Ritte Cycles, any feedback?

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Jhomewood
Posts: 231
Joined: Fri Feb 22, 2013 8:30 am

by Jhomewood

Hello gentlemen, ladies and fellow weenies.

I am quite interested in a new frame this year, from a smaller boutique bike brand. Ritte cycles make some great looking bikes and their new Ace looks interesting. The Vlaanderen also look great aesthetically, they're a little different, know they might not be the same quality as perhaps a larger brand but I've been there, I want something different this time.

So, does anyone have any experience with the Ace or the Vlaanderen? I can't find many reviews and some feedback would be wonderful.

Peace and love.

Dr. J Qwan.

Grill
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Location: Oop North

by Grill

Overpriced paint job on wheels. Essentially they've become successful based upon a fantastic marketing department. Get one if you want, but I'll pass.

by Weenie


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whydobearsxplod
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Location: Santa Barbara

by whydobearsxplod

Grill, can you elaborate? Are these just rebranded open-mould?

Grill
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Location: Oop North

by Grill

That's how they started, although it appears as though they now have some unique moulds. They used to claim that they owned the rights to the original moulds, but you could pick up the same thing from Pedalforce, Deng-fu and Hong-fu for a quarter the price. I still find they're an exercise in form over function. People buy them because they're under the impression they're getting something special. Good for them, but at the end of the day their offerings aren't much more unique than that of Planet X and Dolan. They're just prettier.

dunbar42
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Joined: Tue Jan 07, 2014 9:20 am

by dunbar42

They make some nice looking paint jobs that's for sure. Being LA based I've seen several people riding them around here.

whydobearsxplod
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Location: Santa Barbara

by whydobearsxplod

A few up here in Santa Barbara as well. I agree that they are nice looking paint. But, given what grill is saying, I'd rather buy open mould and get custom paint.

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53x12
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by 53x12

I think the "Ace" is the first frame that they supposedly designed themselves and have their own molds for. But for $2700, there are quite a few other frames that I personally would rather go with over it depending exactly what you want out of a frame.
"Marginal gains are the only gains when all that's left to gain is in the margins."

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Rick
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Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2009 4:30 pm

by Rick

Back in about 2010 the Bosberg was identical to the PedalForce QS3 (I have a QS3).
But the designs have changed since then.
Nice frames, but overpriced compared to what you can get them for under different brands.

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madcow
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by madcow

I haven't seen many reviews of them either, but there was one on bike rumor: http://www.bikerumor.com/2015/02/05/all ... -weigh-in/

Personally I like the new Ace a lot, but I wasn't a Ritte fan with the original rebadges. On the Bosberg you got an open mold frame with a really nice paint job, and actually some very good support from Ritte. However with the Ace I think Ritte has really made the move to legitimate bike company. The Ace is their own design and molds. As for the ride, I have one and I agree with Tylers review on bike rumor, the bike really is one of the best riding bikes. When I consider the quality and ride of the bike combined with their customer service I think they've got a combination that should be successful for them. In fact after having ridden the Ace I was impressed enough to add them to our catalog, but only the Ace and the Stainless Snob. I think we've made it relatively clear over the last years that we carry only the brands we feel strongly about, so having declined well known companies like Storck in the last year but choosing Ritte, says a lot about how we feel about them.
Last edited by madcow on Wed Apr 29, 2015 8:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Grill
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Location: Oop North

by Grill

Why'd you decline Storck?

rittecycles
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Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2015 5:39 pm

by rittecycles

Grill wrote: you could pick up the same thing from Pedalforce, Deng-fu and Hong-fu for a quarter the price. I still find they're an exercise in form over function. People buy them because they're under the impression they're getting something special. Good for them, but at the end of the day their offerings aren't much more unique than that of Planet X and Dolan. They're just prettier.


Hi Grill, and others reading this forum. I hope you've made it down here.

I'm Spencer Canon, designer for Ritte. Some of your information is correct and some isn't, which is a shame, because your strong opinion affects others, not only on this forum, but over the entire web. Forums have awesome power on search engines, and commenters here have a profound effect on opinions everywhere.

First of all, read some reviews from journalists who have actually seen and ridden our bikes:

http://www.bikerumor.com/2015/02/05/all-new-ritte-ace-road-bike-shows-its-hand-fast-fun-first-rides-weigh-in/

http://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/bikes-and-gear-features/ritte-snob?cid=socBG_20150312_41927856&adbid=z13avvtpfk3wwjntj22ai1w5ao20snryk04&adbpl=gp&adbpr=114021379793531981404

http://crossbikereview.com/bikes/reviews/crossberg-disc

I know that Gill and others that share Gill’s views have made up their minds. I get that. I don't try arguing politics with somebody who holds opposing views, and make no mistake, the same (sometimes fickle) psychological mechanics are at play in brand loyalty as party loyalty. But I’m not a politician and I won't spin or lie about our company as so many other bike brands do. And I want “Dr. Quon” and “whydobearsxplod” to give Ritte a chance before they're swayed by the first vitriolic opinion that's thrown at them.

First of all, yes that original Bosberg was from the same mold as the Pedal Force. (The Deng-Fu and Hong-Fu comment however is just obviously inaccurate, as I've seen where people have posted side-by-side images of two obviously different frames and claim they're the same.) That Bosberg was actually a fantastic frame, and was a great first bike for us. We bought the rights to the molds from the factory in 2009 and had no idea that they'd already sold several hundred of them to PedalForce. PF sold them direct and unpainted for about $1300USD (once you added the fork, headset and seat topper) and we sold them through bike shops and painted for about $1700USD. Even then, we barely made any margin on them.

Back in 2009, we weren't in business to convince anybody we were the next Specialized. We simply wanted to sell a very good frame that looked nice for a relative bargain. We were very open about all of this from the beginning. Instead of following the cycling industry tradition of obfuscating the origin or value of our products, we shared everything honestly. To this day, we continue to be punished by people like Grill...people who often are riding bikes from companies more guilty of the same sins they trash Ritte for.

Within a year of the original Bosberg we began developing our own frames. We even had a range of stainless steel and stainless/carbon frames that we designed and built right here in LA. Our Vlaanderen, though based around the geometry of the Bosberg, was a completely re-engineered, re-molded frame. And now the Ace is not only radically different than those earlier offerings, it is made using the most state-of-the-art methods and at considerable expense. Our prices have gone up, but they are still below what other companies sell fames of the same quality for.

As for Gill's claim that we're the same as open mold offerings. Do any of you really think the commenter has ever seen a Ritte up close? Fact is, when you buy a Ritte you are indeed getting something special: You're getting a bike that has received stellar reviews from the most critical journalists. A bike that is made using the best-possible methods and materials. A bike that is backed by a lifetime warranty by a company that will do literally anything to make sure you’re happy. A bike that is sold in some of the most exclusive and discerning retailers in the world, like Fairwheel Bikes in the USA, PAVÉ Culture Cycliste in Spain and Peloton de Paris in Belgium. A bike that is beautiful and rare and different.

I am happy to answer any of your questions. My personal email is spencer@ritteracing.com
Last edited by rittecycles on Sun May 03, 2015 5:41 pm, edited 2 times in total.

KarlC
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by KarlC

Spencer Thx for all of the great info and joining us here.

I have always loved everything Ritte does, and the reviews speak for themselves, Thx for posting !
C64 My Sixty 4 SR EPS 12

gospastic
Posts: 261
Joined: Tue Jun 08, 2010 4:58 am
Location: Portland

by gospastic

I have the original open mold Bosberg. It's still a great frame. It's the bike I've owned the longest. I recently built up a CAAD10 and have been trying to ride it more but still prefer the ride of the Ritte.

I can't imagine how the new Ace rides if I still like the Bosberg that much.

rittecycles
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2015 5:39 pm

by rittecycles

Wonderful. I'm so glad you like it and it still gets use.
Cheers.

Grill
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Joined: Mon Aug 20, 2012 12:12 pm
Location: Oop North

by Grill

Spencer, I appreciate you taking these sort of things head on, but you'd be wrong in thinking that my opinion is based upon a cursory Google search. I think that you are a credit to your company, but that doesn't mean that I need to be a fan of the products your company provides. Service, for example, plays a huge role in my opinion of a brand and there was a certain coach out here that was unable to get a replacement for a broken frame without going through the song and dance of sending nasty tweets and being contacted by you directly.

Having seen your frames up close, I can safely say there is nothing special about them below the distinct paint jobs. The carbon layups aren't particularly impressive (my bikes that have come out of Giant and Sarto have cleaner layups) and as far as riding characteristics go, I've ridden enough bikes to now that the right bike is 95% emotional. If you love the look you'll love the ride.

As far as being stocked by high-end bike shops, I just don't see the relevance. I was in Fairwheel less than a month ago and they stock lots of low-end generic wares as well. Having run a shop for many years I know it's all about A) margins, B) the rep, C) what you can sell.

The thing that annoys me the most is the amount of start-ups Ritte seems to have inspired. Sublime is one of the worst offenders (they're local so it really does my head in), but there's seems to be a new trendy brand popping up every week offering loud open-mold bikes at a silly price.

For the money, I'll happily go with a more established brand where I know I'll receive the service or put it towards a proper boutique brand where I know the frames are actually special. It's all there in my first comment on the thread.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

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