Ritchey Plexus "handcrafted by Ritchey" model

Yeah, keeping an eye on this and hoping it doesn't go too high. Don't think i'll stand a chance though :?
 
'Handcrafted by Ritchey Mountainbikes' does not mean that it is handcrafted by Tom. It is made in Jp by Toyo. Great little frame build shop.
 
That's a superb frame, but two things that strike me are the weight of 1.7kg and the top tube length of 22" for a size 19.

I know I might look silly for mentioning the Merlin WCS, but it was made with exactly the same tubeset and although it was a very light frame, it still weighed 1.85kg for the smallest size. The fact that this Ritchey was welded by superior welders doesn't make the tubeset any lighter, so I'd guess this bike is at least 200g heavier than the seller claims.

Having mentioned Merlin, the RL 853 recently for sale was slated for being too short, but it was an inch longer than this (both 19" C-T). But nobody says this is too short. I guess it's a bit like we'd all choose to go out with Kylie rather than that Rita in the Rose and Crown, even though Rita's probably a right little belter.
 
mtbmaniac":91crrw62 said:
My 18" Dedacciai-tubed Plexus (which I think was welded by Toyo) weighs 1940 with WCS headset cups and bearings.
That's around what I would have expected - say 1870 without = 4.15lbs, that's actually pretty damned light for a steel frame, if you forget all the false claims that bike makers made.
 
Elev12k":tsd0i227 said:
'Handcrafted by Ritchey Mountainbikes' does not mean that it is handcrafted by Tom. It is made in Jp by Toyo. Great little frame build shop.
True, my P20 is the same rather than the "handbuilt"

That's a superb frame, but two things that strike me are the weight of 1.7kg and the top tube length of 22" for a size 19.
The Ritcheys are small for their size, my P20 is an 18", but rides so much smaller. Its set up with a layback post to lengthen the toptube a little. The photos from the peaks meet make it look really small under me :D This 19" wouldn't be a problem even though i'm only 5'8"ish
The P20 weighed around 3.6lbs from memory, lighter than the S-works M2 hardtail at the time :cool:
 
That red P20 is just an ornament you have lying about the house, is it mtbmaniac? Nicer-looking than that old Renoir that's in the shed, anyway.

I really don't understand that 1690. That's almost a titanium weight, and if you can make a steel frame the same weight as ti, why pay five times as much for ti? Isn't a P20 made of Logic tubing? Which is basically Tange Prestige with different butting profiles as I understand it. And Prestige never went below 0.6 gauge, whereas Columbus Max and Cyber were both 0.4. I don't get it.

Do you know the tube specs for the P20? Sorry if this is anal, but I'm interested in tube specs.
 
Don't know anything about their tube thickness. But both the Plexus and P20 are made with Dedacciai's 18MCDV6 tubing.

http://www.bringheli.com/dedacciaisteel.html

18MCDV6 Chemical Composition

(data is percentage of weight)

Carbon (c) 0.16/0.19
Silicio (si) 0.25/0.40
Maganese (Mn) 1.40/1.60
Cromo (Cr) 0.45/0.55
Molibdeno (Mo) 0.25/0.35
Allumino (Al) 0.02/0.04
Vandaio (Va) 0.10/0.15
Nickel (Ni) 0.25

DEDACCIAI provides for producers and bicycle lovers a service that employs the deep knowledge and the long experience in the field of projecting and production of bicycle tubes. This technology, achieved by the collaboration between demand and experience of bicycle frame manufactures, has lead to the realization of a high quality product.

MATERIALS
DEDACCIAI produces tubes of the highest quality, using the best steel available for the construction of Racing, Competition and MTB frames. We obtain the best results using 18MCDV6 Steel. The chemical composition of this steel prevents the phenomenon of brittleness which can occur during the cooling subsequent to the assembly of the frames. As with all the HSLA (High Strength Low Alloy) steels, with the 18MCDV6, the best mechanical characteristics are achieved, with final tensile strength which can easily reach 1200 N/mm2 after cold-drawing and 1400 N/mm2 with special heat treatment. Another particularly interesting point that further demonstrates the quality of 18MCDV6, it is that not only does it have a very high resistance but it also has great ability to bend before reaching the final breaking point, a characteristic which contributes to the realization of a "structure", that is a frame, which is extremely reliable and safe.

TECHNOLOGY
The technology of butting tubes used by DEDACCIAI allows us to satisfy different requirements of customers, which are maximum lightness, superior mechanical characteristics and exceptional reliability of the finished product. The lightness is achieved through an improved butt geometry (A.B.T.-Advanced Butt Technology) which allows a reduction of the thickness of the tubes and hence a reduction in the weight in the lower stress areas. The final tensile strength is the result of the cold deformation (cold-drawing) to which the steel tubes are put under. At the same time this process achieves both the differentiation of the thickness throughout the length of the tube and the raising of the final tensile strength. DEDDACCIAI products are manufactured to conform to the recent EEC regulations UNI-EN29000 and receive the EEC certificate of quality, which guarantees absolute reliability and safety. The production of DEDACCIAI tubes in no way causes toxic or dangerous fumes to be released in the atmosphere.

HEAT TREATMENT
The Superior performances of the H.T. tube version are ensured by the final heat treatment process, which improves tensile strength, yield strength, in-service fatigue limit and superficial hardness. The whole process consists in a succession of thermal treatment at different temperatures followed by an oil-quenching. It is performed in an oxygen free atmosphere, which avoid superficial decarburization of the steel. The sum of high tensile strength and young module of the material leads to an excellent weight/stiffness ratio product.

Microalloy steel characterized by the presence of alloy elements as Chromium and Mobildeno that contribute to an improvement of the mechanical characteristics and a limitation of the breaking after the welding.

 
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