EVERYBODY'S Road Bike!! // Ritchey Montebello

Love Ritchey Products, Hard to Get in the UK 🇬🇧

This format worked well. I like to see people riding rather glamour shots. Interesting comparison to an endurance road bike, as a past 40 year old man with 90% of the rides I have time to take under 1.5 hours, I need something as fast and responsive as possible since I am not that person any more. Wish the bike was a little shorter in the chainstays and less length in the toptube, but it looks very nice.

I like how you lead with your overall impression. Enjoyed the video, and it was very informative. Thanks!

Thanks, great review. Very nice bicycle !

I would love to ride a Ritchey but no size available if you're 1.95m
If you're a little bit taller you can forget it "no Ritchey for you sir"

Seems like a nice bike. Not too exciting though 🤔

Wish this frame came with rim brakes…

Great vid and format. Hello from Brisbane Australia

35mm is big tyres on a road bike. I hardly believe the carbon bike you've ridden had tyres of that width.
Love the bike. Would be perfect for me. But not with electronic shifting.

This is an all-road bike. You can fit it with mudguards and a front rack and you made it become a randonneur.

Wen you talk about poor steel
What do you think about Columbus chromor?

Loved the format, helping us approach the bike through an experience with it.

My man, there is only one option to these observations. Put the accelerometer on a carbon road bike and the Montebello with the same wheels. This bike looks good. I'm not sure that I am sold on the comfort (I own a steel gravel bike) being anything but placebo if you put 35mm on a Giant Defy. I think the argument is fit, look, and ease of ownership. Finally, as a scientist (or engineer, close enough ;-)) , could you estimate where road wheel width is going to end up as rims are designed to be wide and aero, and companies start to make wide light tires? I am starting to think that for long term ownership clearance is an issue on road bikes (it's why I don't ride rim brakes), but 40mm is pretty good.

dang it. Now I want another Ritchey bike.

Cool video very informative gracias, hopefully next time you can pronounce Montebello correctly.

11 speed 105 is peak mechanical

I wish I could have that frame

Hey man, love the video. I just picked up gravel two months ago. Do you have a video on camera and mic you use (like on this video)? Video and audio are 👌

Thanks for the review really enjoyed it, I’m on my first ever Ritchey frame at 56 years old. I have the Outback which I absolutely love! Whether it’s an age thing and something I can’t actually put my finger on definitively it’s the most comfortable bike I own and have ever owned. I’m finding most of the riding I do is now mixed surface so when I’m not on the Outback I’m on my hardtail mtb and when I do get on my road bike which I thought was comfortable it’s only to ride the rollers indoors.
My Outback has become my ‘road’ bike too.

The Fairlight Faran has the Same geo

Bike looks too big?

Your version of a casual / rambly video still provides more useful information and context than most other channels. I am now intrigued by the Montebello.

21 lbs steel frame with disc is light

Ahh, the mythical road chatter-dampening properties of steel are rearing their heads again. 🐉 Repeated thousands of times, but not measurable. I believe you are an engineer?

Ritchey Montebello riding out of Montebello. Cool

Not impressed by the new steel frame bike these days they are not doing lugged frames lugged frames have always been a sign of quality and always will be a sign of quality and frame making I would prefer a French Italian or Japanese bike with a lug frame over that frame any day of the year and rim brakes

Great to see a new instant classic. I’d buy one if I didn’t already have a bike I like. 
But it’s very unusual to see a new bike with the seat lower than the handlebar height!  That seat does look particularly low as a result of the frame being too big for you. But why so many headset spacers, when the stack is already so helpfully high?

Nice video well said well done I went to high school in montebello near your neck of the woods

I would argue to be “everybody’s road bike” everybody needs to be able to afford it. I can build a reliable road bike for half what that frame costs. For the cost of the frame alone I could build a full bike with carbon wheels. I will never understand the extreme markup in this industry.

Great channel! I've enjoyed all the videos I've watched. I liked the content on Blackheart Bikes and leaning toward the Allroad AL. How do you think the ride qualities compare? I've never ridden steal, but maybe worth a look after watching this. By the way, I'm almost 40 as well :)

The sizing recommendations seem odd to me. At 5'9"-5'10", if I was selecting my size based on stack and reach/effective top tube, I'd go with the small, as that size matches up closely with my all-city zig zag which fits me perfectly. But the size chart on ritchey's website tells me I should ride a medium, which would feel huge in comparison. I know there's a little subjectivity here, but this seems like a big discrepancy.

Outback rider here. Travelling quite a bit with the car to riding spots, the only thing that annoys me is that the wheels don't slot in nicely when re-assembling the bike. You need to hold the wheel roughly in the right spot and quickly put in the axle. Never understood that design choice.

Is it fixed on the Montebello?

Everything else is a dream. (If you don't care about weight, obvs)

In my area where pavement is terrible and the terrain is steep everyone’s road bike is a gravel bike. It’s amazing how few road bikes I see nowadays…myself included. My 24 Stigmata is my favorite road bike ever.

I really enjoyed the rolling critique. I've always loved steel road bikes and this one is terrific. A steel fork option would be nice. But it offers so much more than the aluminum framed bikes I've been trying out. I just can't love them no matter the drivetrain. And checking prices is very competitive with other mid to higher end frames. If the ride is that good I can live without lugs.

Thanks for this review: I really enjoyed it and appreciate the different style. I find reviews with lots of numbers, groupset info, etc. at the start a bit dull: I can look at that stuff for myself. Overall it felt less bike-nerdy (not that there’s anything wrong with bike nerdery) and more human. Also lots of really useful information! I’d love to know more about how this compares to the Outback, as I’m currently torn between those two frames.

Enjoyed your video and agree with your points. The stack is significant even compared to other endurance road bikes and I found one really has to embrace the more upright riding position as you're not going to get anywhere near your typical race position even with the stem slammed. That's what the drops are for though. All in all I love mine and I really think Ritchey did a great job and as usual their build quality and finish is top notch.

If I wanted to do some gravel would this be a good choice?

I like that it's also kind of a sleeper bike. Where I live there's a lot of bike theft and cycling with a modern carbon bike always gives me anxiety. Older bikes are much less desired due to low perceived resell value and this Ritchey frame does look the part, despite the modern specs it has.

I noticed the Rotor crankset on that bike has a road chainline listed as 43.5 to 46mm, depending on axle length. The Ritchey Montebello frame spec lists 49mm as the recommended chainline. Did you notice any shifting issues or chainstay interference during your testing?

Thanks for the informative review. I’m interested in building up this frame for randonneuring events.

I like the format and your presentation on this video. We can all read geo charts, although some comparisons to similar bikes is always welcome. Two questions for you: I am just curious what handlebars you are using? I just watched your video on some Ritchey bars so curious. The second question is would this make a good rando bike? I am not sure what makes up a rando vs. an endurance design. Thanks for the great video.

Hi, fan of the channel from Berlin. May I ask, what wheelset did your version use, and what width tire? Thanks and best regards

Love this format! Felt like I was talking with a super knowledgeable friend.

While I have watched several of your vids I'm thr past I have never subscribed. However, more of this style could certainly change that.

Nice review. I'm so pleased Ritchey have launched this. I'm a big fan of their other offerings (I ride a Logic Road and an Outback), so I think I may swap out my Giant Defy for this. 35 and mudguards is ideal for my wet, rough UK roads and light gravel! I'm a big guy (L Logic, XL Outback), but I do think Ritchey should make some smaller sizes. No way my wife can ride them (5'4" so average female height in the UK) and the Monte would be absolutely perfect for her. Lightweight, high quality, good value steel frames for smaller riders are pretty hard to find, so Ritchey could really satisfy this poorly served market.

I like the new format, but also like the old format. You've done a fine job getting fully nerded-out in earlier vids, BUTTTTT kept it interesting at the same time, which is not easy to do as everyone knows. The reviews are honest and forthright, and that goes a long way so keep doing THAT, and I'm not sure it'll matter which format you choose to deliver it with...we'll watch.

Beautiful bicycle

I think the SOMA Smoothie HP is a much better choice with a much better price. Ritchey is over-rated.

Do you think you could’ve sized down without any issues? I need to see this bike in person

The Ritte bike sounds great.

Liked the video format.