Ritchey's Break-Away system has proven itself, with thousands of Break-Away frames in the hands of well-traveled cyclists. The elegantly simple system can easily be managed with a minimum of mechanical know-how. One model Break-Away fans clamored for was a titanium cyclocross frame. And while there are some folks who will race this WCS level product, the vast majority of cyclists who buy this frame want a more capable road frame that can accommodate larger, or knobby tires that better suit the riding conditions found around the world. Having a cyclocross style frame makes the perfect travel bike more versatile, and titanium is the optimum material for this option.

As in the Ti-Road Break-Away, the titanium finish and bead-blasted logos hold up exceptionally well to the rigors of packing and travel. The custom drawn, lightweight, mitered 3/2.5 tubing provides a smooth forgiving ride, but responds immediately when you power up. The 44mm rake, straight blade full carbon fork is WCS level, so it is light, stiff, and soaks up vibration. The bridgeless chainstays offer increased rear tire clearance, and rear rack eyelets demonstrate that Ritchey knew the market when the frame was developed. Cantilever brakes allow excellent clearance, and we have installed 700x35 knobby tires in both the frame and fork with some room to spare (actual tire size varies with manufacturer).

Geometry wise, the Break-Away Ti Cross is closer to the traditional Swiss Cross design with a very slight top-tube slope. The geometry was designed to be stable on and off pavement, but with closer to a true cross bottom bracket clearance. To complete this frameset, Ritchey includes the WCS drop-in Headset, and all the Break-Away essentials: couplers, cable splitters, padding, and of course, the travel case.... Read More