Athens Ridge 34 Review

Editors' review

A 34-inch axle-to-axle bow a hunter can carry into a treestand and then take to a 3D course on the weekend is a rare thing, and the Ridge 34 is Athens' answer. It is the longer, more forgiving half of the 2019 Ridge pair - where the Ridge 32 chases speed and a compact package, the 34 spends its extra length on stability, holding a sight pin steady the way a much pricier target bow does. Athens rebuilt its hunting line under new ownership that year, retiring the Accomplice and putting the Ridge name on a fresh riser, split past-parallel limbs, and a two-track binary cam; for 2020 the MT modular cam brought in-place draw-length adjustment, and the brace tightened to 6.5 inches. Rated at 335 IBO with a 4.3-pound bare weight, it is built to shoot far and forgive a little sloppiness. Shooters who put it through a chronograph and out to 60 yards keep landing on the same word for it - a do-all. And the draw, more than one has noted, feels less like a modern speed cam and more like a smooth classic.

Finish

Athens treats color as configuration rather than a short menu. The Ridge 34 shipped in a deep palette - Realtree Edge and Excape, Kuiu Verde 2.0 and Vias, Realtree Edge Snow, plus solids and specials including Textured Black, Flat Dark Earth, Musket Brown, Anthracite Grey, Pearl White, Majesty Purple, and the Old Glory flag wrap - with 2020 adding new colors in Monarch Orange, Dragonfly Blue, and Mantis Green. Riser and limb colors are ordered independently, so a target-minded buyer can run a black riser with contrasting limbs or a hunter can match a full camo set, a level of mixing most catalog bows in this class do not offer. The Kolorfusion dip is built for durability and camouflage quality rather than showroom gloss, and it lays clean over the long machined riser. Because each bow is built to order, the finish is locked at purchase - the Old Glory wrap must run matching riser and limbs. Left-hand builds are available across the menu, which a small shop is well set up to handle.

Riser

The defining feature of the Ridge 34 is its riser length. At 34 inches axle-to-axle the bow carries a long machined-aluminum riser, and that length is what buys the long-range stability and steady hold that separate it from the shorter Ridge 32. The mounting layout is built for a shooter who wants to balance the bow precisely: a double rest-hole pattern, dual sight-mounting holes to shift a direct-mount sight without bottoming out the gang adjustment, and - a detail the shorter bows do not share - two mounting positions for a rear stabilizer bar, so weight can be tuned high or low to settle the pin the way a target shooter likes. An adjustable roller guard manages the cables and lets a shooter pull cam lean while tuning. The riser wears GAS Premium High Octane strings from the factory, stable enough that no aftermarket swap is called for. In my experience the twin rear-bar positions are the kind of small thing that turns a hunting bow into a real 3D option, since back-bar balance is most of what steadies a long-distance hold.

Grip

The grip is the detail owners bring up first, and on the Ridge 34 it pairs naturally with the target-leaning length. Athens machines a narrow throat with a small swell where the meat of the hand seats, so the palm and thumb settle into the same repeatable spot shot after shot - a low-torque interface closer to a target grip than a chunky hunting handle. That repeatability is exactly what a bow expected to hold steady at distance needs: it pulls torque out of the release and lets the bow point on its own. The shape is a hybrid a shooter can wrap fully or ride higher on the shelf, whichever anchor they settle on, and the finish carries across the grip so cold-hand handling stays predictable. Shooters can fit an aftermarket grip if they prefer a different profile, but most leave the machined riser alone. Wrapping a hand around it, the thing I notice is how the small swell locates the hand without any conscious searching - the kind of interface that quietly improves a long-range group.

Limbs

The Ridge 34 runs split limbs in a past-parallel geometry seated in a simple locking pocket, and that geometry is central to how forgiving the bow feels. Past-parallel limbs recoil against each other at the shot, cancelling most of the energy that would otherwise reach the hand as vibration - part of why a bow this long stays calm and quiet at the shot. Draw weight spans 40 to 70 pounds in 10-pound steps with a 65-pound peak option, enough authority for any North American deer while still coming down far enough for a smaller-framed shooter or a growing teenager. LimbSaver limb dampeners plus a factory string stop handle residual buzz. Poundage changes are standard limb-bolt turns and the locking pocket keeps the tune from wandering. The wide split-limb base gives the long riser a stable foundation, which is a good part of why the bow holds a pin so steadily downrange.

Eccentric System

The cam is where the Ridge 34's two model years split, and it is worth knowing before buying. The 2019 bow runs a two-track binary cam in draw-length-specific form - simple and efficient, but changing draw length means fitting a different cam, for which Athens gives the first swap free. For 2020 the MT modular cam took over, keeping the efficient two-track geometry while adding in-place draw-length adjustment without a cam swap. Let-off is adjustable from 80 to 90 percent across both years (Athens headlined it at 90) - genuinely wide, and a shooter can play it toward the high end for a longer, more relaxed hold. The 335 IBO rating (the industry-standard chronograph figure at 70 pounds, 30 inches, 350 grains) is a touch behind the Ridge 32's 340, the trade for the longer riser and taller brace. Real chronograph numbers track it honestly: at a 70-pound, roughly 30-inch setup the Ridge 34 clocked 325 fps with a 350-grain arrow, sat around 300 with a mid-weight shaft, and still made 261 fps with a heavy 578-grain arrow. A dealer chronograph at a shorter 27-inch draw with a 380-grain arrow read about 290 - right where the IBO math lands for that setup. The takeaway is a cam whose printed speed matches its real behavior while giving up a hair of the 32's quickness for the 34's forgiveness.

Draw Cycle/Shootability

The draw is the Ridge 34's quiet argument. It pulls with an even, consistent weight - not stiff, but with no hump to fight and no sudden dump - then rolls through peak into a genuinely generous valley and stops on a solid wall. Shooters reaching for a comparison land on an older Obsession rather than an Elite: a smooth, classic feel instead of a sharp modern speed cam, and that is meant as a compliment. The wide let-off is a real tool here, though it has one edge worth knowing - cranked to its highest setting the top end can feel loose enough that letting down feels a touch spooky, which backing off a notch settles. The shot is calm and quiet for a bow this long and fast, with the past-parallel limbs and factory dampeners doing the work. Where the length pays off is downrange: owners report pure, clean arrow flight and hold the pin well enough to shoot groups out past 60 yards, distances most would call target range on what is nominally a hunting bow. Drawing it and settling the pin, the long riser gives the hold a planted steadiness that a shorter bow has to work harder for. It is a bow that rewards a shooter who slows down and lets the length do its job.

Usage Scenarios

The Ridge 34 is the do-all of the pair, and the 34-inch length is what makes the range so wide. It is a capable whitetail and mule-deer bow at 70 pounds, with the reach and steadiness to stretch a shot when one presents. But the place it separates from the shorter Ridge 32 is the 3D range and the spot line: the long riser, the twin rear-bar mounts, and the steady hold let it shoot a club 3D course or an indoor round comfortably, which is why long-draw shooters and target-minded hunters gravitate to it. It is a natural fit for the shooter pulling 30 or 31 inches who has always felt cramped on shorter bows - the 34 gives them room. Set up light it hunts; set up with a full stabilizer bar and side weight it turns into a target rig without changing bows. What it gives up is treestand nimbleness - the 34-inch length is more to maneuver in a tight blind or a crowded stand, so a hunter who values a compact, quick-swinging bow above all else is better matched to the Ridge 32. For everyone who wants one bow to hunt in the fall and shoot foam in the summer, this is the honest do-all.

Versions

The Ridge 34 was built to order rather than sold in fixed packages, and it ran two model years with meaningful changes between them. The 2019 debut ($799 launch MSRP in a camo riser with black limbs; $824 for matching-camo limbs) ran a 6.75-inch brace, a 25-to-32-inch draw range, an 80-to-90-percent adjustable let-off (Athens headlined it at 90 percent), and a draw-length-specific two-track binary cam, with 40-to-70-pound draw weight including the 65-pound option. The 2020 edition ($824 base; $874 top finishes) tightened the brace to 6.5 inches, narrowed the draw range to 25.5-to-31 inches, and swapped in the MT modular cam for in-place draw-length adjustment without a cam swap, alongside the Monarch, Dragonfly, and Mantis colors. Across both years draw weight is set by limb and module, riser and limb colors are ordered independently, and every bow carries Athens' lifetime transferable warranty with the first cam swap free. The buyer's decision between the years is real: the 2019 for the wider 25-to-32-inch draw range and taller brace, the 2020 for the adjustable MT cam and the firmer 6.5-inch geometry.

Athens Ridge 34 vs Elite Kure, Bowtech Experience

Bow	Athens Ridge 34	Elite Kure	Bowtech Experience
Version	2020	2020	2015
Picture
Brace Height	6.5 "	6.563 "	7 "
AtA Length	34 "	31.813 "	32 "
Draw Length	25.5 " - 31 "	23 " - 30 "	26.5 " - 31 "
Draw Weight	40 lbs - 70 lbs	30 lbs - 70 lbs	40 lbs - 70 lbs
IBO Speed	335 fps	265 fps - 335 fps	335 fps
Weight	4.3 lbs	4.6 lbs	4.2 lbs
Let-Off	80% - 90%	70% - 90%	80%
Where to buy Best prices online	Not available now. Please check later.	$450 to $1000 Compare prices	$500 to $750 Compare prices
	compare more bows

All three are forgiving do-all bows that a hunter who also shoots 3D would cross-shop, and the split is about brand pedigree versus small-shop value. The Elite Kure is the premium option - a slightly shorter do-all built around Elite's signature smooth draw and its reputation for draw-weight precision and tunability, sold well above the Ridge through a major dealer network. It is the pick for a buyer who wants a big-brand bow with a deep tuning ecosystem and does not mind paying for it. The Bowtech Experience meets the Ridge 34 closer on geometry and purpose - a 32-inch, 335 IBO forgiving hunter with a tall 7-inch brace and Bowtech's damping engineering - and appeals to a buyer who wants a stable, quiet hunter from an established brand. Against both, the Athens Ridge 34 counters with a longer 34-inch riser, the twin rear-bar mounts that make it a genuine target option, built-to-order finishes, and a lifetime transferable warranty, all at a fraction of the Elite's price. The decision comes down to priorities: the Elite Kure for premium draw feel and tunability, the Bowtech Experience for a forgiving major-brand hunter, and the Athens Ridge 34 for the shooter who wants the longest, most target-capable of the three without flagship money.

Summary

Athens launched the Ridge 34 in 2019 at a $799 base MSRP - small-shop, direct pricing for a hand-built bow that shoots far above its cost. For that money the buyer gets a 34-inch, 335 IBO do-all whose real chronograph numbers hold up - 325 fps with a 350-grain arrow at a 70-pound setup - a smooth, classic-feeling draw into a generous valley, a machined grip shooters single out as the best part of the bow, and the twin rear-bar mounts and long riser that let it shoot 3D and spot as seriously as it hunts. The 2020 MT-cam version adds adjustable draw and let-off in the firmer 6.5-inch geometry, while the 2019 keeps the wider 25-to-32-inch draw range. What stays with me is how planted the hold feels - the length quietly steadies the pin in a way a shorter bow has to work for, which is why owners keep shooting it out to distances well past where a hunting bow usually stops. This is an excellent bow for the long-draw shooter or the hunter who wants one bow to hunt in the fall and shoot foam in the summer, particularly strong on a 3D stake or a spot line where the length and back-bar balance pay off. Buyers who want premium draw feel and tunability from a major brand should also look at the Elite Kure, while those wanting a forgiving major-brand hunter should also weigh the Bowtech Experience.