Ritchey Swiss Cross Disc

Ritchey's Swiss Cross Disc isn't the lightest bike to tackle a cyclo-cross race on, but if enjoying the experience is as important – if not more so – than getting onto the podium, then it's well worth considering.

With low overall weight being a strong factor in a sport that demands lots of changes in pace during the course of one lap, you'd be forgiven for wondering whether carbon offerings from the likes of Trek, Specialized and Merida have sounded the death knell for artisan steel frames like this.

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Ritchey obviously doesn't think so, as the Swiss Cross is aimed squarely at the racer rather than being one of the more 'crossover' styles – Ritchey's own Outback adventure/gravel bike has that role covered. That said, while it is available in a wide range of specs, the one here is more inclusive, with a 50/34 compact double chainset. More experienced riders might prefer to change this for a single-ring setup – and cantilever brakes instead of discs – to save a bit of weight.

Ride and performance

Despite my initial misgivings that this was going to feel outmoded and a bike for participating on rather than winning, I was wrong. Looking at similarly priced carbon rivals tested on road.cc, it's around 12 per cent heavier, yet for the majority of the time, on all but the most technical and muddy courses with lots of starts and stops to contend with, you don't feel that extra weight.

Ramp dismounts were the only time when I really wished the bike weighed less, as it was a bit more unwieldy to shoulder than some lighter bikes I've ridden.

Whether you need it to be as quick – ie, as light – as carbon depends on your aspirations, really.

It's certainly the best steel cyclo-cross bike I've ridden and probably more fun to learn and develop your cyclo-cross skills on than less forgiving aluminium or carbon options. The spec tested here, including a double chainring and wider gear range than a typical cross setup, will suit beginners and maybe those wanting to get back to the sport after a layoff. While for simplicity's sake I would choose the single chainset option, I am sure the versatile 50/34t double will have more takers.

It might be a cliché to say that you have to ride one to know, but this is steel at its very best. Ritchey calls it 'Force Directional tubing' – I call it being shoved from behind. It seems to defy the weighing scales by feeling lighter than it is, to the point that I found myself looking down at the chainring on climbs and realising I was still on the 50t big chainring.

The riding position, aided by the superb Ritchey EvoMax WCS compact bar, is neither too high nor too low, and I found myself using the tops and drops in equal measure. It's refreshing to see a nice curved drop rather than an ergonomic one; I like the more linear range of grip rather than an ergo's two distinct points of grip. Our 55cm bike had a 44cm wide bar while the two smaller size bikes have a 42cm bar. I would have preferred a narrower bar, as it's rather too easy to clash with other riders going into the first corner of a race, and even easier to bash trees on tight courses. I'm assured by the distributor that bars can be swapped out at dealer level.

Ritchey has eschewed the trend for a thru-axle fork, but the steering is welcomingly agile at cyclo-cross pace and this doesn't change when jamming along to make up time on flat tarmac sections where, although it can feel a little twitchy, it doesn't actually undermine rider confidence.

The frame

More than 20 years ago, if you were to turn up on the start of a race with a Ritchey cyclo-cross bike, you'd be asked which pro rider you'd bought it from, such was their cost and rarity. Tom Ritchey – nicknamed 'senior slayer' during his time as a junior champion road racer – has resisted the temptation to sell out to some giant conglomerate after 30 years in the business and is directly involved in the process of design and production, from specifying the triple butted tubing through to painting the frames (there are several options, including the classic design seen here).

The Ritchey tubing has a butting configuration – thinner where it can be to save weight – which defines the ride quality. It's less spring-like in behaviour than a titanium frame yet there's a liveliness in handling that many older cyclists talk about in tones of hushed reverence.

Ritchey has done well to pare the frame weight down to just 1.9kg (55cm) – which is remarkable for a steel 'crosser with disc brake mounting, although the full-carbon (including steerer) fork is very welcome, given that the frame weighs almost twice that of the lightest carbon frames available.

The long cable stops mean you can choose a disc brake setup or traditional cantilevers, which still have a great many followers in the sport. I really like the Shimano disc brakes. Point the Ritchey down a long, fast descent and take a big handful of brake and despite the keen steering responses you'll never feel like the tyre is going to break away; you just get linear, progressive braking that requires less pull at the lever than the best traditional calliper setups have to offer.

Depending on your point of view, the bell-shaped forged head tube lugs are either a throwback to the pre-war years or innovative engineering; Ritchey says it's 'lighter and stronger than a standard head tube'.

There really are some interesting engineering details in this frame, such as the left seatstay, designed with a wave to provide clearance for the rear brake setup; and far from just being a bent tube it looks good from all angles. Another is where Ritchey, rather than use a simple aluminium c-clamp for the seatpost, has 'shot-in' the stays to provide an integrated seat tube clamp which looks neat and purposeful.

The powder coated finish is tough and adds to the overall premium quality feel of the bike.

Wheels and tyres

Ritchey Zeta WCS Disc wheels sport traditional elbowed spokes and semi-deep-section rims. It's great to see spokes with elbows as they speed up wheel truing, and because the flanges are narrower than a straight pull wheel they are less likely to fling mud onto bike and rider. The Center Lock rotor mounts don't appear to collect too much mud either.

V-section rims such as the Zetas are known to reduce the amount of mud that gets flung around in the heat of competition, and the internal profile is designed specifically to speed up the seating of tubeless tyres.

Ritchey's cartridge bearing hubs have been around for almost 20 years so I don't doubt the reliability of this version, which uses oversized bearings.

The 35mm Ritchey Shield Comp tubeless tyres work well but it's crucial to experiment with the pressure before the start of a race. Get it right and you'll be rewarded with a smooth, fast ride. I seemed to find it easier than most to gauge the point on each lap where the tread started to break away on the damp grass, probably aided by a soft compound.

On the tarmac sections these grip far better than a 'cross tyre has a right to; the tread hooks up superbly on shale and dry hardpack. But show them deep mud and your pace falls away as the wide carcass lacks the ability to fully cut through to the hard underlayer, but its advantages largely outweigh this.

Gears and finishing kit

I've used single chainrings extensively for racing and can't help feeling that the Ritchey's double just adds unwanted complication and weight that it could well do without. The 50/34 combination is on the tall side for cyclo-cross, but as I've said I'm sure it will appeal to many.

There's certainly no criticism in terms of performance. Shifts from small to large chainring and back again were always snappy and precise even under pressure, which is testament to the stellar refinement of this Ultegra groupset, while the 11-28 cassette has evenly spread steps between the sprockets.

Like some kind of aural indicator, the gears 'pop' into the next largest sprocket easily when climbing, which is a real bonus on washboard surfaces where a shift on other systems can sometimes be hard to define.

Another bonus on washboard surfaces is the Ritchey Streem saddle; it's so comfortable I didn't notice it, though of course it won't be for everyone.

Conclusion

This elder statesman of cyclo-cross could have been forced to abdicate in the harsh light of today's marketplace, but thanks to a steady stream of developments, one of cycling's true thoroughbreds is still a viable option for those with real world aspirations.

> Cyclo-cross vs gravel/adventure bikes – what's the difference? 

If you are set on gaining league points there are lighter rides out there, but I feel that the Ritchey ownership comes with an attached conviction to keep racing long after the young guns have retired and hung up their racing wheels, and that goes a long way to justifying the high price.

Verdict

Puts a smile on your face that's hard to shift, whether you're winning or not