An Original Ritchey

[Repack Rider]

Great story, you really do need to write that book!

Just a few more questions if you don't mind- what is the survival rate for the Ritchey/MountainBike bikes? Did they last OK, how many were built in total? Were the frames stronger than the Schwinns they replaced and what did they weigh as a frame and as a fully built bike?

Also do you have any more pics of the Richman? I have never seen one before and it's a handsome looking thing. Did he continue to make off road frames after the two initial examples?

There were a few failures, because we were in uncharted waters, and Tom went a little lighter than Joe Breeze. Fork blades were a problem, because tapered oval tubing is pretty special stuff and it has to come from a bike company. In our case, Reynolds Old Continental Oval, but it's road bike tubing.

I killed one of the five frames I have owned, and I still have two of them, an '83 and a '94. Typical frame damage is a crimp in the downtube. They were definitely stronger than the old bikes, and they were real bikes too. I went through an Excelsior frame in about six months of hard riding, and it was made out of plumbing supplies with the expected response.

I couldn't have told you then how many bikes we built, and I can't tell you now, but any estimate you see is probably too high.

I don't have any more pics of the Richman and we don't live anywhere near each other so I don't keep up. You can take a look at a bike he built for an art show on this page of my website.

 

[fudge]

Ritchey P-21 Team

Thought I would post this as it is still something I can't get out of my mind even after 16 years. I once owned an original Ritchey P-21 actually purchased from the team during their world championships in the UK in the early 90's. Full Campag gear throughout,24 gear thumbshift,front susp. Was stolen from my garage, was bolted to the wall. Hope you fell off it & broke your legs whoever it was. Have no pictures of my own but have attached someone elses, strangely enough it looks exactly like my old bike.

 

[Poyares]

Repack Rider,

Thanks to send the web pages.
I used to live in Boulder, CO for rock climbing and a little Mtb. and there I knew Greateful Dead, ABB, Phish...

See Ya.

 

[Cycleshark]

hello ceekay

I'm not sure if you've see this bike, an 1979 ritchey.

it was a gift from tom to thomas frischknecht and is displayed in frischknechts hometown museum here in swizzland.

cheers uncle pete

 

[hairstream]

nice. what's the story with the carabiner?

 

[Poyares]

Maybe a kind of backup.

 

[hairstream]

rad... pro for the front brake. i dig it. no otb on repak.

 

[Repack Rider]

The Thomas Frischknecht bike was one of the original nine, and was purchased by my uncle. He worked for an oil exploration company and took it all over the world. He had it until about ten years or twelve ago, when I told him what a classic it was. He didn't care about the collector value, he just wanted a bike. He had kept it in good shape, and I told him that instead of riding it into the ground he should cash it in for the best bike currently made.

Ritchey USA traded him a new P-21 for the bike, and gave it to Thomas.

The deal with the carabiner is this: if the brake cable breaks, the stirrup cable drops onto your front tire and stops you abruptly. The carabiner won't stop your bike, but will prevent that from happening. This was a safety device whose time has come and gone.

 

[Poyares]

Some "moderns" bikes has a "L" bolt in front of the fork.

 

[Prometheus]

Oh why did this thread have to end.

Echoing what's already been said here.. a big thank you to CK, I have been really really enjoying reading this thread. I just wanted to express my gratitude. It's a very real privelege to be able to hear these stories first hand so to speak.
Aint t'internet a wonderful invention ...

Thanks again.
Dave.