When ever there comes a new gravel / adventure bike I get excited. Today I am happy to bring you a new bike that has been released recently. The Outback has become an Icon in the world of adventure and gravel bikes. Designed by the man himself, Tom Ritchey. You know this is a well designed bike for adventure riding when he has over 40 years of designing and building bicycles behind him along with 16,000 km or more of off-road riding every year. He seems like a bloke who knows a thing or two about adventure cycling and proves that this bike is just what the adventure cycling scene needs.
It is probably made from the best bike material for those willing to explore off the beaten path, with steel frame and carbon fork. The frame made from triple-butted Ritchey Logic steel tubing, offers that legendary Ritchey ride quality that’s resilient over the harshest terrain and delightfully responsive when you want to open it up. But steel is real and I am personally a big fame of steel for an adventure bike and it just works. Some say steel is heavy but with these newer bikes it is not that big of a deal. Plus you get that strength to carry gear and reliability when in the middle of nowhere. At times a full steel build can sometimes feel too stiff on the rough stuff. That is while I love the idea of having the all-carbon fiber Ritchey Adventure Fork for that extra suppleness and road chatter dampening.
But it is worth mentioning that some people I have talked to say you have to ride Ritchey steel as it is unique and well on this bike the tubing is thin and lightweight. For a size large frame you are looking at a weight of 2,175 grams. With the carbon fork weighing in at 473 grams (with thru-axle). so for a large sized frameset you are looking at around 2,648 grams. This would make a great adventure/ultra endurance bike!
The fork does come adventure ready with multi-purpose mounts (three eyelets) on the legs gives you more places to stow away gear. For added versatility you get rack and fender mounts. Also clearance for up to 700c x 48mm or 650b x 2.0in tires which is perfect for that off-road exploring you have planned.
From my understanding you can only pick up the frameset online for $1,399.00 but Ritchey do sell all compatible parts and components to put together a complete build. But honestly this might be one of the best adventure frames out there to use for an adventure bike build. It would make a really fun project!
Frameset Specifications
So let’s talk a little more about the frames specs and look at the details, shall we? It comes with an ultra-light forged and machined straight 1-1/8″ headtube with those nice and wide adventure forks. The frame comes with two bottle cage mounts and external cable routing.
When it comes to chainring and and crankset the bike can accommodate a crankset min/max ring size for single: 36 to 46t / and double: 46/30t to 50/34t. While there is room for 1X or 2X chainrings at the front. You get a replaceable stainless-steel derailleur hanger and a front derailleur clamp size of 28.6mm (max torque setting: 2.5Nm). A 27.2mm seat tube with integrated seat collar and 142mm frame spacing (12mm alloy thru-axle come included). Also the headset that comes with the frame is a WCS headset (upper IS42/28.6 – 16mm stack height | lower IS42/30). Will brakes capability you get the option for flat-mount brakes front and rear: 140mm min / 160mm max.
Geometry
The all important geometry! When it comes to adventure cycling as I am certain you are aware. Comfort over the long haul is the best, so relaxed geometry is ideal for added stability. I like to compare geometry and see what bikes stack up against others. I personally own and love the Kona Sutra LTD and this bikes rides like a dream for off-road races and adventures. Read my experience with the review and while riding the 2020 Victoria Divide. I think this is a great place to compare and figure out if this Outback bike is ideal for adventure cycling, when it comes to geometry.
The wheelbase is almost identical. At 1069.6 mm for a large frame. It is a long bike but this is what you want if you are planning to go adventure cycling mostly. The reach is the same for both bikes at 390 mm. The trail is in that mid to low range of other gravel bikes making it feel responsive. The chainstay length is 453 mm which makes it on the longer length for gravel bikes. Making the ride feel more stable and chill.
The standover height of the Ritchey Outback is a little lower than most other gravel bikes and adventure bikes. For a large frame the standover height is 817.8 mm compared to my Kona Sutra LTD it is around 840 mm. The Bottom Bracket drop is also nice and low making for even better stability and lower centre of gravity at 68 mm.
With the new 2020 Ritchey Outback model there has been some updated changes fro previous models. Along with the all ready mentioned triple fork mounts, bottle cage mounts (two in the centre of frame and one underneath down tube). The bike also comes with a head tube angle that is slightly more slack at 71° (size large). Along with that new Ritchey Adventure Fork, it is longer and offers more rake. The wheelbase is longer than previous models and most of this length comes from the chainstay. This could effect overall ride feel to feel less playful at the back. But for adventures under a heavy load so worth it for that extra stability.
Some other things to consider about the Outback is the exposed cables. It can limit frame bag capabilities and potentially effect how braking works. But the reason that Ritchey’s chose external cable routing was more for aesthetic purposes. And you could attach a frame bag underneath the cables if you really wanted. Also if you want to attach a front rack this is not possible with the adventure fork. As it has no front rack mounts.
Once again it is a very nice bike that has seen some improvements to make for better adventure riding. It only comes in a frameset from Ritchey or other online stores. Priced at $1,399.00 at Nashbar.com
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