American made and an identified luxury brand, Alchemy Bicycles has been a leader in bike production among enthusiasts for a long time. Alchemy Bicycles is a trailblazer in terms of the quality of their builds, aesthetic choices, and unique features they include compared to other bike options on the market today.
The bikes they produce are durable and efficient builds that offer a ton of customization and tailoring options to fit your budget and your biking needs. They also offer bikes for all occasions, from electric bicycles to all-road and mountain bikes.
Alchemy’s Ronin’s self-appointed best carbon gravel bike is a staple in the carbon and titanium-based frames that set Alchemy apart. The Ronin and Ronin TI are two of the most prevalent and recognizable gravel bikes that Alchemy produces!
Since the gravel bike categorization has grown in the last few years, the target audience has been developed and diversified to cater to its riders’ wide variety of needs, wants, and experience levels. Bumps, cracks, rocks, instability of terrain and more can make for a less than exciting riding experience, so it’s important that the bike you choose can take a challenge like that and turn it into a positive experience with a little guidance from you!
Dedicated to the best possible outcome for their riders, Alchemy has spent years refining their take on the gravel bike in the hopes of raising the bar for all-terrain bikes. Over the last 10 years, many designs and products have been tested and tried to be where they’re at now, and have had some pretty great success with the Ronin. Here, we’ve compiled a full comparative view of the Alchemy Ronin Gravel bike, what to expect, how it functions, and some reviews from verified buyers who love their product.
Things to Consider Before Buying a Gravel Bike
In general, gravel bikes and mountain bikes have some serious differences in function. While both gravel and mountain bikes are about rough terrain and grip, gravel bikes have less of a need to project up at an incline and sustain that shock. Gravel bikes tend to be built lower to the ground, are much more sturdy and stable, and have thicker grips across the board to make up for its extra traction needs.
The seat position is also something to note when looking for a high quality gravel bicycle. In general, steeper and more slanted seats provide stability during rough terrain rides and should be adjustable to tackle less stressful situations.
The tire clearances, handlebar positions, grips and frame composition are also incredibly important components to consider before making a final purchase. All of these features have a huge impact on the smoothness of your ride and the longevity of the parts.
Features and Benefits
The Alchemy Ronin and Ronin TI have some great features to look through, and we’ve compiled a few of them here! The bike features taken individually, may not stand up and send you scrambling to buy them, but with the Alchemy Ronin, it comes together in a well-designed and functional gravel bike.
Frame
Best known for their carbon and titanium frames, Alchemy largely advertises as a luxury brand based out of Colorado. In the past, they’ve boasted an American Made policy, but they have had to outsource due to demand in recent years. Now that production has surpassed stateside capacity, it’s been reported that Taiwan now helps to lighten the load for Alchemy, and the quality of their products has not suffered from the change.
As anyone who knows Alchemy bikes can attest, Alchemy is known for aesthetically pleasing products that have style and functionality at the forefront of the product design. The Ronin and the Ronin TI are no exceptions. Described as a “tube to tube” construction, the very frame of the Ronin series is among the strongest and meticulously connected for the best possible riding experience.
Able to fit 45mm 700c tires, Alchemy’s carbon frame offers an increased tire clearance for better grip. The seat is also slanted slightly steeper with added slack for its head angle.
The front triangle has also been tailored to the gravel riding experience. Alchemy describes this section of the frame as, “designed to be vertically compliant, so the top tube is slightly thinner and lighter, while the down tube is both oversize and thicker to give the bike the BB and pedaling stiffness you need.” This is an extremely helpful feature for stability and grip while riding, which can make all the difference on gravel trails.
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Suspension System
The Alchemy suspension system is one that caters to regression and progression of the shock rate depending on where it’s needed. A system called Sine suspension offers a hidden link inside the seat tube that arcs to connect to a dual-link design. This system resembles a sine wave in common geometry, hence the name Sine Suspension.
The suspension and smoothness of the ride with gravel bikes also has a lot to do with the terrain, the PSI in the tires, the tire size, and other various factors, but the Sine suspension system is one of the most interesting aspects of the Ronin and Ronin TI gravel bike series in terms of shock and bump absorption on gravelly trails.
Wheel
Fully capable of clearing 700x45mm tires, Alchemy’s Ronin series caters to one kind of tire and tire size across the board, making repairs, new tires, and replacements easy and streamlined. While these tires are also specific to gravel travel and rough terrain, handling on flat land and paved surfaces still offer an increased stability during your ride.
Often, especially with the sine suspension system, the tires just need to be able to take on bumps and rocks, and the frame design will do the rest. It’s recommended that larger tires (up until the clearance point) be used to ensure the best possible riding experience on rough terrain.
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Gear
Alchemy bicycles offer a wide selection of different products and features to cater to that specific one. The Ronin series, including the Alchemy Ronin and the Alchemy Ronin TI, are no exception. Outfitted with up to 11 different gears to handle the different terrain, the Ronin can tackle absolutely anything from flat and paved road to off-roading trails with gravel, rocks, bumps, and more.
Brake
Alchemy offers a few different brake types to choose from based on customization options. The Shimano GRX and the Shimano Ultegra brake models are outfitted for the Ronin series frame.
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Pros and Cons of the Alchemy Ronin
Alternatives
If you’re in the market for a sturdy and durable gravel bicycle, look no further than Alchemy’s Ronin series. While the both Ronin models boast the patented sine suspension system and tube to tube construction, the Ronin versus the Ronin TI bike is a question for the ages. Here, we’ve detailed just a few similarities and differences that might help you pick.
Alchemy Ronin vs Alchemy Ronin TI
Both the Ronin and Ronin TI from Alchemy are made with a large tire clearance, tube to tube assembly, and a wide variety of the same features, the main difference is the materials used.
According to Alchemy’s website, their Ronin series offers three different kinds of Ronin: the Ronin, the Ronin TI, and the E-Ronin.
The Ronin has been in the works for 10 years through the Alchemy company and is built from the ground up with the carbon construction that has made Alchemy one of the foremost bike companies in the world. The entire bike was built with gravel trails in mind and features several changes that make it more compliant to the rider, including a thin wall tube seat, a bottle-cage mount, and clearance for 700x45mm tires.
The Ronin TI is the next evolution of the original Ronin! The bike is designed with an S-bend seat so riders are especially comfortable while taking on the trails. This bike also offers greater clearance over a typical CX or gravel frame bike with tires that are the larger 45mm, 700c.
While the two bikes are nearly identical, the Ronin TI frame is made of a different material than the Alchemy Ronin. The Alchemy Ronin features the frame that’s made Alchemy famous, built from carbon. The Ronin TI is a titanium material that, while still sturdy, isn’t the same type of frame that made Alchemy famous and beloved.
Both of these bikes are some of the best gravel bikes on the market and will give you great control as you head out on a trail adventure!
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Conclusion
The Ronin bike series has been long in the making and when it finally came out, this gravel bike was an immediate success. There are plenty of great features that make this an excellent choice for anyone wanting to get seriously into biking!
While different sites have different prices, the general pricing for these products are about the same. The Ronin bike can start at $1000 in cost and increase from there based on your personal preferences.
Here, we’ve laid out the very basics of the Ronin and what you’ll need to know when looking for one. The Ronin, once released, has been met with great reviews and the prediction is to see these great reviews continue to roll in as the bike gets out on the road this summer!
All in all, Alchemy offers some incredible bikes no matter your need. If you’re in the market for a nice gravel bicycle, the Ronin series is one of the very best out there. Reviews for both the Ronin and Alchemy as a company as glowing and can be found absolutely everywhere.
