With the Tour de France 2026 ongoing my focus on bikes has returned yet again. Yes, I still don't ride but hey I can dream right? This blog won't be super detailed yet again, I'll probably try to be as specific as I can with the components but not so specific that I'll be saying the exact part number or something. Also considering my age and how often I ride, I'll be focusing on comfort more than speed. So no internal routing, no weight weenie stuff, which is pretty obvious considering the frame I want.
- Ritchey Outback Steel Break-Away frameset. I'll probably go a size below recommended so it'll be small. Still my dream frameset because you can disassemble it and store it in the Ritchey Break-Away Travel case, something I'd definitely get as well to store the bike in. The Outback Break-Away I'll be building will be more all-road oriented than gravel.
- Shimano groupset and brakeset. Most likely mechanical groupset and hydraulic brakes, using Zeno Q-Connector V2 hydraulic quick coupler. My usual bias for simple and relatively easy to repair bleeds over to bicycles, where I'd rather have a mechanical 1x groupset. I've also changed my mind with regards to hydraulic brakes, mostly because I've discovered that there are couplers for hydraulic bike lines that do a great job. I'll go with the 42T chainring and an 11-42T cassette. 160 mm brake rotors for both front and rear wheels.
- Salsa Cowchipper 380 mm alloy handlebar. Nothing fancy, no internal routing, just a simple, flared handlebar.
- Redshift ShockStop Suspension System handlebar stem and seatpost. I've been very curious about these for the longest time. There are pros and cons about the stem but if they help with comfort then I'm all for it.
- Pro Stealth Offroad saddle. I'm not too familiar with the best saddles available, and I haven't watched GCN or bike fitting Youtube channels lately so I'll settle for this saddle, which seems to be wider than some of the saddles I've seen.
- Shimano PD-ME7000 Trail SPD Pedals. Pretty specific here, but I've also always been curious about clipless pedals. I'm not going for road bike pedals, but rather with gravel/MTB pedals so that the cleats (do I still remember the terms right?) won't be interfering with how I walk when I'm off the bicycle.
- DT Swiss ER 1600 SPLINE db 30 12/142 mm Shimano wheelset. Again, I don't know much about wheelsets so a quick google search led me to this article from Cycling Weekly. I just looked for the alloy wheelset since I don't really want carbon fiber.
- Panaracer Gravel King SK + 35 mm brown sidewall tires. These Gravel King SK + tires are supposedly the most durable of the SKs, and the knobby tires will be good for some off-road usage. This is where the all-road aspect comes into play. While the Outback can support up to 48 mm wide tires, I'm perfectly happy with 35 mm. I think the width of the tires are enough to handle some gravel.
- Three Ritchey Classic Water Bottle Cages. The Outback has three bottle cage mounts. Two will hold water bottle cages and the third can carry bike tools.
Out.
