The Phantom

The Phantom is everything I wanted it to be and consistent w/ all the ride reviews I studied before buying. First and foremost, it’s a steel frame, and, as they say, “steel is real!” Solid. Smooth (think: butter). Stable.

Two things stick out:
1. A pleasant surprise is the saddle. A Fabric ( the brand, not the material). Comfortable. Has a non-skid surface that gives a very stable sensation. You find your position on a climb, and you’re locked in. Thanks to Elijah at Ritte for convincing me to give it a try. It’s standard issue on the Phantom, and I typically ride a Fizik Aliante R3, but Elijah told me I’d like the Fabric just as much. He was right.
2. The Enve fork. Gives this bike a stability rivaled only by my Colnago C64 – which is to say, that is the best front end on a bike ever. This fork, in addition to the purity of a steel frame, and a through axle system make this ride stable and secure on any descend. It’s a really a great feeling.

Like the reviews said: You won’t scamper up any hills on this bike. Then again, when is the last time I scampered up any hill? How about: never. But you don’t feel like you’re dragging the bike up a climb either. My Phantom build has a 32 cassette. A good option for a heavier bike and the hill terrain here (Middle Tennessee). I don’t feel like I was ever pedaling squares or struggling.
I’m super pleased after two rides (42 miles Saturday, 54 on Sunday, on very familiar roads).
So glad a friend introduced me to this brand, and the experience of ordering, purchasing and the customization process of the set up was 100% positive. Highly recommend – the bike, the Ritte team – all of it.

I just rode my Phantom for the first time this weekend. Been building it up for the last couple of months and I just couldn't forget the “FUN AND GLORY” that my water bottle has written on it. Maybe it is because I was looking down all the time amazed of how all the parts were working all together while I was doing a regular ride to the top of hill outside Mexico City but with much less effort and indeed enjoying the ride probably as it was my first climb. I was truly amazed of the Geometry of the bike. Was kind of worried if I would need a M or S size (I am 1.75m height). Ended up with M and think was the best choice I could have done. My built has SRAM Froce AXS and HED Ardennes wheels. Just superb!

Bought this bike to replace my 20 year old Ti Eddy Merck. Living in northeastern VT, I wanted something as an alternative to my gravel bike, that could handle the broken pavement and gravel roads here. I needed clearance for 32 mm tires, hydro disc brakes, and a quality steel frame. I got all that and more! This bike rides like a dream. Amazing road feel, good power transfer, and corners and descends like a demon! The attention to detail and build quality are real attention grabbers, too. Ritte customer service is outstanding. After my frame was damaged in shipping, Elijah handled it with the utmost professionalism and satisfaction. He even threw in some stainless steel cages and Ritte bottles before shipping back to me. It is clear their focus is providing the best experience and product possible for the customer. FYI, I'm 5'8", 30" inseam, and the size small Phantom frame fits perfectly.

How did they do that? Uhhh, they tell you right in the description, Tom Kellogg + Reynolds 735! The Phantom is a joy in every condition I've thrown at it in my first 12 months / 7,000miles of ownership; from 60mph descents to ripping through twisty suburban neighborhood streets, and 150 mile single day asphalt/gravel/single track adventures on my second set of rims with 32mm gravel tires. Aesthetically the Phantom is the perfect combo of classic steel (small diameter tubes) and clean factory paint scheme mated with modern day tech of beautiful tapered head tube, slick internal routing, and solid never squeak T47 bottom bracket. Throw a set of Enve SES 45AR's and Sram AXS groupset on it and you've got all the aero you need (yes, it does deserve a premium build). Buy this bike and ride the sh!t out of it!!!

This bike. Fast on the road, comfy on chipseal, holds confidence on sketchy gravel descents, I'm not sure there's much more you could ask of a single bike. The Phantom has given me so much joy this year. Not to mention the amazing Ritte crew who were awesome helping with the build, and went above and beyond to make sure all the details were right.