Has anyone ridden the Ritte Esprit? Thoughts?
Along with the BMC Roadmachine, the bike fitter at my local bike shop said it would suit me well. I can find a decent amount of writing on the Roadmachine, but with the Esprit being newer, I’m finding less to dig into.
Ben Delaney (formerly from Velonews) did a review:
Personally, a Ritte wouldn’t appeal to me. It was started by designers in LA and they gave it a fake Belgium name and a hipster vibe. If I’m going to pay top dollar for a race bike, I’d rather have something with cycling heritage or something that is at least ridden at the top level of the sport.
All their manufacturing is outsourced. I would guess that frame layup and that level of engineering is also done by the manufacturer not Ritte. At least Specialized and Trek are doing that level of engineering for their frames and have ownership in their manufacturing.
And my friend’s Ritte (steel) just broke in half this week while just riding along. 
They do come with a lifetime warranty so if you would be getting it through a shop that will support you, then it could be a good bike. It sounds like the ride is just fine from Delaney.
Thank you! I think I’ve read everything out there on the bike at this point 
b/c it’s just fun to think about a new bike (I’ve only ever ridden my current bike unless you count my middle school BMX bike that I was too afraid to jump) & I’m learning more about bike materials and geometry the more I read.
Thanks! Yes - I’ve watched the video; appreciate how thorough he is. And appreciate your perspective on Ritte in general; I’ve read a decent amount of similar reactions to the release of the bike. I know a part of me wants to put faith/trust in them in part b/c I really love the way the bike looks.
When I started playing with the idea of a new bike, I picked my bike shop first (before brand or a specific bike) on the logic that the relationship (and supporting a business I want to stick around) is more important than the specific bike I get. They don’t carry Trek or Specialized (I’m currently riding a 2018 entry level Specialized Diverge, most often as an “endurance” road bike & it’s been all I needed to get a whole lot of joy and fitness from riding). That said, they carry a variety of other brands.