GRAVEL
ROAD
The Ritchey Septimer takes its name from the Septimer Pass, on the border between Italy and Switzerland. An age-old road, steep and at times rough – exactly the kind of terrain that inspired Tom Ritchey to imagine a unique bike, built to ride everywhere without picking sides between road and gravel.
🚀 In short:
The Ritchey Septimer Break-Away is a carbon fibre frameset, designed for travel with a patented take-apart system.
Compatible with 700 x 48c tyres and 1x or 2x drivetrains, it is built for road and off-road riding.
The frame is light (1,360 g in size L) and includes a travel case.
The basic idea is simple: a single bike for every ride, from smooth roads to rougher tracks, with the bonus of real travel capability.
The Septimer is built on a carbon frame and fork (1,360 g for the frame, 440 g for the fork), enriched with Ritchey hallmarks: balanced geometry, comfort and versatility.
Tyre clearance up to 700×48 mm opens the door to more demanding gravel as well as bikepacking. A BSA bottom bracket, external routing and 1x or 2x compatibility make the intent clear: keep it simple, reliable and easy to repair, even far from home.
Note: the frame is not compatible with the Direct Mount standard (notably SRAM T-Type).
The heart of the project is, of course, the Break-Away, Ritchey’s patented technology that lets you disassemble the bike into two parts to fit it in a dedicated case (included).
A solution designed to:
The whole setup relies on stainless steel junctions and simple mechanics: a clamp and a 5 Nm torque limit.
Cables remain external, which drastically reduces disassembly/reassembly time, a real plus compared with full integration, which often complicates travel.
Ritchey also includes spacers, the WCS headset and all required hardware.
The supplied Adventure fork offers:
This is a configuration clearly geared towards travel, suited to modern setups such as cargo cages, small bags or a lightweight setup. The bike deliberately sticks to classic standards, a deliberate choice for long-term repairability.
A premium price, but fully in line with carbon ‘adventure’ frames featuring a take-apart system, a niche where Ritchey remains one of the few credible players.
The Septimer Break-Away is aimed at a very specific audience: the rider who wants a single bike to do it all, but above all a bike that travels as easily as they do.
Ritchey is playing a coherent hand here: simple standards, proven design, no heavy integration, buildable anywhere, and very broad road/all-road versatility.
The price may seem high if you think ‘simple carbon frameset’. But looking at the market for take-apart solutions or premium frames geared toward bikepacking, it is ultimately about average, and even rather reasonable if you include the supplied case and the rarity of the segment.
Conversely, the lack of compatibility with modern T-Type drivetrains or cockpit integration could put off fans of the very latest tech.
On the other hand, that is precisely what will win over seasoned travellers: here, everything is designed to last, be repairable and be transported without hassle.
| Riding style | Adventure gravel |
|---|---|
| Frame | Carbon |
| Electric assist | No |
| Gender | Unisex |
| Year | 2026 |
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