Ritchey Reprises Its Ascent Adventure Bike

Back in 2015, Ritchey introduced its Ascent, a discipline-breaking adventure and bikepacking bike with a steel fork that easily handled different wheel sizes – from 27.5″ to 29er. It proved to be quite popular with riders looking to go far, get dirty, and have fun.

The world of gravel, adventure, and bikepacking has evolved quite a bit over the last several years, so Ritchey has decided to reprise an updated version of its Ascent to further meet the demands of adventurous riders

The 2021 version of the Ascent keeps the proven geometry of the original, but builds upon it with some modern features such as a new Ritchey steel fork with Boost spacing, a dynamo mount, and multi-purpose mounts on the legs. It also also sports a multi-purpose mount on the bottom side of the downtube, and the rear of the bike features a 12mm thru-axle and Boost spacing, along with rack and fender mounts.

“The new Ascent is a go-anywhere machine that beautifully brings together a mix of versatility, practicality, and durability. Mount a Ritchey Beacon XL handlebar and 700c tires loaded up with bags for an adventure in the Swiss Alps. Or run it with 27.5″ wheels, a bar bag, and mountain bike bar and get dirty on some twisty trails and rugged roads in the Midwest. The Ascent rides like a mountain bike but performs like a touring bike and is a blast on everything in between. Ultimately, the Ascent is the perfect bike for long-distance and overnighters along dirt in the mountains or remote rural landscapes,” boasts the brand.

The Ascent is sold as a frameset for $1299, which is offered in four sizes and comes with a WCS headset and thru axles.

Frame

• Material: heat-treated, triple-butted Ritchey Logic steel tubing – TIG welded
• Rack and fender mounts
• Ultra-light forged and machined straight 1-1/8″ headtube
• WCS headset included (upper IS42/28.6 – 16mm stack height | lower IS42/30)
• BOOST 148mm spacing (12mm alloy thru-axle included)
• Replaceable stainless-steel derailleur hanger
• 27.2mm seat tube with replaceable seat collar (max torque setting: 6Nm)
• Front derailleur clamp size: 28.6mm (max torque setting: 2.5Nm) – not included
• Bottom bracket: 73mm – English threaded
• Can accommodate 1X or 2X chainrings (Side Swing front derailleur required for double)
• Crankset min/max ring size – single: 38t / double: 36/24t
• External cable routing (continuous housing)
• Bottle mounts: 2
• Multi-purpose mount underside of downtube

Fork

• Ritchey steel fork with multi-purpose, rack, fender and threaded crown port
• 1-1/8″ straight steerer
• BOOST 110mm spacing (15mm alloy thru-axle included)
• Steerer length: 300mm
• Axle-crown: 435mm
• Rake/Offset: 52mm
• Fork max payload: 3kg per side

Tire Compatibility

• Wheel and tire compatibility: 27.5″ x 2.6″ or 29″ x 2.6″ (depending on tire/rim manufacturer)
• Frame max spacing: 78mm
• Fork max spacing: 78mm

Brake Compatibility

• Post-mount brakes: 180mm max front rotor / 160mm max rear rotor

Details

• Sizes: S / M / L / XL
• Frame weight: 2400g (size L – w/o thru-axle)
• Fork weight: 1125g (with uncut steerer / not including axle)
• Color: Sierra Red

Ritchey