Ritte returns with two new bikes

After years of relative inactivity, Ritte has returned to the market with two beautiful and purposeful steel bikes.

Designed by legendary Tom Kellogg of Spectrum, both the Satyr gravel and Phantom allroad bikes feature size-specific Reynolds tubing and geometry and finishes inspired by vintage British sports cars.

The new Ritte steel series was agonized over through many iterations and refinements to put together a package that’s ultimately a no brainer. These must be the first bikes you reach for, because they are ready for anything. They must carve into corners and be light on their feet, but they mustn’t cause agony – even after 6 hours in the saddle.

Kellogg was gracious enough to loan his decades of experience building frames for world championship racers to craft the geometries for these new Rittes – giving riders telepathic confidence in their bikes. Every size has custom drawn Reynolds tubing and the proper rake Enve fork to ensure clairvoyant feel and feedback for every size rider – the closest you can get to custom.

Yet despite their show-ready looks these are bikes begging to be ridden, to carry you everywhere you want to go without hesitation. You’ve trusted Ritte to build you the best bikes for years, and these are our best steel bikes yet.

Tom Kellogg has been designing and building bike frames since the 70s. His singular goal–building the highest quality steel frames, has meant constant evolution to remain at the forefront of an ever-competitive industry.  By 1982 Tom was designing and building world championship-winning road and track frames. He has built countless custom frames under his own Spectrum Cycles brand, advised on production framesets and components for a very select few (including Merlin, Time, Reynolds, and more), and been an inspiration to many more cyclists and framebuilders alike.

After more than four decades building the finest metal bicycles available, Tom announced he would be closing shop in 2020 – having forever left his mark on the bicycle industry.

Tom Kellogg’s definition of “retirement” seems to be to continue designing the highest quality steel bicycles. In this next chapter of his career he’s lending us his incredible wealth of knowledge and skill, and together we’re building the most accessible Tom Kellogg frames ever.

“My partnership with Ritte reminds me of my work on production bikes with Merlin in the 80’s and 90’s. The Ritte team was eager to combine the best elements of my custom frame design and building experience with some new design elements such as the use of T47 bottom brackets and the desire for completely internal cable routing throughout a steel frame. The result is a bike that feels natural and instinctive. The rider will notice the bike less and the feeling it provides more. These are bikes that deliver the pure exhilaration and enjoyment of cycling.”

The Ritte Phantom

Ritte’s new Phantom allroad bike distills its racing pedigree and custom-specified Reynolds 725 tubing into a potent blend,  smoothing the road as only a silken Phantom can, while retaining the tenacity of a true road machine.

Designed by Tom Kellogg, the Phantom is aggressive without being harsh. The size-specific Reynolds tubing is a design choice more often found in custom bikes, resulting in a tailored ride feel for everyone who dances with the Phantom. The unique combination of geometry, tubing, and 32c tire clearance ensures this is the first bike you reach for on any adventure.

Says Kellogg, “The bike feels natural and instinctive. The rider will notice the bike less and the feeling it provides more. These are bikes that deliver the pure exhilaration and enjoyment of cycling.”

Outfitted with a T47 bottom bracket shell allowing for entirely internal cable routing, flat mount disc brakes, and 12mm thru-axles the Phantom accelerates and brakes with alacrity admired by any racer. Ritte dressed this two-wheeled apparition in a paint scheme befitting its elegance, so as not to overly intimidate any of its stablemates.

The Phantom is available as a complete bike or a frameset with three stock build packages, each including rider-choice gearing and cockpit sizing.

But don’t think you can’t put your own spin on things – Ritte knows any rider exuding enough class to own a Phantom is going to be a person of great brilliance and creativity. For that reason, they are proud to offer completely custom builds and paintwork.

The only thing the Phantom can’t do *yet* is ride itself. We’ll leave the Fun and Glory to you.

The Ritte Satyr

The Satyr is a mythical forest creature known to the Romans as a woodland god (and a bit of a party animal), and it’s also the newest Ritte. The embodiment of fun and rowdiness, the Satyr was a man built atop the legs of a goat… and climb like a goat the new Satyr does.

The Satyr owes much of its sylvan sprightliness to the guiding hand of the legendary Tom Kellogg, tapped by Ritte to design the frame. From custom tubing spec to geometry influenced by Tom Kellogg’s years of designing balanced frames for championship-winning racers, the Satyr climbs easy and goes down smooth.

Taking cues from Ritte’s All-Road Phantom, the Satyr dials the dirt party up to 11. But you’d expect nothing less, this thing has horns! The Satyr clears a 700x43c tire to tackle tough terrain, but it turns in with an eagerness many road bikes can’t match. It’s equipped with a T47 bottom bracket and internal cable routing to keep your cables protected through the harshest conditions. Flat mount disc brakes with thru-axles front and rear keep you in control. The Enve gravel fork provides direct, confident steering input and comes in differing rakes to perfectly suit each frame size. The Satyr’s custom Reynolds tube set is stiff where you need it, but tames the trail chatter in a manner that only steel can accomplish.

From the dirt roads of the Berkshires to the backcountry trails of the Sierra Nevadas, the Satyr has been in testing all year proving its capabilities. It’s the bike that truly can ride right out the front door – road to trail it gallops along happily, easily earning its name.