Sunday afternoon I was able to sneak out for a trail ride in the Rattlesnake just north of Missoula.  Despite a few morning snow flurries at higher elevations the afternoon shaped up to be decent riding weather so three of us spent a couple hours pedaling along golden larch-needle covered trails.  This time of year every time I can escape to the trails is a bonus.  We never know when the first snow will cut off the best biking trails and force us to other endeavors.

Fortunately, this is also the time of year when we start to see the release of next year’s bikes.  We just got a preview of the 2015 P-29er that has allowed our imaginations to run with what we could build onto it for the best ride on our favorite trails.  Or how awesome this would be at a TCH Mountain Bike Camp.

The geometry of the 2015 remains the same as the 2014, but Ritchey did make a few changes.  The most obvious change is the paint scheme alteration from a red/white/blue to an intimidating black with neon yellow highlights.  Structurally the head tube is now more tapered and the dropouts are non-sliding.  This is bad news for guys who want to build up a single speed ride, but shaves a few grams for the geared rider.

All-in-all we really like the new Ritchey P-29er.  Thinking of all the build possibilities makes me want to try to squeeze in another ride before the season ends!

-Forrest