If you’re after a combination of price, quality and durability, you’ll struggle to do much better than Ritchey’s Neoclassic bars. We rode these extensively for a recent review, and for our money they may well be the best value set of upgrade handlebars on the market.

Sure, they’re not carbon, but they weigh in at just 40g more than Ritchey’s top-of-the-range £230 SuperLogic bars. So you’re not giving much away in the weight stakes. Plus, aluminium bars are far more crash-proof than carbon and will bend or dent where carbon bars will crack.

They come with a sensible and accessible 128mm drop and 73mm reach, and long, comfortable flat sections at the ends of the drops making riding low a pleasant experience. Unless you’re exceptionally flexible, compact style bars offer the chance to still get your stem low at the front, but not at the expense of being able to use the drops.

Colour-wise there’s the choice of ‘wet black’ or ‘blatte’ (matte black), so you’re totally sorted. As long as you’re after black, that is.