Ritte Crossberg Disc

Ritte set out its stall in 2010 as a bike company that wanted to do something different, and from the opinion-splitting paint job to the honed geometry, the Crossberg fully delivers on that plan.

‘So many of the industry’s design decisions are informed by tradition, trends or marketing, especially in cyclocross, yet there’s very little consensus on what actually works,’ says Ritte’s founder, Spencer Canon. ‘The geometry of the Crossberg has been rethought and entailed at least 10 unique geometry explorations. We enlisted the help of pro rider and expert fitter Molly Cameron, and I’m really happy with the end result.’

That end result is a 7005-series aluminium frame that crucially has a slightly lower bottom bracket height than many other cross bikes (a drop of 65mm or 67mm on the largest size) – going against conventional wisdom that BBs need to be high up to allow for pedalling through corners. According to Canon it’s far better to have a lower BB, which also keeps the rider’s centre of gravity lower and gives greater control and stability.

‘We’ve also kept things short, with 425mm long chainstays and a 45mm fork rake, which tightens up the wheelbase and makes the Crossberg very nimble. Long wheelbases, high BBs and slack fork rakes so often make cross bikes ride like dump trucks on stilts. The Crossberg aims to be quick and easy to steer through tight switchbacks, yet stable and predictable enough to take those faster downhill corners at speed.’ It’s a compelling argument, and one that Canon feels throws open the doors to a wide audience of riders, be they first timers or paid-up racers.

Available as a frameset, this full build includes some burly but light top drawer finishing kit from Easton, including the super stiff EC90 stem. Sram’s Force1 groupset has been making waves in the cross world, with good reason. The hydraulic brakes offer superb stopping power in all conditions and the single chainring has multiple advantages. Wheels are Easton’s top-end alloy disc offering, weighing a claimed 1,620g and coming clincher and tubeless ready.

Admittedly the colour of the Crossberg might be divisive, but together with the unusual geometry and high-end spec sheet, this brown machine certainly stands out from the crowd.

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