The Ritchey Break-Away Road Ti/Carbon chassis is admirably light, at 1,460g for the bare frame (52cm with coupler, derailleur hanger, clamp bolts and water bottle bolts). Save for a bit of housing rub, our test frame is looking as good as new after four months of regular use and several flights – not bad at all. Instead, they went for a brushed finish plus a media-blasted treatment for the down tube and top tube logos – that means there’s nothing to chip or scratch. Given the intended use, Ritchey were wise not to use any paint on the titanium portions of the frame. A true integrated 1 1/8in straight head tube surrounds the included full-carbon Ritchey WCS fork. You get round, straight-gauge 3/2.5 titanium tubes, a bonded-in carbon fiber rear end with socket-type dropouts and wishbone-style chain stays and a standard threaded bottom bracket. Otherwise, it’s quite a conventional TIG-welded frame. Fully assembled, the Break-Away is literally held together with just three bolts – surprisingly, that’s enough. The seat tube joint is especially slick, with what is effectively a split seat tube and a separate seatpost clamp for each section. The down tube separates at the bottom bracket via a neat flanged interface and overlapping hinged clamp. The Ritchey Break-Away frame’s defining feature is its ability to disassemble into two roughly wheel-sized halves (more on the packing process later).

We opted for 25mm tires, for greater cushioning on often-rough roadsįrame and equipment: Straightforward titanium and sleek couplers We started with 23mm tires but settled on 25s for their greater cushioning on unfamiliar roads: we started with 23mm tires but settled on 25s for their greater cushioning on unfamiliar roads James Huang/Future Publishing Getting low over the front end is obviously no problem, but most riders will probably find themselves with a handful of headset spacers. The result is a demeanor that lends itself to long, all-day rides in new surroundings.įit is quite aggressive, with a steep 75-degree seat tube angle (effectively producing a longer reach than the 54cm effective top tube would normally suggest) and positively puny 102mm-long head tube. Our 52cm tester had a somewhat average 73.5-degree head tube angle but a rather low 72mm bottom bracket drop for excellent high-speed stability. Handling leans toward the more stable end of the spectrum. If you’re really after a cushy feel, it’s worth noting that most 28mm tires will squeeze through as well. But that was largely remedied by swapping to 25mm tires – we recommend these for most riders for their faster roll and surer grip, anyway. Road texture comes through more prominently than on most full composite chassis we’ve ridden, particularly up through the bars. That being said, the Ritchey’s titanium main frame doesn’t soak up small-amplitude, high-frequency buzz in the same way as carbon. It’s a feature we especially appreciated while riding unfamiliar roads in far-off lands. Whereas most carbon bikes stiffen up on especially rough surfaces, such as washboarded dirt roads, the Ritchey eats them up with barely a whimper. The upside of the softer backbone is additional comfort, which the Ritchey offers in spades. Likewise, we’ve certainly piloted bikes that handled more precisely but the Ritchey still felt confidently planted at speeds approaching 75km/h (47mph). In most conditions that extra flex wasn’t much of an issue – we generally used the Ritchey for more steady-state rides, not full-blown hill repeats.

There’s a similar degree of flex from the rather traditionally proportioned front end when you’re sprinting out of the saddle. That’s particularly the case on steeper climbs when you’ve got no choice but to muscle away ruthlessly. There’s noticeable flex in the drivetrain when you really put the power down, and a subsequent delay between effort and output. Despite the carbon rear stays and included all-carbon fork, it’s quite a different feel from the all-carbon chassis that dominate the current landscape. True to form, the Ritchey Break-Away Road Ti/Carbon delivers a classic titanium ride, with a resilient and springy feel under power and a distinctly smooth quality on rough roads.

Ritchey breakaway case