Ritchey Barkeeper

Ritchey Barkeepers are bar end plugs and tyre levers combined. As you'd expect from Ritchey, they're well engineered and highly functional, though arguably best suited to owners of pared-to-the-essentials bikes, who puncture infrequently...

Given this, my tubby red tourer's moustache bar might sound a strange host, but so-so bar end plugs, a puncture, and a complete cable upgrade made it the perfect test bed.

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There's nothing particularly exotic about their composition – we're talking high quality moulded composites – but they are engineered for a precision fit in the bar, and are unexpectedly pleasant to use when tackling a flat. Talking of which...

Having deflated the tyre completely and whipped the wheel from the frame, I set to with the lever components. Thinking they might be a little impotent, the curved lips actually did an excellent job of infiltrating and scooping the 1.6-section tyre bead free from the rim.

Portly rubber like this is usually pretty straightforward to reinstate, although come the final 10cm and the Panaracer in question typically requires a bit of persuasion. This time, gripping one section to prevent it creeping away, then popping the remainder home using a single Barkeeper proved surprisingly simple.

Christmas and New Year is traditionally a time when I revamp and tinker with my fleet, and this year I swapped my quirky 90s road bike's 23mm rubber for 25mm. Both put up more of a struggle than the Panaracer, but the Barkeepers were up to the job. Even applying considerable force, the composites didn't turn whippy or feel as if they might break.

> Beginner's Guide: How to mend a puncture

As bar end plugs they are similarly reliable, though they work best with adhesive-backed rather than pressure-fit tapes. Silicones, though naturally quite tenacious, tended to unravel when the Barkeeper was required for levering duty. This might be a non-issue for riders who puncture infrequently, but could be infuriating and potentially disastrous in a competitive context, if these were your only means of tyre removal.

Summing up, the Barkeepers are an ingenious use of otherwise dead space and do both their jobs very convincingly. That said, £15 seems pretty steep given nearly half that buys a pair of perfectly dependable plugs and levers.

Verdict

Neatly executed combination of lever and end plugs but steep compared with standalone products