Ritchey P-29er
Steel, the original frame material. The stuff they make swords and skyscrapers out of. Steel offers a ride quality that you just don't get with aluminium or carbon. It's the 35mm film of frame materials, the timeless look of the analog watch and warm sound of a vinyl record.
Alright, enough romanticising. We wanted to build a cool 29er for a reasonable amount of money. Not a dream bike, not a cheapy. Just a unique, good riding hardtail for everything from a quick ride up in the hills to 12 hour races. So, for that, we spent most of the budget on the frame and fork, having the most influence on the bike's personality, with less emphasis on the components. It came out pretty nice.
The build:
2015 Ritchey P-29er frame (medium)
Fox Float 32 Factory Kashima CTD w/ Trail Adjust
XT brakes
XT derailleur
SLX cranks
Absolute Black extender cog, chainring and 13T cassette lockring
Ritchey bars, stem and seatpost
Fi'zi:k Tundra 2 saddle
Maxxis Ikons 29 x 2.20
Stealth decals on the Float 32.
The Absolute Black 40T extender cog is a nice way to maintain climbing ability on a 1x10 without breaking the bank.
They also make this cool 13T lockring that lets you remove the 11T instead of the 17T that you'd usually remove to make room for the extender cog. Because you use the 17T more than the 11T, you're keeping the more consistent spacing between the middle gears.
A beautifuly integrated seatpost clamp and perfect welds that Ritchey frames are known for.
And finally, a Fi'zi:k Tundra 2 saddle.
For more high-res photos of the Ritchey and more of our bikes, see our Flickr.
