Tom Ritchey created the Zeta wheels to be tough enough to endure gravel road rides and cyclocross races that would chew lesser wheels to pieces, yet still precise and predictable enough to carve endless ribbons of smooth tarmac. Building upon the celebrated wheel-building and design heritage of Ritchey, the Classic Zeta wheels tastefully balance modern features with the legendary and elegant high-polish silver aesthetic of the Ritchey Classic line.
With a CNC-machined braking surface for smooth control and stopping power, the alloy rims of the Zeta Classic are tubeless-ready and, importantly, simple access to the spoke heads for repairs and replacement when needed. The rear rim features Ritchey’s pioneering OCR™ technology - off-center spoke hole drilling that delivers more equalized spoke tension throughout the wheel, resulting in a stronger wheel. With a 20mm inner width, these rims welcome tires between 25 and 43mm wide – ideal for all your favorite riding disciplines where you want to shine.
At the heart of these rim brake wheels lies the legendary Phantom Flange system, paired with a precision Ratchet Driver system in the rear hub. The Phantom Flange hubs provide the sleek profile of straight-pull spokes while maintaining the strength and reliability of traditional J-bend spokes, striking a perfect balance between aesthetics, performance, and serviceability. Inside the rear hub, the innovative Ratchet Driver system offers a 360-degree, 36-point engagement, ensuring direct-drive efficiency and unparalleled power transfer.
Doubling down on the serviceability of these wheels, you can easily remove…without tools…the freehub body, axle, and Ratchet Driver system for basic periodic maintenance - and to lay flat when packing in a Ritchey Break-Away travel case.
The Ritchey Classic Zeta wheels are not just built; they are crafted to endure the toughest of rides, setting a new standard in wheel performance…and aesthetics.
Every Ritchey wheelset is carefully hand-built by a qualified Ritchey wheel technician.
Tech Specs
- Rims - alloy Tubeless Ready - OCR offset rear rim - CNC machined braking surface - proprietary Ritchey extrusion
- Rim diameter - 700c
- Rim depth - 23.8mm
- Outer rim width - 24.4 mm
- Inner rim width - 20.0mm
- Suggested tire size range - 25-43mm
- Hubs - proprietary superlight Phantom Flange hubs with hidden J-bend spokes - standard quick release only (Ritchey forged quick releases included)
- Hub spacing - 100mm front / 130mm rear
- Freewheel - Ratchet Driver with 36-point engagement
- Freehub material - alloy
- Freehub options - Shimano / Campy (9-12 speed)
- Compatibility - Shimano 9-11s and 12s road cassette - SRAM XD/XDR - Campy 10-12s (freehub conversion kits available separately)
- Disc brake compatibility - no
- Spokes - DT Competition 2.0/1.8 double butted / silver
- Front - 20 spokes / 285mm / radial
- Rear - 24 spokes / 12x286mm / 12x288mm / radial non-drive side - 2X lacing drive side
- Nipples - 2.0 brass 12mm / silver
- Weight - 1630g/set
- Colour - high-polish silver
- Do not use sealants containing ammonia