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TECH NEWS
Ritte Ace launches in the UK
Belgian influenced US brand Ritte has added the new Ace to its 2015 range, and it was revealed in the UK for the first time at the annual trade-only Core Bike show this week. The new flagship frame builds on the Vlaanderen with a substantially reworked carbon fibre frame to increase the stiffness and lower the weight, and drops the integrated seatmast for a regular seatpost. The Ace frameset will cost £2,000 and is available in three colours.
The new Ace retains the geometry of the Vlaanderen (which is a little longer than a regular race bike) but uses T700 and T1000 carbon fibre to achieve a lighter frame. They claim a 980g weight. Despite the lower weight the new frame is said to be stiffer than the Vlaanderen, and you can see how much it has oversized the frame in the key areas, particularly around the bottom bracket area to achieve this increased stiffness.
The new frame is fully compatible with mechanical and electronic groupsets, with internal routing. There is space for 25mm tyres with ease, and they reckon some 28mm tyres will fit too. Wider tyres are gaining a lot of popularity and the capacity for up to 28mm tyres makes the Ace a very appealing option for British roads or riding pavé.
An asymmetric seat tube puts more material on the non-driveside,with an almost straight line from the edge of the Press Fit 30 bottom bracket up to the seat clamp, while the seat tube driveside curves in to provide space for the front derailleur.
The Ace is available in six sizes (XS through to XXL) with three colours to choose from, including this Light Blue which we think looks just lovely. Unlike the Vlaanderen with its integrated seatmast, the Ace opts for a regular seatpost. The frame accepts a 31.6mm post, a little odd that it hasn’t gone with a 27.2mm seatpost to eke out a little more comfort as many manufacturers are doing. The fork weighs a claimed 360g and plugs into the tapered head tube.
Ritte is heavily inspired by Belgian cycling culture; the classics, cobbles, frites and beer. The name comes from Henri “Ritte” Van Lerberghe who showed up to the 1919 Flanders startline without a bike, borrowed one from a local, and attacked the peloton instantly. Such was his lead, that he had time to stop in a pub for a drink. One turned into four, and he still had the time and energy to get back on his bike and win the race. It’s that sort of spirit of racing and riding that inspires Ritte.
More at http://rittecycles.com/ace/ and Ritte is distibruted in the UK by www.silverfish-uk.com. We should hopefully be getting this very bike in for review soon so I look forward to swinging a leg over it and seeing how it rides. I've been aware of Ritte for a few years, but not had the chance to ride one as yet.
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
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19 comments
Saw some Rittes today and I think one of them was the Ace. Might try it along with some others. First saw them in the autumn somewhere else and the paint jobs were stunning!
Nice post Spencer, there are always such interesting comments on this site I am glad you took the time to put things straight. The Ritte bikes look properly smart and a great addition to any bike fleet. Several of our early US customers bought our mounts for use on their Team Ritte bikes and i was honoured to supply them.
Martyn
Raceware
Yes good to see the manufacturer responding here - a quick search on alibaba will normally expose any open mould frame sets. I almost parted cash with a Starley AO after seeing it at the bike show only to find my mates pointing out the same frameset was available all over the place...
Chapeau Spencer. Thanks for the honest post.
The Ace looks awesome.
Chapeau Spencer. Thanks for the honest post.
The Ace looks awesome.
Chapeau Spencer. Thanks for the honest post.
The Ace looks awesome.
We sell Ritte and they are very definitely not an open mould. Great post by Spencer above and a great company.
Hey Andy, hope you guys have recovered from the recent events and businessis back on its feet. Maybe I'll be able to swing a Ritte for my 40th...
Hi All,
Spencer Canon here. Designer of the Ace. Rumors are a bit like whac-a-mole, and the open mold assumption is something that began many many years ago on a few forums and since maintained by a vocal few. Fact is, no Ritte frames are open mold. The closest we came was in the very beginning, 6 years ago, with the original Bosberg. Technically even that wasn't "open," as we bought the molds after they'd already been used to produce some frames for Pedal Force (unbeknownst to us)... those good intentions but bad luck on our part has led to radically disproportionate amount of vitriol regarding the source of all our frames since. Now, there's nothing at all unique about buying a previous company's molds (or in this case, a new factory's proof of quality frame design), but nine out of ten bike brands in our position simply just lie about it. We chose to be honest... a decision that I stand behind, but a decision that certainly lacked business savvy. Well, at least I can sleep at night.
Since the original Bosberg, the Vlaanderen, Ace and all our other frames are designed by and unique to us (including the customs we made here in California and the other quality steel and alloy frames we make in Taiwan).
As for the Ace, it's been in development for several years now. I began the design by first carving the frame out of clay. We're very proud of the Ace and I'm sure any of you who get a chance to see and ride it in person, we'll see why we feel that way.
Spencer Carving-web.jpg
Spencer...what a great post. You rock. That told them. Ride on.
I think the square on one side, rounded on the other seat -tube would mess with my OCD.
Still, yes please!
Wardy, I get the OCD thing, but to rest your eyes/mind, it's rounded and subtle on the drive-side to enable the chainstays to be totally symmetrical. That's OCD friendly
It costs approx quarter of a million pounds, per size for one mould. Is it that big a company already?
It really is a stunning and unique bike. Silverfish-UK will be displaying the whole range at the London Bike Show in a couple of weeks time.
There's a post somewhere on weightweenies in which Spencer the owner categorically states that Ritte frames are not open mould.
I've seen a Vlaandern in the flesh: oh my!
I thought I'd read somewhere a couple of years ago that their first carbon frames were going to be open mould, but they'd have their own a bit later. Dunno which this would be, but it does look nice!
Whilst Ritte frames do look great, is this just another open mould frame with a decent carbon lay up & high price tag?
My understanding too - lovely paint though!
Used to be, but not for the last two years!