Ritchey has another new bike up its sleeve: the brand new Carbon Break Away Outback - a foldable adventure bike. Your adventure doesn't need to end when you run out of land, just hop on a plane and travel to another part of the world, suitcases at the ready!

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We can't actually think of any other examples of a foldable carbon bike, it's a niche of a niche, that is for sure. Ritchey’s regular Break Away has been a popular option for frequent flyers for many years, well-made steel or titanium bikes that fold up easily with dedicated cases that are small enough to be treated as regular suitcases, saving huge expense on costly sports equipment add-ons when travelling, yet rides like a proper road bike.

To address the demand for a Break Away that accommodates wider tyres for getting off the road onto the unbeaten path, the new Carbon Break Away Outback has been added to the company’s lineup for 2018. It has clearance for up to 40mm tyres, providing much wider scope for fitting any of the new generation of gravel tyres.

“The all-new Break-Away Carbon Outback takes the best of the lessons learned from the monster-cross defining Mount Cross and the sophistication of the Break-Away Carbon Road and pulls them together in a bike that knows no bounds or limitations,” explains Ritchey.

Bike Features 

• New carbon thru-axle fork with a 1 1/8in non-tapered carbon steerer tube
• Disc brakes are fitted to the frame and fork via flat mounts
• Threaded external bottom bracket
• 27.2mmseat postt
• Removable front derailleur mount for 1x set ups
• Externally routed cables to make folding the bike simpler
• Hose guides for hydraulic lines. They don’t mind being twisted so we presume they’ll be just fine when the bike is in its folded state

How does it fold? 

Like the regular Break Away frames, this new frame features a downtube coupler and a split seat tube and seat stay junction, which also doubles as a seat post clamp. That’s clever. Weight for a size large frame, fork, axles and couplers is a claimed 2.01kg (4.43lb).

In order to pack the Break Away away, you need to remove the pedals, disconnect the two parts of the cables (they use screw-in connectors), take off the handlebar and stem, remove the wheels and seat post, and finally separate the two parts of the frame. That's all straightforward with a set of hex keys.

Once packed away, the case is small enough to be checked in as hold luggage and is a good way of avoiding the excessive fees that most airlines charge for sporting equipment.

The Carbon Break Away Outback is landing in about four weeks and will cost £2,819 for the frame, fork and travel bag. More at https://ritcheylogic.com