Satyr 2.0 Titanium

When it was time in 2021 for a Ti gravel/all road bike there was one huge problem - Tom Kellogg had retired. In 1977 he built my college racing bike (Reynolds 531 SL and Campy) and my "turning 40" road bike in 1999 (double butted Ti and Dura Ace). Both fit perfectly, handled precisely, and rode wonderfully, with each giving me 20+ years of riding joy. What to do?

Fortunately I read about Ritte's collaboration with TK on their new all road and gravel frames and made contact with Elijah in CA. He is very knowledgable and an excellent listener, who really took the time to understand my "musts and shoulds" for a custom frame. Ritte was the only Ti frame builder that would incorporate the tapered head tube with integrated headset that I wanted, and Elijah's solution for the down tube brake hose port I needed was both elegant and reliable.

My Ti Satyr first took the road on May 6, 2022 and now has over 1,000 miles on her road slicks and gravel tires. I built up the bike myself, and saw first hand the craftsmanship and quality of the brushed Ti frame and Adventure fork - flawless welds, precise alignment, and careful execution.

Whether riding solo, with a fast group, on a 7 day tour or bike packing off the grid, she has that wonderful fit, handling, and ride that made my two previous TK bikes so special. AND now I feel this magic on the wide variety of unpaved roads that I'm exploring, so my "riding joy" can continue for another 20 years.

I've had my Satyr Ti for about 6 months now and wow. It's so good. Whether you're loaded up with camping gear and mtb tires or flying down a canyon at 45mph on fat slicks this bike is smooth. I've taken it on a few bikepacking trips now and it's stable enough fully loaded to ride no hands. I have a two wheelset setup, generally I'm riding a 700x35 enve AR wheelset for daily riding and light gravel. It's more or less eliminated my need of a road bike. To narrow the underbiking gap off road I have a second wheelset with massive 650bx55 tires which I've used to ride this bike like a complete idiot. For those that know LA area mountain biking I went down El Prieto on this and cleared the rock garden no problem. Is it a mountain bike? No, but fuck you yes it is!
The finish and quality of every weld is absolutely spot on as well. Not a single defect or negative I can point to. I highly recommend going with an AXS build if you can swing it, flawless shifting and helps keep the bike looking minimal and clean.
My point of contact was Elijah as well, good guy, will go out of his way to make sure you get the configuration that fits your needs and budget. It's also nice to have something a little less common than Moots, Firefly, etc...

Enough talk, going to go ride. Get one.

I came across the Satyr Ti quite by accident. I told a bike friend on a mixed surface ride that I was going to get a Giant Defy as an all around, go anywhere bike. He told me about the Ritte Satyr Ti and described it as being exactly what I was looking for from my next bike.
The fact that it was designed by Tom Kellogg was a bonus, as I had long wanted to own a Kellogg frame. I reached out to Ritte and started the conversation. My contact was Elijah- after a few short calls, I reserved, and put a deposit down on, a frame. Elijah helped me design the build based on my biking profile and needs. The standard of care was exceptional. I ended up with a bike that feels like an extension of me. When I am on gravel, asphalt, or even single track with my alternate 650 wheel set, I feel at one with the bike and the road. The bike is the rare combination of responsive and absorptive- it has both giddy up and all day comfort- a mythical creature indeed.

I’ve got other bikes, and frankly this one makes the rest of em jealous. The geo is somewhere between endurance road and all day relaxed - nice and responsive, but let’s you focus on the sights. Tire clearance let’s you run some silly mtb tires for that crazy gravel influencer event, and with a wheel swap lets you keep up with your roadie friends too. Last but not least are the frame materials and construction. Made in USA titanium has got to be the crème de la crème, the swaged tubing providing a confidence inspiring stiffness while humming resonantly along with the buzz in the road. This one really is a complete package folks, step right up to the last gravel bike you’ll ever buy.

I cannot lie, having owned and loved previous Ritte bicycles I was immediately sold on this Titanium beauty before they even entered production. The Satyr 2.0 has the same perfect fit as my Phantom with that legendary Tom Kellogg geometry and handling in a lighter, premium package. This is my go to bike for gravel on 42mm tires but equally at home on fat 33mm slicks for all day mixed terrain rides; I truly cannot wait for my first bike packing trip fully loaded on 50mm tires as well. The oversized mountain bike front triangle tubes belie this frame's level of comfort but do more than just hint at it's capability in power transfer. The internal routing without so much as a hint of it at the bottom bracket is sublime. While those CNC machined yokes many gravel bikes have behind the BB shell to allow for larger tires look sort of "nifty", they add extra weight that the Satyr 2.0 does not need to achieve such fitment with it's custom butted and flared tubeset - a much more elegant solution here in my opinion.