Ritchey has long hung their hat on their unique stem clamp designs. It all started with the C260 design, but the C220 is much easier to live with and the Ritchey Toyon C220 Stem is a great stem for road or gravel use.
Ritchey WCS Toyon C220 Stem Features:
- 6° of positive or negative rise
- 1-1/8″ steerer diameter
- Matching top cap included
- M5 stainless hex bolts for easy servicing
- Made from 2014 alloy
- Stem body wraps 220° around bar clamping area
- Unique design holds the bar in place for easy installation
- Matte black color
- Weight: 130 grams (110mm, actual)
- MSRP: $99.95
C220 makes a big difference
Several years ago, I tested the Ritchey Superlogic C260 Carbon Stem. It’s light, stiff and clamps like a superhero, but bar install/removal requires a little bit of trickery because you have to thread the bar through at its thinnest point. With the Toyon C220, that’s not the case as the bar can be installed like usual and the 220-degree clamping area actually holds the bar in place for easier install.
Traditionally, stems have a 180-degree clamping area. You don’t really think twice about it, because that’s just the way stems are. But, Ritchey has another idea with their C260 and C220 stem clamp designs. The C220 is most common in their lineup and is the easiest to live with. I happened to have it installed and used with the Ritchey Butano Drop Bar for a slick pairing.
With front-mounted M5 bolts, the slight angle actually makes for easy access and tightening. (I could actually reach the lower bolts with my Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT out front mount installed.) Remember, even though this is alloy, you must follow the proper torque settings, so make sure you have a torque wrench that can tighten all the bolts to 5nm (Ritchey Torqkey is an easy one).
In the wild, the WCS Toyon Stem not only looks awesome, but it’s stiff and responsive too. That squared design looks modern and the matte finish really made the total cockpit package on the 3T Exploro RaceMax look great. Since 3T uses the awesome Ritchey seatpost head, it makes for a full Ritchey cockpit.
As mentioned, all testing was done on the 3T Exploro RaceMax, so the stem saw a ton of gravel use and some road too. I have found it to perform quite well where it counts: security and stiffness. That C220 clamp really holds bars securely — no question. And, the squared design makes for one stiff stem when pushed hard. Handling is superb and, while it’s stiff, the chosen alloy does reduce chatter somewhat (not going to compete with a carbon stem, but it’s way better than a cheap alloy stem).
The Good
- Front-facing bolts are easy to access
- C220 holds bars securely
- Snazzy matte black finish
- Stiff and responsive handling
- Competitively-lightweight design
- Faceplate makes it easy to see bar markings
The Bad
- You’ll have to justify a matching bar with your significant other, right?
The Bottom Line: Ritchey WCS Toyon C220 Stem
With a modern matte finish and squared design, the Ritchey WCS Toyon Stem has been a great pairing with the Butano Drop Bars. I’ve loved the security of the C220 design and found that much easier to live with than the C260. Performance has been superb as well. This is a great-looking and affordable stem if you’re looking for a new Ritchey cockpit.
Buy Now: Available from CompetitiveCyclist.com
