For your information, the most aerodynamic position on road style handlebars is with the hands on the tops of the brake hoods with forearms horizontal, since this leads to less frontal aera. So the inward canting of the brake hoods actually yield a more aerodynamic position, if you can keep your forearms horizontal. You may be correct when you say that you are more aerodynamic when on the drops, but only as compared to an upright body position on the hoods, but are actually less aerodynamic than in a low body position on the top of the hoods.

@pedrolahoz 3 жыл бұрын

Just installed those handlebars on my cyclocross/gravel ride. The bike came alive! Better handling in all types of gravel, single-track and specially descents I ride. As mentioned, finally making regular use of the drops. Highly recommended.

@TheBikeSauce 3 жыл бұрын

Very nice! No issues accessing the controls from the hoods like me? I’m still getting used to them. Still on the fence

@pedrolahoz 3 жыл бұрын

When in the hoods, I am engaging the breaks and changing gears with the pinky, ring finger, and maybe middle finger. Thumb and index (middle on and off) finger wrap around and hold the hood. When in the drops, thumb, pinky and ring finger secure the bar, index and middle finger rest on the levers for either breaking or gear change.

@pedrolahoz 3 жыл бұрын

I will update once I do a couple of longer more exhausting rides.

@TheBikeSauce 3 жыл бұрын

Ha, yea I find myself doing the same! Weird at first, but easier access

@Soho-Fart 8 ай бұрын

@@pedrolahoz do you still use the beacon? i've been looking at them and really wanna try bars that have a short drop so i can be on the drops more often.

@MrRay645 Жыл бұрын

you post some great videos and always nail some small but important details. I started with wide flares, the reach to controls and pressure from edges of the hoods was an real issue on long rides. I am 6'3" and tall riders know that bike manufactures DO NOT scale the stack proportionately as the bike goes up in size so that 15mm of rise on the Hover is awesome. Love them but here I am looking for another option.... The Hover with a tiny bit more flare (a couple degrees more than Hover) wider for more hand clearance with my roll bag and slightly less drop distance (80-90mm vs 103mm) and if possible some compliance so hood ridding isn't so jarring (drops feel like memory foam vs the hoods/tops near the end of the day.

@Planetone. 3 жыл бұрын

I like those Ritchey bars, and I haven't even received my first gravel bike yet😊 I recognize that trail, cool place to ride your gravel. Oh" Subscribed!

@TheBikeSauce 3 жыл бұрын

Right on! Thanks for watching

@mokotramp 4 ай бұрын

Good review lad, cheers! ✌️

@TwoWheelWarrior 3 жыл бұрын

Way to go buddy!

@gietube 3 жыл бұрын

Nice review!

@TheBikeSauce 3 жыл бұрын

Thx!

@nastyfyme 3 жыл бұрын

Great review! Thanks :)

@TheBikeSauce 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@mattharvey2327 Жыл бұрын

great comment about the hood angle

@arturomartinez3354 3 жыл бұрын

I just subscribed to support your dream of getting free bars from manufactures. Good luck!

@TheBikeSauce 3 жыл бұрын

😆

@nomap2161 3 жыл бұрын

I hated the Hover bars on my 2019 Diverge. I replaced them with Cowchippers in the first month of ownership. Then I played around with the Ritchey Beacon and Salsa Cowbell. All were great bars, but I ultimately settled on the Cowbell because I do spent more time on road. I did love the Ritchey "hump" and prefer the angled brake hood angles of the Beacons and Cowchippers.

@TheBikeSauce 3 жыл бұрын

Nice! Handlebar expert over here! I was interested in the cowchippers too, but haven’t tried them yet.

@tomhullbridge 2 ай бұрын

I've been using the same bars for over a year now. I love the shallow drops. I'm still not sure though if I prefer these to the venture max bar. Both make good touring and commuting bars.

@chronometa 2 жыл бұрын

My topstone neo came with a 16 degree drop and it worked fine for me so far. I am generally worried that the flare will make it hard for me to reach the controls.

@do_chill_regular 3 жыл бұрын

Watching all of your vids, good content and thoro deep dives. 1 question I have is how are people finding diverges? They have been sold out for months on the website and no local shops have any (maybe a regional problem)

@TheBikeSauce 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching! Yes, As with many bikes during the shortage, it's been hard to source products. I ordered online back in May and waited a month or so before I got one. Others are still waiting and are projected to receive their in early 2021 (!). There is still inventory as far as I know (based on chit chatting with my LBS), but it's a matter of checking in frequently and asking around.

@KabirBindra 3 жыл бұрын

keep it up, still waiting for my Sport carbon to arrive... IN MARCH! :(

@TheBikeSauce 3 жыл бұрын

Thx! Sorry! Soon!!

@fcnopedal 9 ай бұрын

Excelente video espero poder testar em breve um desses

@elachichai Жыл бұрын

Any with more backsweep at the top? And front sweep in the drops to make it closer to the flat bar? Can you control the mount points and angle on the hoods if you want more tilt? Any comparison to RedShift Kitchen Sink and Salsa Cow Chipper?

@johnfitzgerald1192 2 жыл бұрын

When climbing a steep hill and you're in need of torque combining lower body strength and upper body strength the standard handle bar performs better. Due to shoulder width stance pulling towards your back while grabbing the lower curve in the handlebar, in accordance to the width of the handlebar. And also take into consideration of tight spots when going between cars or walls, the flare tips will give you less room to maneuver especially in dramatic time consuming matter where inches count. Remember, when traveling along park cars and a driver accidentally opens his/her door on you. And that extra inch inwards could've saved you from collision.

@TheBikeSauce 2 жыл бұрын

It's all trade offs in the world of cycling

@sarahc2201 3 жыл бұрын

Gotta ask, what frame bag are you running there? About to make the jump on the apidura, but wanted to hear your thoughts before I do! Great video as always. Looking at this bar right now

@TheBikeSauce 3 жыл бұрын

Hey thanks! So this one is a size small Outer Shell Adventure Half Frame bag. The Diverge has a highly sloped toptube, so space in the front triangle on a 52cm is at a premium. Outer Shell is a small SF Bay Area company who made one in nearly the exact dimensions I needed so I gave them a shot. Really great construction and $40 less than Apidura. I have no experience with Apidura, though so I'm not comparing the two though. outershelladventure.com/shop/half-framebag

@C.Medina 3 жыл бұрын

Funny how preference differ one to another. My bianchi gravel came with awful bars and after seeing the diverge one I like the idea of upper resting area to put my hands. Bought something similar from Ritchey, the comp ergomax and it turn my bike to a luxury. They are aluminum, but they feel like my last carbon handle bars from my canyon cf slx.

@TheBikeSauce 3 жыл бұрын

Nice! We live a great time as far as selection of bike parts. Something for everyone!

@C.Medina 3 жыл бұрын

@@TheBikeSauce for sure!👌

@elachichai 10 ай бұрын

Any recommendations to increase stem height and even increase stem angle?

@cyklofil7652 Жыл бұрын

Cool video. My only point of disagreement is on the design od 3t bars: a lot of brands produce bars made like that, but they dont even differentiate from typical flare (like uno fl12) or they dont talk about it as much and just call it outsweep instead of flare. The effect is the same. You have vertical shifters and slightly wider drops. Tbh i dont like it with some shifters the brake lever travel is awkward to me.

@clivejarmusch2906 3 жыл бұрын

Great Review! Planning to get one soon. However, I'm still torn on whether to get a wider width or not. My current stock dropbar is also 40cm, should I get a 40cm Beacon or go one stop wider at 42cm? :) Hope to hear from you :)

@TheBikeSauce 3 жыл бұрын

If you’re used to riding a lot in the hoods, you might consider going a size up.

@steptoorew 8 ай бұрын

hi, what is the width of the bicycle handlebar you took for the video?

@howardso9940 3 жыл бұрын

Hello its my first time to built my own gravel bike and I bought the Ritchey Beacon handle bars. Watched your review with the Venture Max do you recommend to switch to the Venture max? Thanks

@TheBikeSauce 3 жыл бұрын

It was just personal preference for me. If you like the beacons, they’re great bars

@YoLevin Жыл бұрын

Based on the title of the vid, I was expecting more info on the Hover Bar, as that is the bar I am researching right now.

@Bigsbeee 3 жыл бұрын

Would you mind me asking what inseam you are please on the 52 ? Thank you.

@TheBikeSauce 3 жыл бұрын

My natural inseam is about 30” (short legs) 🤣

@phinkyrai18 Жыл бұрын

what is the width of a handle bar?

@darrennelson9420 3 жыл бұрын

Any updates on the angled hoods? That is the only thing keeping me from trying them

@TheBikeSauce 3 жыл бұрын

Ha! Check out my video on the Ritchey Venturemax bars.

@alanwong8486 3 жыл бұрын

Hi, so I've recently started feeling nerve pain on my left pinky finger from 20 mile rides. Do these Ritchey Beacon handlebars help alleviate nerve pain, or do you have any other suggestions on my dilemma? Thanks!

@TheBikeSauce 3 жыл бұрын

Seems like a pretty clear case of excessive ulnar nerve pressure. Better gloves and frequent hand position adjustment ought to help. I’ve had this before and any means to relieve pressure right up the middle of your palm should help

@Colsoulaw 3 жыл бұрын

@@TheBikeSauce good tips. I've been reading a little more of that as well... Thanks !

@ahmadzuhairi 3 жыл бұрын

Sonder came out with the Bomber bars with 45º flare for all their Camino gravel bikes. Now I'm curious.

@vikhad 3 жыл бұрын

When somebody riding on drops is brake levers still available on this handlebar?

@TheBikeSauce 3 жыл бұрын

Yes, but it’s likely you’ll have to slide your hand forward off of the hump

@danalec4742 3 жыл бұрын

They look great, more space for the handlebar bags but stick to carbon. Since I replaced my specialized and my cube handlebars with carbon ones, I am so comfortable and never had a numbness. Toseek does fantastic carbon handlebars, alloys for me don't exist anymore. Regards. Dan

@TheBikeSauce 3 жыл бұрын

Yes, I've heard good things about the compliance offered by carbon bars. Perhaps in the future I'll consider a pair. You're not the first person to mention carbon bars are a big upgrade!

@jurajkovacs8443 3 ай бұрын

Hello, please, what is the width of the handlebars in the video? Thank you✌️

@TheBikeSauce 3 ай бұрын

42cm

@wrekitraf5396 3 жыл бұрын

Hey are you in the Fullerton area? Those are my home trails!

@TheBikeSauce 3 жыл бұрын

Fullerton loop is my go to!

@SeanKWhite-lk5zf 3 жыл бұрын

Salsa woodchipper for the win

@mcgarvy7 4 ай бұрын

Comfort is speed and distance, especially if you don’t compete

@jamessher6956 9 ай бұрын

I chose the 50cm Venture Max over this and couldn’t be happier.

@Yosser70 2 жыл бұрын

Cool review. Can’t decide between these or the Venturmax bars. One thing worth mentioning, I’m pretty sure you are more aero on the hoods rather than the drops.

@Mosely2007 2 жыл бұрын

Look at red shift kitchen sink

@Yosser70 2 жыл бұрын

@@Mosely2007 Bars that heavy shouldn’t cost that much so will give them a miss.