UNBOXING - Ritchey Carbon Streem II Handlebar

[@Simbostyle]

I use a Ritchie gravel bar on my gravel bike. It's the 24° flare. It's great in the drops but rotates the shifters too much to the point it's uncomfortable to be on the hoods for extended periods of time. Great for fitting my bar bag in though when I'm bikepacking. I've got to agree with having a flat top to a bar. I'm not bothered by the aero credentials, but it makes for a really comfortable contact point, very important for long rides.

[@SeeYouUpTheRoad]

Thank You Simon. Are you riding the Venture Max?

[@Simbostyle]

@@SeeYouUpTheRoad yes it is. Looks funny with the lumps on the drops, but they nestle into your palms nicely

[@SeeYouUpTheRoad]

@@Simbostyle I might consider that bar for the Outback

[@clp91009]

I’m looking for some new bars and will check these out. I have previously installed a Ritchey headset and it was top quality product. In fact it was an upgrade on the original that was factory fitted. Ritchey make quality stuff.

[@SeeYouUpTheRoad]

Indeed they do! Thanks for watching

[@jamesdelgado2009]

I just found your channel last night and have subscribed. I have been binge-watching and you have excellent content and are a wealth of knowledge and are easy on the ears. I bet you have a lot of very satisfied regular customers! I've been buying Ritchey cockpit components for many years, both aluminum and carbon. All are excellent. I prefer non-internal routing for the reasons you mention. Also, will second you on your advice regarding torquing the bolts on carbon parts. Ritchey sells the little toque devices that are pretty accurate. I have a couple and have compared them to my Park torque wrench and they are spot on. Don't risk damaging your carbon parts by over-torquing them. I have an old BMC SLT01 early one with the skeleton lugs and those were prone to cracking by people over-torquing the seat binder bolts.

[@SeeYouUpTheRoad]

Hello James thank you for binge watching my channel! Tell me what type of content you have watched and enjoyed so I can continue to provide quality content. Thank You for your support and subscribing!

[@sccxvelo]

Use the ritchey biomax alloy bars on my bikes. One of the original slightly flared bars on my cx bikes. Hard to find them now days as not made anymore as they have been replaced in product line up. Good comfortable durable bars.

[@justsomedude7556]

Thanks for this. I have been looking for new bars for a couple of bikes and have been considering a flat top bar. It's been a long time since I considered Ritchey, but I thought I would add them back into the mix. Can you tell me the tube OD in the drops? I have some FSA SL-K's bars that I like and fit my hands well, but also some Bontrager's that came with my bike that are a tad larger and don't feel as comfortable, so trying to fine something where the OD is similar to the 8 year old SL-K bars.

[@cehlers41]

I'm a true roadie too, but the Salsa Cowbell with its modest 12 degree flare is amazing. I'm a convert.

[@SeeYouUpTheRoad]

I think I could get in with a 12 degree flare. Not sure on 24 though

[@WowRixter]

Nice looking bars. Why do manufacturers include the cable sleeve, is that just for manual brake cable routing? I just did the internal routing for hydraulic brake and Di2 cables through a set of Easton bars using the Park IR 1.2 cables. What a game changer. Impossible without the Park Tool

[@SeeYouUpTheRoad]

Not everyone is riding electronic shifting. I’m not. The bike this is going onto is mechanical SRAM Red Hydro. Some will never switch over. I won’t until absolutely forced without available mechanical drivetrain options. The cable guide is a nice touch. I’ve not seen any other bar manufacturer do that! I have the Park IR Tool as well. It works for some applications. For others you have to get really creative. Also if you are doing service and not a bike build from frame up the conditions you may encounter will tear the heads off those little wires on the IR tool.

[@MrSandperson0]

I have the alloy WCS Streem bars. Absolutely love them!

[@SeeYouUpTheRoad]

Thank You for your endorsement 😊

[@MrSandperson0]

@@SeeYouUpTheRoad Any reason to spring the extra $ for the carbon version vs the alloy? Just curious as to what I might be missing :-)

[@SeeYouUpTheRoad]

@@MrSandperson0 because Jess works hard she deserves nice things 😊

[@stevejenkins6045]

I have Ritchie aluminum bars on two of my bikes and love them. I have been considering carbon bars for three years for weight reduction and potential reduction in high frequency road buzz. I have yet to use any of the bars I have purchased because I am very leery of bar breakage. The bar I have found that I am most comfortable with is marketed by by topeak. In many ways it strongly resembles this bar with two exceptions…the bend on the drops for hand position and it does not run cables internally so there are no holes for potential stress risers. Instead it has indented sections beneath the tops where cables csn be hidden. If anything these indented sections may add strength to the bar. I enjoyed this review and thank you.

[@SeeYouUpTheRoad]

Hello Steve Thank You I’m glad you enjoyed the review. For the most part carbon bars are fairly safe. They do break from time to time under normal use. But weirdly sometimes they hold up in a crash so go figure 😂 I am cautiously optimistic when I ride them 😉

[@expectandreceive]

Today’s carbon from quality manufactures is so tough it’s no joke. I had a Fizik R1 seatpost seized in a frame due to a tight fit and dried up carbon assembly paste. Had to wrestle it out with the post clamped in a vice. It cracked SLIGHTLY from being clamped down on so tight and all the torsion, but was really quite insignificant. Nothing in a riding scenario would break that thing!

[@jessicacheck179]

Oh geez. I don’t think I could ride that without worrying the bar is gonna disintegrate on me during a descent 😂

[@expectandreceive]

@@jessicacheck179 well the post was tossed after it cracked during removal. Just impressive how durable it was!

[@SeeYouUpTheRoad]

Wow! Just for fun checkout Commotion’s Instagram - they have a machine that removes seatposts.

[@wesleystephen9169]

Another very informative review.. Thank you. Are you familiar with the Deda Alanere flat handlebars? Internal wiring and I believe aluminum also. Wondering how they compare to the Ritchey.

[@timothymcteague8437]

Why not get the aluminum Streem? It’s only 50 grams heavier for about 1/3 the cost!

[@SeeYouUpTheRoad]

Excellent question! Jess works hard and deserves nice things. 🥰 The aluminum bar is a great option. I think it would be a great bar for Crit Banging, road racing and even gravel riding. Thanks for watching Timothy!

[@Unwavering137]

I have a Zipp Course SL 70 bar. It has a flat bar top. It came with my Officina Battaglin retro-steel frame bike. I like the flat bar tops for climbing.

[@Jarek.]

Excellent video, thank you! I've just ordered *Ritchey WCS Streem II, 40cm* to replace stock *Specialized Expert Shallow Drop, 42cm* . I have high hopes, and if this will work for me, my next choice will be *Enve SES Aero Road 42/37 cm* (then Enve will go to Tarmac and Ritchey to old Canyon).

[@SeeYouUpTheRoad]

Thanks for watching please consider subscribing

[@ian_pedalz]

Love the look of these bars! Usually I’m anti carbon on the stems but I happen to love their original super logic carbon stem. Had a bad crash and the stem held up great too. By any chance do you know when ritchey will have more logic rim brake frames?

[@SeeYouUpTheRoad]

Do you mean the carbon breakaway bike?

[@ian_pedalz]

@@SeeYouUpTheRoad the steel road logic. They seem impossible to get these days.

[@litchips]

Great design with the backsweep and short reach. Not sure what the point of internal routing is if it only goes in for 2 inches, but that's the zeitgeist now. Was considering it until I scored a really good deal on carbon 3T Ernovas from Wiggle.

[@SeeYouUpTheRoad]

I wondered the same about the internal routing

[@channul4887]

2:08 so it wasn't a truck after all?

[@jessicacheck179]

Wow you guys are really paying attention😀! There were two recent accidents I was involved in. This bar is for my blue Cinelli Superstar that was crashed out when another cyclist literally crashed into me on Dec 21st -- no frame damage from that collision but the Neo Morphe bar got crushed and I had some road rash (AKA skinned knees) :(. So I was riding my "backup" bike, a white Superstar, when the truck clipped me a few weeks ago on Feb 8th :/... a much more serious accident.

[@jessicacheck179]

@Charles Man Wow you guys are really paying attention😀! There were two recent accidents I was involved in. This bar is for my blue Cinelli Superstar that was crashed out when another cyclist literally crashed into me on Dec 21st -- no frame damage from that collision but the Neo Morphe bar got crushed and I had some road rash (AKA skinned knees) :(. So I was riding my "backup" bike, a white Superstar, when the truck clipped me a few weeks ago on Feb 8th :/... a much more serious accident.

[@jessicacheck179]

@Charles Man Ha!

[@channul4887]

@@jessicacheck179 sorry to hear you had 2 crashes in a row. Good thing you're recovering quickly, though!

[@jessicacheck179]

@@channul4887 hey, thanks! Yeah I don't know if I maybe had some bad Karma coming my way or what. I told George that since I average one accident/crash about every 5 years, I'm not "due" again until at least 2033!

[@ayowser01]

I like Bontrager bars because of their long reach. It allows me to run a shorter stem, which allows me to have a more upright posture.

[@SeeYouUpTheRoad]

Different strokes for different strokes right? I like to fit myself and my clients with shorter reach bars and longer stems. Longer stems provide more neutral control and more stability of your bicycle. Shorter stems and upright positions are unstable as it puts the handlebars behind the front axle. Steering is twitchy and compromises your ability to descend with confidence and/or speed. This should be a topic for a video 😊

[@ayowser01]

@@SeeYouUpTheRoad short 🦵, long torso problem aka asian fit

[@SeeYouUpTheRoad]

@@ayowser01 and THAT’S exactly why you need longer top tubes, longer stems because you have short legs and a long torso. It’s if the cardinal sin of bike fitters and self-fit people - Asian and Latinos buy the smaller bike size than they should be on. That’s why the sloping top tube was a great design idea for folks like you (Asian) and Latinos. Now you can straddle the bigger size that is appropriate for your longer torso. The most important measurement on a bike is the top tube length and purchasing the bike with the top tube proportional to your torso.

[@ayowser01]

@George Vargas ...but looking pro is way more important... I can't have nearly no seat post showing! 😁 I actually enjoy a responsive/race bike feel, but then again, I've never tried a more endurance riding position, and I only ride for 1-2hrs at a time 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@SeeYouUpTheRoad]

@@ayowser01 ha ha looking pro!! You always crack me up 🤣 anyway with a longer top tube more appropriate to your torso and longer stem the handling is much predictable not as twitchy and you can still look Pro because they ride long stems 😂 👍

[@crack0n]

I run toseek bars/stems/seattubes for years 😆. Cheap chinese stuff but works great. And of course Torque wrench !

[@SeeYouUpTheRoad]

Always a torque wrench!

[@96BrunoAlmeida]

Are these handlebars compatible with Di2? Looking to understand if the cables stay fully hidden? Thanks

[@SeeYouUpTheRoad]

Thanks for watching please take a hard look at the spec for the handlebars. Please consider subscribing

[@EditioCastigata]

24° WCS VentureMax, alu on commuter, carbon on all-roud bike: Flare is not so much about stability for me -- It's about comfort. Feels natural to my hands and wrists, and I actually like the rotated shifters. The Streem I did buy for the bicycle I prefer for group rides. 🙂

[@SeeYouUpTheRoad]

Thanks for sharing! And thanks for watching. Please consider subscribing

[@virkelie2]

I don't understand how anyone can feel safe riding with carbon handlebars.

[@davidadamus177]

Been riding carbon bars on my fixed gear for years. I take good care of them, use a torque wrench, etc. Don't even think about that while riding.

[@virkelie2]

@@davidadamus177 Okay, thanks!

[@patrickparisienne1917]

I’ve been through the carbon bar thing. Nice stuff, but expensive if you want a trustworthy product. Now running ZIPP XPLR alloy gravel bars, in 44 & 46cm. I’m broad shouldered, and like that the flared drops allow my forearms to clear the bend in the bar. Overall alloy is less stressful to own and easier to find different configurations.

[@SeeYouUpTheRoad]

Thank You Patrick!