Within the 1980’s and 90’s there have been a number of enormous MTB manufacturers emanating from the US state of California. These business cornerstone manufacturers actually helped develop the burgeoning sport and captured MTB riders hearts all world wide. A kind of manufacturers was Ritchey.
Early Years
Tom Ritchey started making bike frames as a teen in his mother and father storage within the early 1970’s. As a 15-year-old he raced on a body constructed by himself and obtained onto the US Nationwide Junior street staff. Earlier than the MTB scene actually obtained going, Tom had already handbuilt round 1000 street frames – he was already a grasp at his craft.
First Mountain Bikes
The tip of the 1970’s noticed Tom begin constructing MTB frames that includes 650b wheels, which Tom prefered as they have been sooner – utilizing present street rims with off-road tyres. Early MTB market prospects from 1979 demanded 26 inch wheels, lighter wheels have been developed and Tom began constructing 26 inch wheeled MTB’s – successfully changing into the primary MTB manufacturing firm. Tom launched into a manufacturing whirlwind and was constructing between 3-400 full bikes per yr, from his store with solely two workers. Regardless of being extremely busy along with his MTB empire, Tom nonetheless discovered time to maintain his moustache in impeccably nice form.
World Class Bikes
By the 1980’s and 90’s the model grew with the recognition of mountain biking. World Championship wins from sponsored riders together with Thomas Frischnecht and Henrick Djernis helped cement the model’s place in MTB historical past. In addition to producing bikes, Ritchey produced elements and tyres. The tyres have been made with Ritchey’s personal ‘Z Max’ rubber compound which featured of their class main Megabyte tyres.
Ritchey Logic
The butted tube-set used from 1984 was named Ritchey Logic. The Ritchey Logic title caught and had develop into an effective way to explain Tom Ritchey’s refined however smart method to product design. The identical ‘Ritchey Logic’ was utilized to street bikes and elements. Ritchey elements have been quickly adorning bikes of world tour street groups, their Superlogic and WCS elements famend for consolation, sturdiness and excessive efficiency.
Answerable for…
In addition to producing some nice bikes the Ritchey story produced plenty of firsts;
The primary manufacturing MTB firm 1979
‘Bullmoose’ built-in bar and stem 1980
Ritchey Vantage rim 25mm huge (for wider knobbly tyres) in 1985
3D Internet form forging developed as a manner of manufacturing neater, stronger stems in 1989
Off Centre Rim expertise made it potential to stability spoke stress in off centre wheels (important for disc brakes) 1992
Images courtesy of Ritchey Logic
