Ritchey Logic have just dropped their new Outback gravel bike, redesigned as a worthy bikepacking accomplice for multi-day off-road adventuring. We caught up with Fergus at Ritchey who kindly introduced us to the Ritchey Outback V2, and a couple of new bikepacking and gravel bars. Check out our Remote Otter coverage below to see the new Outback with its MTB sized tire clearance, mounts galore, flat mount brakes and 3rd water bottle cage.
Remote Otter: Ritchey Outback V2
The Ritchey Outback V2 is now far more than just a gravel race bike. The steel frame and new carbon fiber fork are well endowed with mounts for Anything Cages, and rack and fender mounts. These, along with the addition of a 3rd water bottle mount on the underside of the downtube make the Outback V2 a worthy bikepacking companion.
The Outback V2 is 650b and 700c capable. With the smaller wheels, Ritchey claim sufficient clearance for 2.0″ tires (51mm), though in the footage they sent in we see 2.1″ ZMax evolution tires that seem to fit comfortably. With 700c, there is sufficient clearance for 48mm tires, that’s 8mm wider than the previous Outback could take. The frame max spacing is 58mm and 60mm at the fork.
The new fork was designed around this increased tire clearance, and can now take a 12mm or 15mm thru-axle. It sees the addition of rack and fender mounts and now features a flat mount brake, more commonly seen on road bikes. The fork has a 50mm offset and the axle to crown measures 393mm. The 300mm 1-1/8″ steerer has an integrated 45-degree crown race. Ritchey have carried through the straight steer design, happy in the knowledge that it provides a more compliant front end and thus, a more comfortable ride over the rough stuff.
The 142mm rear end also gets a flat mount brake on the chainstay, giving the frame a minimal clean aesthetic. It also means riders can opt for a rotor size of 140mm or 160mm.
The Ritchey Outback V2 seat tube angle varies across the frame sizes; 74° in XS, 73.5° in S, and 73° in medium and up. The head tube slackens off, also varying across sizes; 69.5° in XS, 70° in S, 70.5° in M and 71° in large and up. The BB drop remains at 70mm in XS and S. It’s a little taller at 68mm in medium and up.
The steel frame is comprised of Ritchey’s signature heat-treated force directional double-butted Ritchey Logic tubing, tig-welded. The seat tube remains at a 27.2mm diameter with integrated seat collar. The Outback V2 can accommodate a 1x or 2x setup with a 28.6mm front derailleur clamp. The crankset minimum/maximum ring sizes are 36-46t for 1x and 46/33t, 46/36t, or 50/34t for 2x. The BB is 68mm English threaded.
The new Guac y Crema colorway frame is available in XS to XXL frame sizes. The large weighs a claimed 2,175g, while the carbon fork weighs a claimed 446g. Both weights are without the thru-axle. A Ritchey Outback V2 frame will set you back $1,399.
Also new from Ritchey…
In our Remote Otter coverage, Fergus at Ritchey gives us a full rundown of their bikepacking and drop bar options, including the Kyote bar, ErgoMax and Butano bars. New to the lineup is the VentureMAX carbon. The VentureMAX is a gravel drop bar with a bio-bend in the drops and 24 degrees of flare – see it featured on the Ritchey Outback V2 in our Remote Otter video. It is now available in carbon, with internal routing and a flat top section. The VentureMAX carbon is available now at $279. 
The VentureMAX XL gets even bigger for this model year at 52cm wide. Ritchey measure their off-road bars at the initial bend, so they’ll actually flare out much wider than this on the hoods and even more in the drops. It has a 4.6 degree backsweep. The flattened 38mm x 22.5mm top section provides a comfortable area for resting hands. The WCS retails at $99.95.
Last but not least, Ritchey’s Kyote bar is coming out in a classic finish. This bikepacking bar is 800mm wide, has 15mm rise and a 27.5 degree sweep. It will retail at $34.99.
What’s this Remote Otter thing?
Regular Sea Otter has been postponed until fall, but we know many brands still have new stuff to show off. So we asked them to make videos of their new stuff and send them in, and we’re sharing them with you so you can see the people behind the products and brands we all ride and use! Enjoy!!!
