Road Logic

I bought this frame used in the spring of 2006 and spent the next six months deciding how best to built it up and accumulating components. Some of the parts (shifters, derailers, and handlebar) were transferred from my Chris Chance road bike, while others (fork, brakes calipers, cranks) were bought specifically for this bike. My goal was to build the ligthest steel-framed bike that I could at a still somewhat "reasonable" cost. A few components costs more than I likely should have spent - the Zero Gravity brakes and the Tune wheel skewers in particular - but overall the cost was fairly low given the final product. It's was definitely much cheaper than if I'd walked into a bike shop and bought an off-the-shelf 17 pound bike. By September I had the bike completed.

The Sweet Wings cranks are one of the more unusual components on the bike. The steel crank arms and crank-specific bottom bracket where top-of-the-line for the mid 1990's. Unfortunately Sweet Parts, the company that made the cranks, closed shop and few people remember their products. However, the cranks work great and are light weight even by 2009 standards. The bottom bracket spindle is permanently attached to the crank arms; each arm has half of the spindle and they join in the middle (not unlike the current Campagnolo design). The driveside bearing is external to the frame, allowing for oversized bearings. The non-driveside bearing is inside the frame, and oddly requires the bottom bracket installation tool to pass through the bottom bracket shell for installation (i.e. there is no way to tigthen the non-driveside cup without removing the driveside cup) - this allows the non-driveside arm to ride on the bearings properly, however it makes installation less than ideal.

The Ritchey road bikes have always been a frame that I lusted after. When I finally found one in my size and in the "team" paint scheme, I was excited to buy it. The year of production is a bit of a guess, as the frames changed very little over the years, and there's little to distinguish the exact year other than the tubing spec. By the 1990's Tom Ritchey was no longer producing these frame himself. He did make the fillet brazed Road Classic frames, but the TIG welded Road Logic frames were built in Japan and imported to the US. Although not hand-made by Tom, this bike still rides like a dream.

Overall, the Road Logic is my favorite road bike to date. It doesn't ride quite as smooth as my old Chris Chance - although this is most likely a result of the super smooth Yo Eddy road fork that was on the Chris Chance - but otherwise it rides perfectly: smooth, stable on the downhills, quick enough in the turns, and it feels like it's floating down mountain roads. In July of 2009 I completed the Tour of the California Alps (the "Death Ride") while riding the Ritchey. It did a great job carrying me up the 15,000 vertical feet to the finish.

-el 10/2009