On the 40th anniversary of the company, Ritchey is showing no signs of ageing: The traditional company is at the forefront of the still young 650b trend. And with matching frames, forks, rims and tires.

Forward with 650b
"With Sixfifty B, we've really hit the ground running," says Ritchey's marketing man Roland Breinlinger to Ride at Eurobike 2012. This trend-oriented portfolio expansion starts with the "27.5" hardtail steel frame, which is ready for mid-size bikes and, unlike its 29er counterpart, does not have a sliding dropout.

For a purist bike build, Ritchey is also sending a brand new full carbon fork with post mount into the race. Like the steel frames, the forks are available in 26-inch, 27.5-inch and 29-inch sizes. The rigid fork is designed for frames that are otherwise designed for 100 millimetres of travel on the front wheel. The 650b version weighs 615 grams. No tapered head tube is used for any of the forks.

One wheel and one tire for 650b
The "WCS Vantage II 27.5" rim provides the basis for mounting the only matching in-house tire to date - called "WCS Shield". Ritchey also spokes the named rim for the wheelset and offers a choice between quick-release and 15 millimeter thru-axle thanks to interchangeable end caps on the front wheel. On the rear wheel, there are the alternatives of quick release and X12 mount.

Open future
Roland Breinlinger does not give a clear forecast regarding the three current wheel sizes: "The future will show where wheel sizes are heading. Will 26 inches die - or will the 27.5 inch standard not establish itself at all? It's remarkable that Sixfifty B got off to such a strong start in just nine months. Nino Schurter certainly also helped to launch the topic."

New set for tubeless conversion
The new tubeless kit from Ritchey is based on input from racing. "The Swisspower team rides tubular tires, but in certain conditions, such as at the Cape Epic race, the athletes don't want tubulars, but a tubeless system with puncture protection fluid," reports Breinlinger. The kit consists of a puncture protection fluid - developed in collaboration with an Italian manufacturer - a rim tape and tubeless valves.

At Eurobike 2012, Ritchey also had the "Trail" components and the 29er frame, Ride has already reported on this news.

www.ritcheylogic.com