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 all over the world. 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 bought onto the US Nationwide Junior highway group. Earlier than the MTB scene actually bought going, Tom had already handbuilt round 1000 highway 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 had been sooner – utilizing present highway rims with off-road tyres. Early MTB market clients from 1979 demanded 26 inch wheels, lighter wheels had 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 12 months, from his store with solely two staff. 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 parts and tyres. The tyres had 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 identify caught and had develop into a good way to explain Tom Ritchey’s refined however smart method to product design. The identical ‘Ritchey Logic’ was utilized to highway bikes and parts. Ritchey parts had been quickly adorning bikes of world tour highway groups, their Superlogic and WCS parts famend for consolation, sturdiness and excessive efficiency.
Answerable for…
In addition to producing some nice bikes the Ritchey story produced quite a lot of firsts;
The primary manufacturing MTB firm 1979
‘Bullmoose’ built-in bar and stem 1980
Ritchey Vantage rim 25mm broad (for wider knobbly tyres) in 1985
3D Internet form forging developed as a means of manufacturing neater, stronger stems in 1989
Off Centre Rim expertise made it doable to stability spoke pressure in off centre wheels (important for disc brakes) 1992
Images courtesy of Ritchey Logic