Cross-country geometry has spent the last decade drifting toward enduro territory, but Ritchey's P-29er holds the line. The latest P-29er carries modern XC geometry across four sizes — a 69.5° head tube angle (69° on size small), a 74° seat tube angle, 60mm bottom bracket drop, 440mm chainstays, and wheelbases from 1098mm to 1154mm depending on size. The numbers describe a hardtail meant for tight, technical singletrack rather than bike-park descending, which is precisely where the P-series name has lived since the early 1990s.

The frameset is built around Ritchey's TIG-welded, triple-butted Ritchey Logic steel tubing with a 73mm bottom bracket shell, and it's optimized for a 100-120mm travel fork or 500mm axle-crown rigid fork. A forged tapered head tube anchors the front end, and the frame routes a dropper post internally for stealth cable management. The 73mm threaded BB keeps service straightforward — no press-fit creaks to chase down a year into ownership.

The frame clears 29 x 2.3" tires, uses a 27.2mm seatpost, and is designed around a 1x drivetrain. It is not compatible with 27.5" wheels and tires. The narrow 27.2mm seatpost is a deliberate choice on a steel hardtail — the slimmer post flexes more readily than a 30.9 or 31.6, which adds a measure of compliance over chatter that the rear triangle alone can't absorb.