![]() Either way, to get a bike to pack down to a certain size, disassembly is required, even for 20-inch folding bikes. Other notable bikes that take the frame disassembly approach include any of the Moulton models, and any bike with S&S couplers. The Ritchey Break-Away is more of a “dismantle and pack” rather than a “fold and pack” like the Birdy, Brompton, Tyrell or Change Bike. It’s obviously not going to be a sprinter or lightweight climber by any means, but as a cyclocross, gravel or touring bike that can take a beating and roll at a consistently brisk pace with comfort that only good steel provides, that’s where the Ritchey really shines. Hang on, reasonably lightweight with a steel frame? Yes, it is possible and not an oxymoron at all! With a selection of decent components, the overall weight for a steel cross build can be had for under 9kg (19.8lbs) which is quite respectable. ![]() Using a larger tire at lower pressures results in improved comfort, and also better handling when you find yourself rolling over rough surfaces. Tires are the most important part of your bicycle as it is the only contact point to the road, and also the key to comfort. There have been plenty of times where we’ll come across gravel paths, dirt roads and all kinds of rough stuff during our travels where we thought, “Wouldn’t it be nice if we had wheels to ride through that singletrack shortcut over there.” With the Ritchey Break-Away Steel Cross, we certainly can! Thanks to its bridgeless chainstays, there’s enough clearance in the frame to fit 40mm tires depending on what rims you use. 700c wheels with clearance for larger tires up to 40mm The only bike that could tick the compact bike luggage checkbox would be the Brompton, but we needed a bike with much larger wheels and tires that could glide through gravel paths easily – you never know what kind of roads, or “groads” you’ll come across when traveling. As far as full-size bikes go, the Ritchey Break-Away wins the award for feats of limited space! We even managed to load three Ritchey suitcases into the trunk of a Japanese taxi cab. It splits in half and fits into its own travel case – definitely an all-road companion you can take with you anywhere! Compact travel luggage sizeĪfter seeing the size of Ritchey’s travel case, we knew that this was the perfect size for travel! Measuring at 8.5 inches deep, 26.5 inches tall, and 31 inches wide (21.6cm x 67.3cm x 78.7cm), – the travel case is much more compact than even the Birdy or Reach when packed for air travel. So where does that leave us?Īfter going back to the drawing board to evaluate our choices for a highly versatile (and packable) all-road bike for traveling, we came across the Ritchey Break-Away Cross after doing lots of research based on our air travel experiences. And on the other hand, non-folding full-sized bikes will never be able to reach a compact luggage size and will be always be cumbersome to handle. ![]() Bikes with folding mechanisms will be inherently heavier due to all the additional mechanical parts. Size and weight are the two obvious factors that can make handling bulky luggage difficult. Trying to transport bulky bike luggage between the airport and into cars, vans and trains is challenging to say the least. ![]() In general, we did not have any major problems with air travel, except perhaps the size of the bike luggage itself when we’re trying to get to an airport or to any location after that. To date, we have traveled with a variety of bikes, from smaller-wheeled folding bikes such as the Birdy and Reach, to full-sized ones such as the Change Bike. The Ritchey Break-Away Cross is a full-size cyclocross steel rig with a clever trick up its sleeve – it can be split in half and fits into a travel case that is amazingly compact for what it is, with 700c wheels and everything else!
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