Home > Feature Stories

Mavic Celebrates 125th Anniversary w/ Custom Bikes by Argonaut, Indy Fab, Lynskey, Mosaic, Ritte & Seven

49 Comments
Support us! Bikerumor may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn More

IMG_7774

When you think about it, it’s pretty hard to believe that Mavic has been around for 125 years. That is, until you look at their list of firsts. At this point in cycling we take a lot of technology for granted, but there was a time when a rim that was simply made from aluminum was a big deal. It was such a big deal that in 1934 when Mavic first used the Duraluminum rim they actually painted it in wood grain to hide it from competitors. That year it won the Tour de France – weighing half that of comparable rims at the time may have helped. Those firsts continued as the years went on with the first aluminum clincher rim. The first complete wheel system. The first UST rim design. First full aluminum wheel system with the Ksyrium, and first Wheel Tire System with the Ksyrium K10.

Even though it’s still evolving, much of the bicycle wheel technology we rely on every day has Mavic roots. Naturally, when it came time to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the storied company here in the US, Mavic wanted to do something that would honor the brand’s heritage. In addition to opening the Mavic La Maison Jaune here in Newbury Park, CA, Mavic reached out to custom frame builders to build some truly unique bikes. Each masterpiece was centered around the Limited Edition Mavic Ksyrium 125 of which only 6000 sets will be sold. Ksyrium 125 Wheel Tire Systems are currently available and selling for $1850.

More than just wheels, the Mavic 125th bikes capture a century and a quarter’s worth of history in two wheel form…

Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (18)

Starting with Argonaut Cycles, Ben Farver the founder of the Pacific Northwest based company was on hand with this beautiful custom carbon bike made for Chad Moore the director of marketing for Mavic. Ben pointed out that when designing a custom bike he really bases the build off the rider’s power, experience, bike expectations, even material bias. Since Chad has been riding for years and on many different bikes, he wanted a bike that was able to be “driven” through the corners so it has a slightly less stiff upper half of the frame. While you may not end up with a paint job on the level of the Anniversary Argonaut, the attention to detail with designing the Spacebike 2.0 is no different that that for any of Argonaut’s customers.

Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (7)a

Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (9) Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (8)

Each of these bikes is an amazing creation alone, but where they really shine is the one off commemorative finishes. In this case the paint scheme was designed in California by Garrett Chow and painted in Oregon by Eric Dungey of Color Works. From a distance, the Argonaut looks to have a yellow fade that graces the top and down tubes of the bike, but get closer and you see that it is made up of individual panels that represent substantial changes to the Mavic brand. Corresponding the to down tube logos, the top tube panels feature the years of each graphic below.

Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (13)

Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (14) Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (10)

Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (16) Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (15)

Elsewhere you’ll find color matched parts on the stem, the seat mast cap, and matching paneling inside the rear triangle. If you look hard enough you’ll see just a tiny bit of the teal blue Argonaut is known for.

Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (12)

Another stand out was the stealth tinted Dura Ace crank. Ben felt that the polished portion of the crank would clash with the paint job, so Eric figured out a way to apply a tint over the polished metal. Even Ben wasn’t sure how it was done, and Eric is apparently keeping the technique to himself. Regardless, it looks sweet in person.

Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (38)

Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (43)

As a late addition to the party, this understated Independent Fabrication SSR showed up just before we left. Crafted in stainless steel, the SSR uses Columbus XCr seamless tubing and is offered with full custom geometry through IF. At first the paint job looks fairly simple, but when you get up close you notice that the yellow accents are glossy and created with negative masking. The white on the logos however, seems to be part of the same satin layer as the black making a really interesting contrast in texutres.

Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (40) Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (41)

Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (42) Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (39)

The chainstays and seatstays transition from Mavic Yellow panels to raw stainless steel with subtle IF branding on the tubes.

Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (17)

Mark Lynksey was on hand to represent the Lynskey Performance titanium family and brought with him a very different Mavic anniversary than the one shown in their teaser. According to Mark they wanted to make one very unique bike for the presentation at the Yellow House, and an additional run of 30 limited edition bikes to sell to customers. That means you will be able to purchase one of the slick black, yellow, and titanium paneled beauties if you’re not too late, but you probably can’t get your hands on this one off, “propane flame” Mavic Edition Helix.

Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (32)

Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (34)

Painted by renowned custom car and motorcycle artist Kenny Reynolds, the Lynskey certainly had aver different aesthetic than the other anniversary bikes.  Mark said this was due to their desire to not necessarily look back to Mavic’s past, but to look forward to the storied brand’s future. While we think of Mavic as black and yellow, the company originally had quite a bit of red in their logos as well which helps tie in the flames to the overall theme.

Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (37) Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (33)

Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (36) Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (35)

Using the standard Helix twisted titanium tubing, this Helix also has a custom dropout featuring the Mavic logo on one side and Lynskey’s clover on the other. The Propane Flames taper into a black seat tube which is trailed by raw titanium stays.

Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (19)

Out of Boulder Colorado, Mosaic Bespoke Bicycles Founder Aaron Barcheck delivered another 125h Anniversary bike that was commissioned by Chad Moore. Based on their Rs1 Steel frame, the frame uses True Temper S3 tubing to create a custom steel road bike that is still sub 15lbs. The result as Aaron called it, is an old school design mixed with modern technology. Whatever you call it, this is a completely drool worthy steel beauty.

Mosaic Mavic 125

Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (20)

Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (21)

Certainly the most difficult to photograph bike of the group, the Rs1’s finish breathtaking in the sunlight. In addition to the “bass boat black” paint, the frame featured ghosted logos that look very similar to some of the graphics Mavic has used on some special edition products. You’ll even find the meaning of the Mavic acronym strafing the top tube – Manufacture d’Articles Vélocipédiques Idoux et Chanel (Idoux & Chanel’s Manufacturing of Articles for Velocipedes). You knew it was an acronym, right? The name stems from the two men who started the brand, Charles Idoux and Lucien Chanel.

Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (23)

Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (22) Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (25)

The ghosted logos are also found on the seat tube. Mixed with the pinstriping that continued through the bottom bracket and the fork, this Mosaic makes for a gorgeous bike.

Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (44)

Whatever you want to call him (he told us he’s the Creative Driector), Spencer Canon is one of the main men behind Ritte Cycles. Not only did Spencer design the striking paint job for this 125th Anniversary Ritte Vlaanderen, he also hand painted it himself. In fact, Spencer is responsible for all of the incredible custom paint jobs that bear the Ritte name. With a history of designing and painting some incredible bikes, Ritte’s Mavic anniversary build is no different.

Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (1)

Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (6) Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (5)

Using a standard Vlaanderen as a canvas, Spencer created a yellow and black masterpiece that incorporates Mavic red and Ritte blue in the pixelated transitions.

Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (3) IMG_7723

Spencer mentioned how much he loved the old Mavic fork decals, so he was hoping to find a pair for this build. Unfortunately, they’re no longer made and NOS couldn’t be found, so Spencer hand painted his own. Next to the originals one Greg Lemond’s 1989 TVT carbon fiber Tour bike, the hand painted logos are an awesome nod to the past.

Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (4)Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (2)

No Ritte would be complete without a Flemish Lion or two. Red and Yellow – another nod to the original Mavic colors.

Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (26)

Seven Cycles rounds out the display with a 125th Anniversary Axiom SL. Another Titanium classic, the Axiom SL utilizes Seven’s Argen Double Butted 3-2.5 Titanium to build a fast modern road bike with clean lines.

Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (27) Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (30)

Seven opted for a striking black with yellow pinstripe design that ties into most of the branding on the bike.

Mavic 125th anniversary road bikes seven mosaic ritte lynskey argonaut indy fab (28)

Extending to the seat post and the fork, the Seven is a study in lines with a naked titanium lower half.

After all the celebrating is complete, some of the 125th Anniversary bikes will be auctioned off with proceeds going to charity with the rest either remaining with Mavic or the companies who produced them. 125 years of innovations and support of the bicycle industry is hard to wrap your head around or capture with words. But bikes? Bicycles turn out to be the perfect medium, especially with custom builders as talented as Argonaut, Indy Fab, Lynskey, Mosaic, Ritte and Seven.

mavic.com

 

 

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

49 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Colin
Colin
9 years ago

Why the Ritte? Was it done ironically?

Ed R
Ed R
9 years ago

The Lynsky and the Indy Fab look amateurish compared to the rest.

CJ
CJ
9 years ago

Pretty cool project and one has to respect all Mavic has done. Thanks for all the pictures guys.

Eyal
Eyal
9 years ago

I had the same thought! Those bikes are open mold frames, designed for hipsters with no soul!

cdub
cdub
9 years ago

uuhhhhmmmm

so i really want a Farver/Chow bike now…..
The Ritte is dope, I like them as a brand better than a bike though….

Psi Squared
Psi Squared
9 years ago

The Mosaic is pretty damn sharp.

tyPICAL bIkE rUMoR pOSteR
tyPICAL bIkE rUMoR pOSteR
9 years ago

One of these things is not like the others…….

Alex
Alex
9 years ago

Overprized bikes with overprized wheels. Mavic stopped being innovative, and relevant, years ago. Their brand has lost its focus. What’s next from Mavic? Chamoix cream? So sad to see a such a storied brand destroyed like this. Their once outstanding quality is now mediocre, at best. I see this collabo as a failed attempt to try to restore some of the old prestige to the brand. Picking Ritte was a big mistake, as some have pointed out above, and defeats the purpose.

mrVista
mrVista
9 years ago

White I’m not a Ritte bike owner…Their Steel Snob is pretty dope and would of fit in better here me thinks…http://rittecycles.com/stainless-snob/

Wut.
Wut.
9 years ago

It’s amazing to me how differently this exact same story was received in the two major spots reporting it today—here and on the Radavist.

Per usual, Bike Rumor delivers a good story with great eye candy to the dregs of the cycling world so they can spout off their baseless accusations.

Anonymously.

Bike Rumor, do yourself and close commentary on your posts. The industry doesn’t need to perpetuate this kind of hate anymore, and you’d be doing yourself a favor. I bet you’d get a lot better response from companies you’d like to work with, if they can finally be assured that posts about their product won’t turn into the shit storm they always do, without fail.

Superstantial
Superstantial
9 years ago

“Foreknown” or “renowned”? Autocorrect?

Craig
Craig
9 years ago

The Argonaut blows the others away, what an awesome looking and well thought out paint job.

Alex Mac
Alex Mac
9 years ago

Cool project. The IF looks great. Simple and understated.

CXisfun
CXisfun
9 years ago

The Lynskey is disgusting, that paint is terrible. The Ritte, are you kidding me? Does not deserve to be with the others. But the others? Well done. That Argonaut is unreal.

Don Meredith
Don Meredith
9 years ago

Lynskey? That cracks me up.

See what I did there?

K11
K11
9 years ago

this may seem harsh considering my preference for american made products, but in what world is lynskey part of this?

@Zach Overholt. Disregard the proofreading @sswholes that visit this site.

Fleche1454
Fleche1454
9 years ago

Wow that Lynskey looks ugly! And I agree ritte shouldn’t be here with these other companies. Also I’m confused was ritte going to put that old@ss fork on their carbon frame or use a steel frame?

Jack
Jack
9 years ago

What was really needed?? An all yellow cannondale with no branding and a black, usually campagnolo, groupset. Job done. Those bikes spend their lives following the tour etc. on top of the support vehicles. What happens to them?? No one knows. I have NEVER seen anyone ride one. They are the appendix of the bicycle world.

Craig
Craig
9 years ago

Yeah a Mavic Support- Cannondale would be cool. And quite right Jack.

Michael
Michael
9 years ago

chopper alarm!

The Conductor
The Conductor
9 years ago

The IF is classy. It gets my vote.

James
James
9 years ago

the complete inattention to details on that lynskey in mind blowing. Those FSA spacers look awful and cheap. It looks like they just stuck Mavic stickers on a red necks wet dream on a paint job. Compared to other bikes it looks like a Wal Mart bike sitting next to a bunch of bike shop bikes.

Pedro
Pedro
9 years ago

I did not like the Linskey, but Argonout is something phenomenal!

Just a question, why you do not like the Ritte and consider that should not even be on this list?

Brattercakes
Brattercakes
9 years ago

THAT RITTE JUST MADE ME GO FROM SIX TO MIDNIGHT.

Colin
Colin
9 years ago

@Don,

YOU SIR crack me up. The is no better match for a lynskey, however, than a set of Mavic wheels with carbon spokes.

Also, I do actually really like Ritte, but jumping in bed with the people their brand is somewhat mocking doesn’t make sense to me.

Rico
Rico
9 years ago

lol @ Michael

@ Wut – WRONG

The beauty of Bike Rumor is the raw opinion generated on the comments section. They do an awesome job presenting the products and real racers and bikers provide opinions. If a product can survive or shine here, there’s a great chance that it’s awesome. If it gets housed, then they may need to go back to the drawing board. Companies aren’t in this to worry about getting their feelings hurt are they? Or do you just think the industry takes precedence over the end customer and the bike media should just astroturf the shit out of all of their sites? Go easy on the brands right? Wtf?

Chi
Chi
9 years ago

Ritte would be fine if they did not charge thousands for generic chinese open mold frame. I blame the customers who actually buy into the story. $1000 worth of paint job and $400 worth of actual frameset?

WannaBeSTi
WannaBeSTi
9 years ago

Hey now, don’t knock the Lynskey… It isn’t their fault their frames crack or their bike’s paint job is a pour copy of a Trek Project One.

Flames on a bike are as cool as a NOPI sticker on a Civic.

Spencer
9 years ago

Hi everybody, I’m Spencer. Designer for Ritte Bicycles. There is some misinformation floating around that has given many of you a negative impression of which I don’t think we entirely deserving. Frankly, it’s our fault for not really doing any PR or outreach to the the media to show what goes on at Ritte. It is hard to read hurtful comments and so I often ignore them instead of addressing them head on. So if your only experience of our company is some four year old forum comments and our goofy marketing, then I really can’t blame you for thinking we’re a bunch of a**holes trying to pull one over on people with flashy paint jobs. Now we may or may not be a bunch of a**holes, but we’re anything but cynical and our latest frames (like the Vlaanderen we used for the Mavic 125) certainly don’t deserve to be trashed. I actually really understand the spirit of your comments, which is why I think if you got the chance to know more about us, it would change your opinion.

Back in 2008 we started with a beautiful frameset that we didn’t design. It was the example frame used to attract new business to a new, very good factory. It wasn’t something that could be bought on a website or something… one needed a connection to the factory. And there were a few other companies that got them, though we spent extra on a higher-quality carbon layup. It really wasn’t our intention at that point to be in the spotlight. We were building our brand and trying to get all our ducks in a row and had followed the same path that many, many other very reputable bike companies take. We however stuck to a policy of transparency and were very open about the source of our frames and even directed people to the direct-sale brand were you could get a similar frame for cheaper. To this day we have been severely punished for that honesty, but given a chance to go back, we still wouldn’t lie about it. In fact, often our critic’s very own bikes are more guilty of the transgressions that are pinned on us.

Fast forward almost six years and we are very far away from that original frame. We use the same factory, which is now also responsible for several very expensive bikes from other brands and we have an in-house designed frame that is of the same quality of frames sold for much more. We have also spent years building custom frames from stainless and standard steel, and we built up a small business painting our own frames, and the frames of many other custom builders. I know it sounds like bullshit, but we really are committed to making frames that ride wonderfully and charging only what we have to for them. In most cases, our competitors (who have a dealer-sales model as well) pay less for the production of their frames and charge more. But I think the greatest character witness we have is that we’re well-respected by the rest of the Industry (evidence of this is in the Mavic inclusion)… because you can’t bullshit the Industry. The guys and girls who are actually in the trenches, designing, manufacturing, marketing and selling bike stuff know who does what how, and most of them would not agree with your comments.

If any of you are ever in the LA area, our door is open to you. Please come by and give us a chance to change your mind. If you have any questions, accusations or whatever, you can ask me anything and I will answer openly (except in the few cases where I’m bound by some other company’s confidentiality agreement.) My email is spencer@ritteracing.com

Matt
Matt
9 years ago

It is really cool that there is a forum where the industry principals can respond. Spencer, appreciate your contribution. I know nothing about Ritte, but will keep an open mind given what you have indicated here. Not saying I am sold on the bikes or will make it my next purchase – but will certainly consider them and do the appropriate research when I am in the market next. Thanks.

Colin
Colin
9 years ago

Spencer,

I meant no ill will toward Ritte by my comment. In fact I am a huge fan of the brand and of the product. Several of my friends preordered the first gen Bosberg and when they got them in I was a little upset I hadn’t. And if you would quit making the decision making process so difficult I would own a Vlanderen.

My comment was more that I can not think of 2 companies in the industry that are more opposite in certain areas. Ritte is flashy but relatively affordable. Mavic is flashy and, at a deal at least, outrageously expensive. Ritte is trying to build its brand, where as Mavic is trading on a brand that it doesn’t live up to anymore. To me, you can put Mavis and Schwinn in the same sentence. Lastly, Ritte has some of the best customer service I’ve dealt with. If I call to ask a stupid, someone is always there to answer and never gives me the impression that they don’t care. Mavic on the other hand, IF you can find their number, always acts like they are pissed off that you had the balls to call them. I have a customer who has been waiting nearly 2 months to get spokes for his wheel. If I call for an ETA I get barked at.

TLDR; Love Ritte, Hate Mavic, don’t understand the collaboration.

(deleted)

Eric.nm
Eric.nm
9 years ago

@Spencer
I am a daily BR reader, avid MTBer, and occasional CXer. I am (and am certain that many, many others are) tremendously impressed with your honest and grown up response to the ill-formed and snarky comments about your company. Mean people, as the saying goes, suck.

So impressed that I checked out your site straight away, learned that you make a ‘cross bike w/ my entire personal checklist of desired features and geometry, and best of all, have a very dry /offbeat sense of humor. Consider me a future loyal customer.

Given that I live in New Mexico (no Ritte dealers here), how do I go about getting a frame / fork combo from Ritte? My awesome local shop is Mellow Velo. Sincerely, Eric | Santa Fe, NM

Psi Squared
Psi Squared
9 years ago

While I’m no fan of Lynskey’s twisted tube frames or their choice of paintwork on this bike, the custom Mavic drive side dropout is pretty cool.

Nick
Nick
9 years ago

@Eric.nm

This is Nick from Ritte. Thanks for checking out our site and glad you like what you see. Feel free to e-mail us at support(AT)ritteracing.com and I’ll be happy to help you out. Let’s talk!

bielas
bielas
9 years ago

no question, the only bike worth it is the Argonaut thanks to its paintjob. the only to really study about Mavic history and come up with something classy.

as for Ritte, the only problem is the seatmast not being cut in proportion to frame size; the saddle is too high and for the photos a perfect setup is needed.otherwise is 2nd best paintjob.

the Lynskey of course is a joke as usual…

RilA
RilA
9 years ago

Argonaut is simply incredible and Mavic should be glad. I am really amazed, awesome work guys!!

bob
bob
9 years ago

someone should have used the old school mavic electronic groupset!

Chad Moore - Mavic
9 years ago

Hello to you all. My name is Chad and I am the Marketing Director for Mavic in North America. This is my debut in the bikerumor.com forum and certainly will not be the last time you hear from me. Normally, you will hear from our eloquent and knowledgeable PR/Communications Manager, Zack Vestal. In this case I felt inspired to reach out and share a bit about our inclusion of Ritte in this 125ans project.

On the 125ans project bikes I will say this — we are VERY lucky to live in a “market” where we have very hard working and smart people running brands that love cycling. We are fortunate to have trendsetters and cultural leaders that influence and inspire on so many levels in the US, and globally. It is because of this that we decided to embark on a project that highlights not only our anniversary and the products we chose to celebrate it, but also the landscape that has evolved from our collective passion for cycling.

We chose Ritte for a many reasons. They inspire through experience. To some it is crazy marketing and crazy paint, but to us it is innovative inspiration and individualistic products. As Spencer mentioned, they have a very deep connection with the builders they work with and the factories that supply their products. Spencer also has a very deep passion for cycling. He has seen, and has been influenced by, a history in cycling than most of us can only hope to know. His depth of knowledge of the Mavic brand along with his very genuine and transparent approach to his business are also what inspired us to include Ritte in our project.

Are they a frame builder? Depends on how you approach that question. Are they advancing the cycling industry and influencing cycling culture? Absolutely. It is for those reasons we included them and that we are very proud that they offered to be a part of this project.

As an aside, the seatpost mast on that bike is uncut for one very simple reason. We will auction the bike this fall to support SRAM and World Bicycle Relief in the amazing work they are doing. Our hope is that we’ll be able to accommodate the winner of this auction and the sizing they need. Yet another reason why Ritte was a great partner in this project.

I hope everyone can see the effort and purpose behind all of this – to celebrate the anniversary of an iconic and influential brand in cycling and to include some new and very important individuals who will keep us moving forward.

I am available directly at chad.moore@mavic.com – if there is anything you’d like to ask or have comment on please reach out.

Kindly,
Chad

Wut.
Wut.
9 years ago

@Rico

Sorry, but you’re wrong about this, but I’ll concede to agree to disagree. Bike Rumor is well known in the industry for its hateful comment section that routinely violates the “code of conduct” they ask you all to abide by. Are all the comments like that? No, of course not. But you will find an overwhelming majority of the stories on this site with baseless hate spewed in the comment section.

Go look around the other industry sources for this exact same story—most have or will report on it. In every case I’ve seen, the Ritte was well received, often noted for being the favorite. Yet here, right away they are attacked, and for things not even related to the story.

But this isn’t about feeling being hurt, it’s about best practices from these companies. There are several major media outlets in the United States, and none of them have the same reputation as Bike Rumor. With a limited marketing budget to work with, these companies have to decide who to, and not to, include on their list to get free products to test, etc.

Given the reputation of these comment sections, it doesn’t make sense to send out product to, and use that capital on, a place where you are so certain to be hated on, regardless if it is deserved or not.

It’s not BR’s fault. They do the best that they can, but they can’t police these sections with the staff they have. There are several comments that are still live on this post alone that violate their Comments Policy.

BR would live on, and probably thrive, without the comments sections. Perhaps it would draw a little less traffic at first, without the amusement, but they would better serve all the end users without all the hate.

Wut.
Wut.
9 years ago

Also:

There are plenty of forums with open discussion where you can post all the hate you want about posts you see here and elsewhere.

What I’m saying is that BR is hurting themselves by allowing that to happen on their site. And unfortunately, the good comments and the lively, respectful discussions will be hurt by all the other stuff.

gabbia
gabbia
9 years ago

(deleted)

Speshy
Speshy
9 years ago

Three words: More Electrical Tape.

Wut Wut
Wut Wut
9 years ago

Newsflash: Wut. is The Radivist.

bjorn
9 years ago

If I may : “La Maison Jaune” not “Juane”.

And one could have expected a 125 old “french” company would have reached out to some of the few, little, but some of them quite “old” french frame builder… but that would have been actually surprising… 😀

badbikemechanicx
badbikemechanicx
9 years ago

I can’t believe somebody actually called the indy fab “amateurish”. The dude from Ritte has a point in that this forum is a race to the bottom for the most negative comments. Most of the negative comments are probably coming from people who ride a bike from the big 3, and can’t afford the custom realm.

Wut.
Wut.
9 years ago

I might be rad, but I’m no Radavist.

gabbia
gabbia
9 years ago

Nice bikes, but why would you want to put Mavic on them with so many choices more aerodynamic and costing less?

kurtz
kurtz
9 years ago

Ritte frame testing: http://instagram.com/p/quRVoqofxp/

I like their bikes, certainly appreciate their willingness to participate in this thread/sh*tshow, and look forward to the day when I secure both a Bossberg and a Crossberg.

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.