By: Robert Myint aka 'pineapplebob'

Travel bikes have been around for many years and have been enjoyed by countless cycling enthusiasts, but these were mainly road bike models. There haven't been too many options for mountain bikers as far as travel bikes are concerned, except for a couple of cheaper "folding" models that were very heavy and cumbersome. Developing a mountain bike that's lightweight and compact enough for airline travel (without the oversize baggage charge) and tough enough to withstand serious trails (not just bike paths or gravel roads) was in the works, though.

Well, along comes Ritchey with their years of experience in the bike industry, including their expertise in the breakaway road bike arena, and what do you know? They did it - a breakaway mountain bike that performs as well as most high end hardtails on the market with the added bonus of breaking down and fitting into a normal-sized piece of check-in luggage. All of this at 30 pounds - yeah, that's correct, 30 pounds for the whole shebang - bike, packing materials and case!



The folks at MTBR.com had the tough job (once again) of testing out this latest innovation from Ritchey. They sent an 18" Breakaway Ti MTB frame outfitted with their WCS signature carbon fork & components, WCS wheel set, and Shimano XT drive train/brake set. Now they needed someone to put it to the test…

This is where I come into the picture. I'm an avid mountain biker, but also travel quite a bit - since I live in Hawaii and work out of LAX as an airline pilot. MTBR's testing guru, Francis, thought it would be a good idea if I put the Breakaway to the test. So I agreed (yeah, twist my arm!).

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3…

The first test was to try and put the bike together. Ritchey provides a CD and some written instructions along with the bike and most guys would do, I took a cursory glance at the pictures and dove in. My first attempt took about 35 minutes - a bit longer than I would have hoped for, but like anything else, practice makes pretty good. Subsequent attempts took me near the 20 minute mark. The breakdown took nearly the same time overall, because of the extra time it takes to pack the parts back in the case.



Simple frame design - notice the coupling on the down tube.





Cable couplings helped to keep things simple, as well

All in all, the setup and breakdown are relatively easy once you get the hang of it. I do have a few suggestions:

1. Make sure you have all the tools you need to put the bike together - 4/5mm allens and a mini-pump. That's really all you need - really? Yes, really!
2. Since the bike and case come in around 30 lbs, you can squeeze a few more items in the case before you get an overweight charge - so put in your hydration pack, helmet, shoes, etc.
3. You can also use your riding clothes as packing material - try out those vacuum bags that pack your stuff down and utilize the packs as cushioning.
4. Oh yeah - check out the CD and follow the instructions!

The next test was getting the case to the airport and through the check-in process. The wheeled bag was pretty easy to pull along and it was compact enough to put in the backseat or trunk.

At the airport, no questions were asked about the contents of the case since it resembled a normal piece of luggage, and the weight was well below the maximum of 50 lbs. No extra charge! This was definitely a big plus since airlines normally charge anywhere from $75 and up for a regular bike case. Hmmm…maybe there's something to this travel bike thing…

Another test for me (unless you're part of a flight crew) was to see if I could drag the bike along with me on my trips. No problem, the case fit in our storage closet on the airplane and actually went through the x-ray machine in San Francisco! Sadly, it didn't fit through all the x-ray machines, so I had to open up the case for a TSA person to inspect it by hand. Just a minor inconvenience, though.



And now for the final and the most important test, how does it perform? First let me give you some background information on me - I'm 5'6", 140 lbs, and ride mostly XC stuff. I was riding a bike that was one size bigger than I would normally ride and I haven't ridden a fully-rigid bike off-road in a long time.

My first ride was on some groomed fire roads and single-track in NorCal. It performed very well - super light and super stiff, so it climbed like a billy goat on EPO. The bike handled well, but the lack of suspension became somewhat apparent on the few bumps that were out there.

My next ride was in San Diego on much bumpier terrain - now the lack of suspension was very apparent! But then the proverbial light bulb went off in my head and I remembered that I could let a little air out of the tires to tune the ride. So from 38psi down to about 28 psi I went - and wow, what a difference - that took a lot of sting off the stutter bumps and rocks. Another couple of rides down in SoCal and I was really starting to enjoy this bike.

Finally, I took the Ritchey Breakaway Ti MTB to my backyard in the islands. I had been telling my riding pals about the bike and they finally got to see it - and they were as impressed as I was with the simple design - one coupling on the down tube and the seat post as a "pin" to hold the top tube and seat tube together.



And after riding through our wet roots and rocky single-track, I was impressed with how the bike performed. The XT components worked flawlessly and the frame didn't show any weaknesses.



There are some options that I would suggest:

1. Take the weight penalty and put on a suspension fork - unless you like the simplicity of a rigid fork.
2. That being said, why not build it as a single-speed and eliminate some of the cables and parts?
3. Last, maybe put on a good set of mechanical disc brakes - just a thought.





Parting thoughts…

Overall, the Ritchey Breakaway Ti MTB was a winner. The frame itself is a beautiful piece of work - it has a pretty straight forward geometry, efficient and strong coupling design, and the lightness and stiffness of Ti.

The ease of build-up and breakdown make even the less-than-mechanically inclined feel like a mechanic of sorts.

The portability and compactness of the case make air travel a breeze and the fact that there's no oversized luggage charge makes it a viable option for mountain bikers with wanderlust.

Would I buy one? Most definitely, but I would build it up just a little different than the test bike. But, that's not a problem since Ritchey offers the Breakaway MTB as a frame only. Here's what you get for $2,750:

Ti Mountain frame
Custom drawn 3/2.5 aerospace grade titanium tubing
100% full size bicycle can be split apart mid-frame and packed into 9x26x29 case
Patented locking compression coupling system adds less than 100g to complete frame
Custom TR designed dropout w/ replaceable derailleur hangar
Suspension corrected for 100mm travel fork
Disc or V-Brake compatible
Includes travel case and WCS headset
Available in 5 sizes 14"-21"
3.6 lbs (frame only, Large)

More info at www.ritcheylogic.com

What's next from the people at Ritchey? They do have some ideas in the works for a more versatile frameset and possibly a more affordable steel version. I can't wait to get back to "work".