Ritchey’s next bike to get a limited 50th Anniversary edition is the Ultra hardtail mountain bike, bringing back that iconic red, white & blue Team fade with some new flourishes. It’s the last of Ritchey’s steel bikes to get an anniversary make-over, and returns to the classic Team paint job that was ridden to many early mountain biking championships and Olympic medals.
Ritchey Ultra mountain bike in 50th Anniversary red, white & blue
The red, white, and blue panel fade paintjob itself isn’t entirely new, but it’s always been pretty hard to come by. Starting out as a team-only look in the 1990s, a number were made back in 2020 for the Ultra hardtail. But those disappeared quickly.
So, “doubling down on the homage paid to Ritchey’s incredible heritage” for their half-century anniversary, “the Ultra 50th Edition frame also features special logos that reference the company’s history and the influence Palo Alto, California had on Tom Ritchey.“
That means retro red-outlined headtube and downtube logos, shouting out Palo Alto.
Tech details
Under that iconic retro paint scheme, the Ritchey Ultra is a thoroughly modern steel trail hardtail. Built to accommodate either 29er or 27.5+ wheels – up to 29×2.4″ or 27.5×2.8″ – the Ultra is designed for a 120mm suspension fork with versatile modern, but not overly slack geometry.
The heat-treated, triple-butted Ritchey Logic WCS steel frame is TIG welded with a lightweight forged & machined head tube that drops in tapered 1.5″ headset, a classic 73mm BSA threaded bottom bracket, and a 30.9mm seatpost with stealth dropper routing & separate seat collar.
The Boost-spaced frame can still be run with 1x or 2x drivetrains (max 38T single, 26/36T double), gets external cable routing, a replaceable stainless-steel rear derailleur hanger, post mount 160mm disc brake, and 12mm thru-axle. It comes in four stock sizes (S-XL) with a claimed frame weight of 2570g (size L 19″).
Ritchey Ultra 50th Anniversary – Pricing & availability
The 50th Anniversary red, white & blue Ritchey Ultra mountain bike is available as a frame only (including headset, rear thru-axle & seat collar) for $1200 / 1200€. It’s up to you to figure out the best matching fork – maybe the SID Ultimate’s blue is a bit off? And the proper kit to build it up – hard to argue with the blue ano of that Hope crankset & brakes. The sky (and your wallet) are the only limits!
Get it now through Certified Ritchey Assemblers in Europe, though regular bike shops & online retailers worldwide, or direct from Ritchey.
