SEA OTTER CLASSIC 2010 – If this doesn’t take the cake as the lightest mountain bike rim on the market, I don’t know what does. Weighing in at a confirmed 260g per rim, the new Ritchey Carbon SuperLogic tubular rim is molded onto a “disappearing” mold so that no bladder is left inside to weigh it down.
The result is a rim that contributes to the ridiculously light 1,320g SuperLogic wheelset that will retail for $1,900 with CenterLock hubs. Separately, the front will be available with either 9mm or 15mm axles for $899.95, and the rear is rear $1049.95.
But that’s not the only new goody Ritchey showed off. They have lots of new WCS level items in carbon and white, all for making your go-fast bike go faster and look better. Check it all out after the break…
Here’s what the wheelset looks like, though this prototype had 6-bolt disc mounts rather than the CenterLock.
The only downside to running these is the currently limited number of options for tubular mountain bike tires, but Geax and others have some things in the works.
Ritchey’s WCS mountain bike wheelset now comes with optional white rims. 740g front / 829g rear.
This prototype is pretty close to the final version of Ritchey’s new WCS Shield Tire, a 550g tubeless-ready low profile tire. Pricing is TBD, and there will be Pro and Comp level versions, too.
The WCS Carbon Logic Curve with round bars comes in at 210g for $285.
Ritchey’s new EvoCurve handlebars improve ergonomics by using a flatter top section on standard round tubes. From above, you can also see they curve backward slightly to align with the natural angle of your hand. Black version is $97, white is $120.
The top section is slightly flatter for a more comfortable hand perch.
Two other new things that I didn’t get photos of from Sea Otter are the new white WCS Carbon Streem saddle and Pro-level Zeta wheelset. The saddle uses Ritchey’s “Vector Wing” design to dissipate vibration, has superlight foam covered with Lorica and full carbon fiber rails. It’s been available in Black for a bit, and both colors retail for $179.95 adn weigh in at 145g.
The Zeta Pro wheelset steps down a lot of the features of the WCS version introduced at Interbike last year. It does away with the Trifecta spoke lacing, gets an aluminum rim rather than vanadium alloy, steel skewers instead of titanium and Pro-level hubs rather than WCS. The rim profile remains the same despite the material difference and uses their OCR (Off Center Rim) design to reduce dish and create a stronger wheel. They retail for just $499. 730g front / 994g rear.
Lastly, there are some new colors (above) available on Ritchey’s Breakaway folding road bikes.
