Morgan from Radavist took an in-depth look at the alluring Ritchey Outback gravel bike, exploring what makes this platform so unique, even years after its initial launch. Let’s delve into the review to understand why the Ritchey Outback continues to captivate riders.
Having ridden numerous bikes over the years, certain preferences for geometry and materials naturally develop. Based on these personal assumptions, the Ritchey Outback wasn’t initially what I expected to be enthusiastic about.
Gravel bikes equipped with carbon forks often fall into a predictable category: more versatile than cyclocross bikes but frequently too rigid for truly rough terrain or extended days in the saddle. Gravel bike design has also trended towards longer rear ends compared to cyclocross bikes. Yet, the Outback distinguishes itself with one of the most extended rear ends among performance-oriented drop-bar bikes I’ve experienced.
However, experience teaches the importance of an open mind. In recent years, bikes that defy easy categorization have become increasingly exciting to test. The opportunity to review unconventional bikes expands perspectives and sharpens reviewing skills. I approached the Ritchey Outback, ready to be surprised.
And indeed, the Ritchey Outback proved to be an exception to preconceived rules and a challenge to initial assumptions.
ritchey outback gravel bike front view
Approaching Gravel Bike Perfection with Ritchey
In a market saturated with similar gravel bikes, the Ritchey Outback stands out with its distinctive aesthetics and geometry. It doesn’t immediately scream “modern gravel race rocket,” yet it possesses the speed and lightweight characteristics expected in that category. More remarkably, it delivers a smoother ride than any disc brake, carbon fork bike I’ve previously encountered.
From the very first ride, the Ritchey Outback felt exceptional. It was immediately clear that the 27.5×2.1” tires were not solely responsible for its incredibly smooth ride. I’ve ridden numerous bikes with even larger tires that felt significantly stiffer. The Outback undeniably possesses what many refer to as the “Ritchey magic.”
When comparing mass-produced bikes to custom-built or small-batch frames – a common pursuit among cycling enthusiasts seeking the perfect ride – a general consensus emerges that factory bikes are inherently overbuilt. This is a necessity to accommodate a wide range of rider sizes, endure rigorous crash tests, and minimize warranty claims.
However, some production bikes defy this generalization. The Ritchey Outback firmly resides in this exceptional category.
The front end compliance of the Outback is only surpassed by small-batch, rim brake randonneuring bikes featuring ultra-thin steel fork legs, designs that likely wouldn’t pass standard factory testing. The Outback’s fork offers greater compliance than any carbon or steel disc fork I’ve tested, all while maintaining composure under braking.
This raises the questions: How has Ritchey achieved this remarkable balance? And are there any compromises involved?
The Stacked Spring Theory and Ritchey’s Ride Quality
A bicycle’s ride quality is a product of its entire system. Numerous components contribute to the overall flexibility and compliance, from the tires, rims, and spokes at the ground level to the fork, frame, seatpost, saddle, stem, handlebars, and even bar tape at the rider contact points.
These components work synergistically, creating a whole that exceeds the sum of its parts. This isn’t just abstract theory; it’s rooted in physics. The concept is analogous to a stack of springs with varying spring rates – some stiffer, some softer. The combined spring rate of the stack is lower than the softest individual spring in the system.
This stacked spring concept was reinforced by an article from Alee Denham of Cycling About, published earlier this year. Denham suggests that tire volume and seatposts are the primary contributors to system compliance, downplaying the significance of frame material. While I value his insights, I respectfully disagree. If the stacked spring analogy holds true for bikes, then every contributing component must be considered in the equation.
Ritchey Bike Design: A Holistic Approach
My philosophy, exemplified by the Ritchey Outback, is that optimizing every element of the bicycle system – from the ground contact points to the rider contact points, and everything in between – culminates in a demonstrably smoother ride.
For readers of Bicycle Quarterly or Jan Heine’s blog, this concept is familiar territory. Heine has long championed high-volume, supple tires for their comfort benefits. He even advocates for rim brakes, despite residing in the rainy Pacific Northwest, and consistently highlights built-in frame flex – or “planing” – as a desirable attribute.
This concept of frame flex is subtle and often overlooked in production bikes. Many bike enthusiasts and designers dismiss Heine’s ideas, opting instead for adding suspension elements elsewhere. The current trend of wide 650b tires on gravel and adventure bikes illustrates this: it’s an easily implemented solution, but not necessarily the optimal one.
Frame flex, or planing, is a real phenomenon. A discussion from the Bicycle Academy and a related video from GCN effectively demonstrate this concept. Every frame flexes under sufficient load, storing energy momentarily and then returning it to the drivetrain. While planing flex and comfort compliance aren’t directly correlated, they often coexist.
Beneficial frame flex is subtle and challenging to perceive. Rider weight and power output directly influence whether a bike will flex optimally. Production bikes rarely flex sufficiently for the majority of riders, reinforcing the perception of them being “overbuilt.”
It’s understandable why extreme stiffness has become the norm for production bikes. Overbuilding is simpler than meticulously tuning the entire system. Product managers and proponents of value-driven upgrades may prioritize easily quantifiable changes. While I appreciate this approach, I expect more from a premium production bike like the Ritchey Outback.
The Ritchey Difference: Performance and Comfort
Many production disc brake bikes feature frames and forks so stiff that they negate the benefits of a well-designed system. This is where the Ritchey Outback distinguishes itself: it effectively utilizes system flex to enhance ride quality. Beyond the comfort afforded by larger tires, a smoother system reduces impact and vibration transmitted to the rider.
Does the Outback accelerate effectively? Does it feel lighter than its actual weight? Does it transcend the sum of its parts? The answer to all these questions is a resounding yes. The Outback masterfully balances beneficial frame flex with a solid, responsive feel, avoiding any sensation of being overly flexible or “noodly.”
Ritchey Outback Frame: Details Matter
When investing in a premium production frame like the Ritchey Outback, a higher level of detail and consideration is expected throughout the construction. The Outback’s tubing is remarkably slim for a modern steel bike, and its side profile evokes classic 90s mountain bike aesthetics. The Ritchey frame’s distinctiveness begins at the head tube: a straight 1-1/8” design with bulges at the top and bottom for integrated headset bearings.
The fastback seat cluster is a signature Ritchey design, a visually appealing feature particularly associated with steel bikes and less common in contemporary designs. The seat tube is sleeved into the forged seat lug, providing external butting and enabling the use of a thinner, more compliant seat tube. The dropouts are minimalist, the derailleur hanger is robust yet replaceable, and the flat mount brake forging seamlessly integrates into the chainstay.
The meticulous cable routing on the Ritchey Outback was particularly noteworthy. Ritchey prioritized gentle cable curves, most notably the rear brake cable routing which runs along the side of the down tube at its lowest point. While the benefits of straighter cable runs may be less critical with hydraulic brakes, this detail reflects Ritchey’s commitment to thoughtful design.
These details collectively define the Ritchey Outback frame, ensuring its recognizability even without paint, solidifying its identity as a true Ritchey.
Geometry and Aesthetics of the Ritchey Outback
Featuring a short fork and a relatively long rear end, the Ritchey Outback’s front wheel sits closer to the downtube than the rear wheel to the seat tube. This silhouette, especially with knobby tires, strongly recalls the nostalgic mountain bikes of the late 80s and early 90s.
With a 71º head angle and 73º seat angle, the Outback’s geometry closely mirrors those NORBA-era rigid mountain bikes, albeit with flared drop bars replacing long stems and narrow flat bars. This similarity underscores the Outback’s versatility. It climbs with mountain goat-like agility, the compliant frame and fork aiding traction on rough terrain.
Concerns about the long rear end negatively impacting the bike’s agility quickly dissipated. Throughout my time riding the Ritchey Outback, I never wished for a shorter rear end. This bike is simply enjoyable to ride, regardless of the numbers. I was thoroughly impressed by its fun and capable performance on rooty singletrack, while also finding it fast and enjoyable for longer rides on smoother surfaces.
The Compliant Ritchey Carbon Adventure Fork
Back in 2010, I owned a canti brake Brodie Romax cyclocross bike equipped with a Ritchey fork that I absolutely loved. It felt like it boosted airtime on jumps and provided excellent compliance on landings. It was fantastic, except for brake shudder under heavy braking.
While the fork’s ride quality was exceptional in all situations except braking, the shudder led me to explore disc brakes, ultimately leading to a career writing about bikes and a period of disdain for rim brakes. My perspective has since broadened, but I still value flawless braking performance and a fork that effectively absorbs bumps.
The Ritchey Carbon Adventure fork on the Outback retains all the positive characteristics of that older cyclocross fork, eliminating the negative aspects. It offers noticeable vertical compliance and effectively absorbs impacts without any brake shudder. Remarkably, it weighs just 445 grams and includes fender and cargo cage mounts. If this fork had been available in 2010, my career path might have been very different. Now, I’m eager to try one on my Wolverine and Rock Lobster bikes – a testament to its appeal and Ritchey’s aftermarket availability.
Ritchey Outback Spec Highlights
VentureMax Carbon Bar: The standout component was the carbon VentureMax handlebar. My personal Wolverine bike still uses the aluminum VentureMax, and I’ve always appreciated its shape. The Bio bend in the shallow drops is exceptionally comfortable. While I expected to like the shape, the carbon version’s noticeable compliance was a pleasant surprise. Ritchey also recently introduced a polished silver VentureMax, expanding their excellent Classic line, offering riders more aesthetic options.
Shimano GRX Hydro: Shimano’s GRX groupset delivers the reliable performance of an XT mountain bike group, but with crucial ergonomic considerations for drop bars. The GRX hydro hood shape is exceptional, arguably essential for achieving a proper fit, particularly on a bike that might be slightly smaller.
Shimano’s brake lever design continues to improve with each generation, offering better feel and control even with a light grip. Braking performance is excellent, and the lever shape is optimized for drop bars used in increasingly technical terrain. The wide, flat lever front is comfortable when braking from the hoods and feels more ergonomic than narrower lever blades. While the aesthetic might be more “fighter jet” than the Outback’s classic vibe, the performance and ergonomic enhancements are well worth it.
Ritchey WCS Carbon Vantage Wheels: Ritchey categorizes their WCS Vantage wheelset as a mountain bike wheelset, but it’s ideally suited to the Outback. Light at a claimed 1550 grams and with a 26mm internal width, it accommodates a wide range of tire sizes suitable for the Outback. With 24 spokes, it’s definitely a performance-oriented wheelset, which contributes to the bike’s overall weight of just 21 pounds without pedals or bottles. These wheels undoubtedly play a part in the bike’s sprightly feel.
Ritchey Z-Max 27.5×2.1 Tires: These tires feature a classic Ritchey tread pattern and enhance the bike’s capability in cross-country mountain bike terrain. On-road handling is predictably loose due to the aggressive off-road tread, but they roll surprisingly fast for their appearance. If you enjoy aggressive dirt riding but need to ride pavement to reach the trails, these are a solid tire choice. Although Ritchey provided the bike with 2.1 tires, rear tire clearance felt a bit tight. Slightly more rear triangle clearance to better accommodate 2.1s with a margin for debris clearance would be a welcome improvement.
Ritchey Outback Fit Considerations
The reviewed Ritchey Outback was a size Large, and I found myself at the upper limit of its fit range. My saddle height is 76.5 cm, and for a performance fit, I prefer the handlebar tops to be 2-3 cm below the saddle.
In the photos, a 110mm stem with a 6º rise was used, providing the necessary reach but positioning the bars slightly too low. While adding spacers is an option, Ritchey recommends a maximum of 3 cm of spacers below the stem on this fork. This limit meant a +17º stem was necessary to achieve the desired bar height.
The 17º stem I had available was a 100mm length, so I compensated by slightly rotating the bars back to bring the hoods forward. I frequently utilized the comfortable “horns” position on the GRX hoods while riding. A 110mm stem with a 17º rise would have been ideal with the bars rotated forward for a flatter transition, but the achieved fit was acceptable.
The Ritchey Outback in size Large fits smaller than a typical Large frame. The 160mm head tube doesn’t appear particularly short on paper, but the integrated headset cups reduce stack height for a given head tube length. Riders who prefer higher bar positions should carefully review geometry charts to ensure they can achieve their desired fit within the 30mm spacer limit.
If I were to own a Ritchey Outback long-term, I would definitely choose an XL size. While a positive rise stem is acceptable aesthetically on this type of bike, being at the absolute limit of a bike’s fit range with the tallest readily available stem isn’t ideal. The XL size offers only about 12mm more reach, which would be perfect for my measurements.
However, this highlights a limitation in the Outback’s size range: riders taller than myself will likely not find a suitable fit even with the XL. Expanding the size range to include larger options would be beneficial.
Ritchey Outback: A Unique Gravel Bike Experience
Gravel bikes, while excellent, have become somewhat homogenous. Many models offer only minor distinctions, often limited to subtle variations in fork cargo mounts or tire clearance. This makes reviewing them less inspiring.
My time with the Ritchey Outback was a refreshing exception. Saying goodbye to it was genuinely disappointing. While component swaps like larger tires, compliant seatposts, and flexible handlebars can enhance any bike, starting with a more inherently compliant frame and fork, as the Ritchey Outback does, elevates the entire system’s ride quality. This holistic approach is undeniably worthwhile.
The straight 1-1/8” steerer tube on both the frame and carbon fork sets Ritchey Bikes apart from the current trend of stiff frames and tapered carbon forks. The Outback’s longer rear end may also contribute to its compliance. Combined with carefully selected tubing, these features result in an exceptionally smooth ride. Finding a production disc brake bike, or even a custom bike, that rides smoother is a challenge.
The Ritchey brand possesses a unique appeal rooted in classic aesthetics and understated branding. Unlike bikes that loudly proclaim performance, Ritchey exudes a more refined sensibility. The differences are not merely cosmetic; they are tangible and translate to a distinct ride quality. The premium price reflects this uniqueness and the genuinely enhanced riding experience.
Initially, the Outback’s geometry might have seemed unexceptional. However, riding the bike completely overturned those preconceptions. Occasionally, a review bike arrives that challenges assumptions and surpasses expectations. The Ritchey Outback unequivocally achieved this.
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