Ritchey Road Logic review

Tom Ritchey is one of those cycle industry people who is easy to like – he’s been designing and making bikes for more than 40 years, they’re not heavily marketed, and they’re beautifully functional with excellent design and detail.

This is the UK exclusive first test of the updated Road Logic, the V2, but the changes from V1 are characteristically low-key. 

Ritchey has noted the trend for wider tyres so tweaked the frame to fit tyres up to 30mm wide.

Adapting the carbon fork wasn’t quite so simple, so that’s a completely reworked design.

A modern take on the classic steel frame, Ritchey has designed the internal and external shapes of the tubes, along with a triple-butting process that takes away material where it’s not needed to reduce weight, but kept it where required for weld strength.

As the main part of the Ritchey business is producing components, it’s no surprise that the Ritchey name appears on all parts bar the 105 groupset and inner tubes.

With a frame price of £1,119 and this complete bike at just under a grand more, it’s easy to see that the cost has been kept low and that’s reflected somewhat in the 9.2kg weight.

Without doubt, the weight is noticeable on the road as soon as it goes uphill or when sprinting, but at all other times you’d struggle to notice.

In fact, you’re more likely to pick up on the benefits as the Logic is extremely stable at speed, comfortable on choppy surfaces and eager to change direction when asked.

We swapped out the stem to a longer WCS C220 for fit reasons but otherwise ran the stock build. Having ridden and loved the previous version, the V2 didn’t quite match expectations, and we lay the responsibility at the door of the tyres and wheels.

The wheels are respectable and strong but weigh 3.2kg as fitted (including tyres and cassette) and that mass makes a big difference.

Sadly, the Tom Slick 27c tyres weren’t really up to scratch on a bike of this quality and didn’t encourage the lively performance we know the frame wants to offer, but swapping them for a lighter set would help get the most out of a fantastic frame.

Ratings

Frame 8/10; Components 7/10; Wheels 6/10; The ride 8/10

Verdict: The updated Road Logic keeps the same character, but wider tyres mean you can enjoy the beautifully crafted combination of comfort and poise across more surfaces. A fab all-rounder that can handle fast riding or simple cruising, but begs for a more expensive build to get the most out of it.

Spec