# Ritchey Breakaway crosser



## roseyscot

I travel a lot for business so I'm going to be putting together a Ritchey breakway cross frameset. Anyone out there have one? Any words of wisdom? It'll be built with economical parts since I'm sure the airlines will be rough on it but I also look forward to being able to ride new parts of the country without paying a hefty fee to transport a full sized bike box.

Oh and I'll post some pics once I take delivery and start building it.


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## endure26

I've got an orange one with a Ritchey Comp fork. I bought the Cx version because I figured it was a lot more versatile - road, Cx, and off-road riding. I've always said that if I could only have one bike it would be a crosser. I haven't been traveling much so the Ritchey is currently disassembled (and so I won't post a pic) and a few of the parts ended up on my Chilli Con Crosso. For travel, I set it up either 1x9 with a bar-end shifter or as a singlespeed/fixie with an ENO hub. Depending on frame size, I'd go with a bit longer than normal seatpost and either Ti or aluminum, as the seatpost kinda becomes part of the seattube. I don't use the cable connectors. With the split cable stops I simply unclip the straddle wire from the brakes and loosen the deraileur wire. The Ritchey case is nice. It comes with plumbing insulation type rubber/foam wrap for the frame tubes. I'd advise buying more. When I pack it up, I try and cover all of the painted surfaces with foam. When I travel it's normally shod with some Michelin Jets so I can go on or off-road without having to pack extra tires. I can't comment on durability of the frame, but it seems to be well made. Ride is at least on par with most Cx frames I've ridden. In fact, for a while I was using the Ritchey as a comfy training bike with 28c road tires. BTW it also has rack/fender mounts. Price wise the Ritchey is a bargain compared to a custom S&S equipped frame or even the cost of a cheap frame, retrofitted with couplers. Also beats the heck out of most small wheeled folders with the exception of a Bike Friday perhaps. I've recently been thinking about having the rear dropouts changed out to a set of Paragon track/horizontal drops with a deraileur hanger so I can dump the ENO. I really like the SS/fixed option as it simplifies the packing and travel.


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## Guest

The other choice to consider is a Curtlo CX with S&S couplers.

I asked Doug about the S&S and as far as I remember he told they added about $400 to the frame.

My Custom Curtlo was just about exactly $1100 for frame and fork.


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## roseyscot

So far Ritchey's customer service and delivery time gets an F--

I emailed them to ask when my frame might ship. Surprise, no response! The shop ordered it nearly three weeks ago. The shop called at the start of week two because there hadn't been any frame sightings or charges to the credit card. 

"Oh, it'll ship this week" was what the shop was told. It definitely should have arrived by this past Friday but nothing.

I'm beginning to understand why many bike companies fail. They have a great product at a good price but yet they can't get their head's together enough to deliver it. I hope their product exceeds their service...


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## endure26

I ordered mine from Bicycle Doctor in Bloomington, Indiana:

http://www.bicycledoctor.net/ (there's a link to a BAB page on the left)

I had it in a few days and got a great price. You might check them or other mail order places for in stock frames.


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## roseyscot

so bike shops that have them in stock do well with quick delivery, but the company that makes the product is the one who can't deliver.

i am using my lbs because of convenience and friendship with them. i don't support mail order if i can avoid it since i used to work in a bike shop and saw the loss of business mail order created. but for many mail order is the best option and that's cool. i just choose not to.


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## wheelio

*Ritchey crosser*

I have a curtlo cyclocross with the ritchey breakaway system. I had Doug set it up for touring or just fireroad & light trail riding.Its the perfect travel bike .Did some light touring in Ireland last year ,so nice to have my own bike rather than some funky rental.The total cost was two grand complete bike with 105 shimano components ,including the soft case with wheels.:thumbsup:


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## RetroS

I have seen three go out the door of my LBS with one more in the racks in the last two weeks. Does your shop normally carry Ritchey or are they just getting this for you. They have a 55cm CX built up with Rival and Bontrager parts for $2400 I believe. So Wheelio got one heck of a good price. I agree with trying to support your LBS and also the local independent builder when one can.


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## roseyscot

the Ritchey break away arrived yesterday and the build will begin today. I took a quick look inside the supplied suitcase and things look good so far. the headtube and bb look clean and primed for headset and bb.

I'll post some pics as I get the build going. One side note, the case seems unnecessarily wide. I hope I don't get pinged for the extra airport luggage fee.


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## roseyscot

so the frame arrived at the end of last week and I was psyched to put it together over the weekend. One minor problem. There were no frame couplings included so i couldn't put it together at the downtube. The part was at my door on Tuesday night when I came home from a business trip and the building started. Here are some pics.


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## cyclostf

*Wow!*

Love the look of this bike. How's the ride? Any idea of the weight?


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## endure26

Looks great! Make sure you give it a good coat of Weigle's Frame Saver or linseed oil on the inside of the tubes before too much riding. I'd also recommend backing the seattube bolts and clamp bolt out and giving them some grease (mine were dry).


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## roseyscot

i got it put together last night and took the first ride this morning. 25 not so taxing miles but the bike felt really good. i need to reposition myself a bit but the frameset felt really good. it was much more solid than i expected and did not have much lateral flex. it feels similar to other nice steel bikes i own. also, despite being a pig, the fork is nice and solid without being harsh. 

i'll post some pics soon. i finished it off with grey housing and grey fizik bar tape.


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## achiral

wheelio said:


> I have a curtlo cyclocross with the ritchey breakaway system. I had Doug set it up for touring or just fireroad & light trail riding.Its the perfect travel bike .Did some light touring in Ireland last year ,so nice to have my own bike rather than some funky rental.The total cost was two grand complete bike with 105 shimano components ,including the soft case with wheels.:thumbsup:


Any pics?


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## ghostzapper2007

Can you tell me what size Ritchey crosser that is, toptube and headtube lengths? Looks nice.


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## Offtime3123

Any more pics?


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## roseyscot

here are some pictures of the complete bike. i've been using it for commuting and a couple of short group rides. haven't gone off road yet. it's been fun so far.

i went with the 60 cm in order to get a headtube that was long enough. i think i could have gotten away with the 58 but then i would have needed to buy a new set back post and a 130 stem. both the 58 and 60 have a 56cm seat tube. i think the top tube of the 60cm is 58ish.


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## roseyscot

ok, an update is in order. i packed the break away on sunday and traveled monday for business. it took quite a while to pack it to my satisfaction. the soft case is reinforced in key areas but not all so there was some bulging that made me nervous. it was a direct flight so the bag hopefully was not tossed too much. when i opened it up, everything looked fine and the bike went together nicely, easily, and quickly. today i raced a local crit and the bike felt really really solid. i'm used to racing on a carbon road bike so i was skeptical of the steal. no doubt the bike was up to the task. 

if anyone is on the fence about a bike like this, i'd say after my first trip it is worth it so far. i'm looking forward to some cross racing/riding once fall gets closer and will update once i've put the off road wheels on the bike. in the meantime, it is certainly fun on the road.


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## endure26

Excel Sports sells a couple of hardshell cases made/or marketed by S&S. If I was doing much travel, or perhaps overseas travel, I might consider one of these. For now, I just pad the heck out of the bike and use the Ritchey case.


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## roseyscot

yeah, i stuffed a bunch of extra cardboard in the case. i bought a 60cm frame so i'm pushing the limits of the size. since the ritchey comes apart differently than an s and s frame, i am not too sure it would fit in the hard cases you've pictured. i've packed some s and s bikes in the past and wanted to pull my hair out using those cases. i'll stick with what ritchey supplied and just keep using clothes and cardboard for extra protection. i also need to get some better tube coverings.


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## myette10

roseyscot said:


> yeah, i stuffed a bunch of extra cardboard in the case.


Photos please sir. Thank you.


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## teoteoteo

roseyscot said:


> yeah, i stuffed a bunch of extra cardboard in the case. i bought a 60cm frame so i'm pushing the limits of the size. since the ritchey comes apart differently than an s and s frame, i am not too sure it would fit in the hard cases you've pictured. i've packed some s and s bikes in the past and wanted to pull my hair out using those cases. i'll stick with what ritchey supplied and just keep using clothes and cardboard for extra protection. i also need to get some better tube coverings.



I'd second the notion of the hardcase. I work part time as a guide for a bike tour company and I am tasked with building the bikes. Maybe it's just bad luck on my guests part but the breakways get damaged more than the other bikes. Perhaps, it's that the frame is packed so tightly on top of itself. Or that the people don't pack it right to begin with. Or that the TSA can't get things back right once they open the case. One of my fellow guides (a friend of Tom Ritchey) uses some really thick, heavy mil clear hard rubber he bought somewhere. He's got the ti version and it seems to work better than the standard stuff they supply. Another guide has the steel one and his is already dented. The


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## peter in NVA

*So chancey these days...*

My S&S case for my custom Spectrum crosser is already banged up after only a few flights, and half the time the inspectors leave one of the latches open. I'd be really worried about a soft case.
My other crosser, the Ritchey Swiss Cross (not the breakaway) already had a rear canti
bent (Paul) in spite of the "bulletproof" Pedal Pack it was in.


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## llama31

*How's the bag been performing?*

I've been thinking about a Break Away. You mentioned some concerns about whether the bag would adequately protect the bike. Have you traveled much with it yet? Any problems?


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## Guest

RoseyScot;

One of the tips I picked up from the CyclingPlus forums is to use some corrugated sheet plastic inside a soft sided case.

I usually use a soft travel bag ( the kind with the steel frame in the bottom) and I put some 4mm plastic in down the sides.

Makes the sides much more solid and I think will prevent ripping or tearing.


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## d2p

Surly showed a coupled vewrsion of the CrossCheck called the Travellers Check at Interbike. Sheldon Brown has pics - http://sheldonbrown.com/lasvegas/2007/


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## llama31

*Not till spring, I heard*



d2p said:


> Surly showed a coupled vewrsion of the CrossCheck called the Travellers Check at Interbike. Sheldon Brown has pics - http://sheldonbrown.com/lasvegas/2007/


That is definitely an interesting frame, depending on how much they charge. Apparently, it's not available till spring.


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## roseyscot

my travels have been going great. check out my blog for some recent trips. i've sent the bike on close to 10 different airplanes so far and it is showing a few small signs of wear from the rough handling and sub-optimal design. i recently saw the new version of the case at my lbs and i think it will greatly reduce the wear areas i'm seeing. the case is made of the same woven fabric as most soft/rigid suitcases. it has a plastic frame along the narrow width to keep its shape and protect against damage. mine has a plastic and metal plate to protect against the cassette tearing through but the new case has a plastic protruding bubble for the cassette to "sit" in and cause less case stretch when closed.

i spent a few years packing and shipping show bikes on a regular basis so i've learned to be creative while maintaining safety for the bike. i use pipe insulation cut to fit the tubes and bubble wrap bags for the fork and handlebars. i also use extra sheets of cardboard from cut up bike boxes to lend flexible padding to the goods inside.

as long as you have some common sense (don't put metal on metal if you don't want the paint to scrape) and some creative packing materials, you'll be fine. the paint is also surprisingly durable compared to other steel bikes i've seen.

it's been my best bike purchase in many years, especially because i travel so much. it'll be in the pits at gloucester as my b bike and in portland as my a bike for the USGP. the money i've saved on shipping or oversized luggage far outweighs the fact that i may need a new bag after 15-20 roundtrips.


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## llama31

*thanks...one more thing*

You've probably already covered this and I've probably already read it, but I can't remember. Have you incurred any excess baggage charges because of the slightly oversized Ritchey bag?

I'm considering S&S vs the Ritchey and this is one thing I'm worried about. Thanks


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## roseyscot

i've never had an excess baggage charge nor has anyone even given enough thought to measure it or question it. 

the only way i would consider going the s and s route is if i was ordering something custom that i would use as a primary bike both at home and on the road. i don't need custom because i fit the ritchey geometry nicely and i have other bikes when i am at home so if i don't want to unpack it, i don't have to. if you are luke warm about the idea to begin with, i'd recommend the ritchey even more. it is a smaller investment than any of the other options i've seen and any lbs can get you one within days.


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## DRLski

will that ritchey case fit on a plane as carry-on?


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## llama31

*thanks!! (nm)*



roseyscot said:


> i've never had an excess baggage charge nor has anyone even given enough thought to measure it or question it.
> 
> the only way i would consider going the s and s route is if i was ordering something custom that i would use as a primary bike both at home and on the road. i don't need custom because i fit the ritchey geometry nicely and i have other bikes when i am at home so if i don't want to unpack it, i don't have to. if you are luke warm about the idea to begin with, i'd recommend the ritchey even more. it is a smaller investment than any of the other options i've seen and any lbs can get you one within days.


thanks for the input. I just might buy one.


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## philippec

Not with the bike in it!


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## roseyscot

no, you cannot carry it on. plus you wouldn't get through security with all those sharp metal parts! they almost made me throw out a multi tool once. it was all allen wrenches.


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