Looking for a great, cost effective handlebar for your gravel bike? Gravel riding is really nothing new to Tom Ritchey. Long before it was a cycling genre, it was just what you did, either on a road or cross bike. Many Ritchey bars have variation of an ergo bar top shape, that when combined with drop flare, becomes the essential shape and design of today's gravel handlebars. The Comp Butano Alloy V2 Handlebar epitomizes such a bar and this is the updated model, with a new, more welcoming ergo-aero top section for increased hand support, great drop flare width, new internal routing options, and a few other details.

The 6061 aluminum alloy is \resilient and eminently workable at a moderate weight. Designed for the rigors of gravel and adventure riding, the bar must also be strong and resilient to constant vibration and minor wheel impacts. The Comp Butano V2 has such subtle shapes and features, all of which have to be perfectly symmetrical side to side. The design is truly compact, with a 73mm reach and 115mm drop. The ease of transition from position to position is ideal, and the 5° backsweep and 18° flares create added overall width and leverage when in the drops. The 2° flare out allows for a more subtle lever mount angle that still feels natural when on the hoods. The ergo bar top shape has a nice oval section which feels natural and ergonomic without dictating specific positions.

Ritchey has left plenty of 31.8mm round diameter for the Comp Butano to accommodate most aerobar extensions (except for 380mm length). The 2 generation Butano Alloy V2 capitalizes on its original comfort by adding new features such as the ability for internal cable routing through the center of the bar and into the stem, as well as a welcoming ergo-aero top section for increased hand support. The drop flare on the new Butano has also gone wider than the original, moving outward a liberal 18° for additional comfort and control when down in the drop. This handlebar, with all of it's design features, is still reasonable light weight, at 310 grams for size 42cm. Ritchey is offering the Comp Butano from 40-46cm widths, measured center-to-center at the curve- essentially the lever mount zone.