dwn2sk8 wrote:
If you'll read any information on them, you will see that their frames are indeed Asian made, but they are not repainted PF or any other brand frame...they were designed by a Taiwanese engineer and then customized to Ritte's specifications.
http://www.ritteracing.com/blog/2010/02/wheres-your-bike-made/It is indeed the same as a Pedalforce QS3 but with an ISP. A friend of mine has a lovely Bosberg and I had been seriously considering one last summer, did a bunch of research on it and found a thread where Spencer had acknowledged the fact (see second quote)
Not a big deal except the Ritte is now $2200 which was way too much to spend on a frame that can be had for $800 imo. Originally it was something like $1450, that I possibly could justify but the price kept creeping up. (Ended up getting a BMC Pro Machine new for $1350)
Still see a few Rittes around here in SoCal, they look great, especially in white
smashzilla wrote:
Hey everybody,
I'm Spencer from Ritte Cycles. Saw this conversation unfolding and thought I'd clear up the confusion. I believe there is too much smoke and mirrors in the carbon frame world, with most manufactures treating the origins of their bikes like shameful family secrets. Fact is almost everyone of you, no matter how proud you are of your BH or Colnago or Cervelo, are riding a frame made in one of a few Chinese factories. But that doesn't make them bad bikes, it actually makes them great bikes. China knows how to do carbon.
Pedal Force is a brand that buys large quantities of a factory's bare frames. Other brands have been similarly close to Pedal Force as well, a few years ago it was a Fondriest, though most people don't call Fondriests "generics." Fact is, the Bosberg is not a CG1 (just look at the chainstays), though they do share the same designer.
Our goal with Ritte is to supply racers and serious roadies the best possible bikes for a price that's just high enough that we can stay in business. One way we accomplished this was by partnering with a Taiwanese company that specializes in designing carbon frames. They have worked with some of the most coveted brands on the market, and we were lucky enough to work with them to develop the Bosberg. The design company holds the rights to the design and own the molds, and we don't have to pay for them, which means our customers don't have to pay for them. Of course, since we don't have exclusive rights, companies like PF can purchase frames made from the same mold. So maybe this year's Bosberg will indeed be next year's PF. It's either that, or the Bosberg ends up costing $3,200 instead of less than $1800.
Please feel free to visit the site and send us any other questions you may have.
Cheers.
Continued:
smashzilla wrote:
Well Sasha011, it looks like the QS3 is using the mold now without the seat mast. The seat mast is a fantastic feature that really ties the bike together, so I onder why they didn't choose to use it? Anybody's welcome to buy the QS3 instead of the Bosberg, or the PF that's actually a Fondriest, or the one that's a Teschner or the one that's a Giant. But where other companies won't ever admit that their frame designs are often shared, we will. What's important to me is that people understand that Rittes are their own brand, not just a re-branded PFs or frames we bought off ebay.
Fact is, we would love to make our bikes in a workshop in Santa Monica and own our molds, but then our frames would cost thousands more and we wouldn't be doing what we set out to do: supply amazing bikes that look great to racers who don't want to be afraid of crashing them.
Cheers,
Spencer
Link to thread
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=74005&hilit=ritte&start=30"