I wouldnt mind seeing some nice old Ritcheys.

I had a Ritchey ST (soft tail) which I sold....

http://gallery.consumerreview.com/webcrossing/images/st(9).jpg

To build a P-21 (with P-20 decals). Frame restored and repainted by Rick Stefani of D+D West. Also now sold...

http://gallery.consumerreview.com/webcrossing/images/p21(1).jpg

Great riding bikes. Light, quick, classy.

Here's a Fisher, but the frame was fillet brazed by Tom. Does that count?

It's an '84 frame, but the shifters and rear der. were updated to 6-speed SIS.

<a href="http://www.oldmountainbikes.com/bikes/pics/SC11/100_0036.JPG"><img src="http://www.oldmountainbikes.com/bikes/pics/SC11/100_0036_sm.JPG" border="0"></a>

Now EL....don't you have any other Ritcheys? :rolleyes:


[QUOTE=laffeaux]Here's a Fisher, but the frame was fillet brazed by Tom. Does that count?

It's an '84 frame, but the shifters and rear der. were updated to 6-speed SIS.

QUOTE]

I have been slack getting pictures of these frames but a while back we (FFB) got a few frames built by Tom Ritchey as payment towards his house and they are not finished as that they do not have any braze ons. I will try to take some pics tomorrow at the shop if anyone is interested. I did have my frame brazed up so if i ever want to build it i can. But then again, that would mean that i couldnt buy other bikes and that just isnt happening thanks to my obsession with Sycips right now.
wESd www.firstflightbikes.com

Now EL....don't you have any other Ritcheys? :rolleyes:



What? LIke this Timber Comp?

<a href="http://www.oldmountainbikes.com/bikes/pics/1B227/ls-PIC00007.JPG"><img src="http://www.oldmountainbikes.com/bikes/pics/1B227/ls-PIC00007sm.JPG" border="0"></a>

Or this '81?

<a href="http://www.oldmountainbikes.com/bikes/pics/1R0087/ls-PIC00002.JPG"><img src="http://www.oldmountainbikes.com/bikes/pics/1R0087/ls-PIC00002sm.JPG" border="0"></a>

Or this one?

<a href="http://www.oldmountainbikes.com/bikes/pics/21C11/Black1.jpg"><img src="http://www.oldmountainbikes.com/bikes/pics/21C11/Black1_sm.jpg" border="0"></a>

The trouble with Ritcheys, is once you have one it's hard to not want more.

You're my boy Blue!!!
Nice 'box' set.... :D



What? LIke this Timber Comp?


The trouble with Ritcheys, is once you have one it's hard to not want more.

Heres a shot of some Ritchey handywork.

Heres an oldy.

Nice. It seems like Ive seen those somewhere before!! :)

<a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3653596275&category=7297" target="_blank">Big Old Ritchey</a>



<img src="http://i6.ebayimg.com/01/i/01/2b/11/2d_3.JPG">

very nice ritchey - not mine but i´d kill for! :eek:

My wife's which is now used for road duties

http://gallery.consumerreview.com/webcrossing/images/HerRitchey.jpg

As is my Everest

http://gallery.consumerreview.com/webcrossing/images/Ritchey(4).jpg

If you want to see pics of more Ritcheys, or if you own one, check out the web site I've been working on.

http://www.oldmountainbikes.com/

It's specific to Ritcheys. There are lots of pictues of bikes, and scans of old catalogs and reviews. If you have info for me let me know!

I picked up an older Commando over the weekend. Its got a fork like Ive never seen. Its similar to the bi-plane but not completely milled out. Just some 1/4" indentations and also a lug for the fork blades that the bi-plane doesnt have. Its got the non-tapered chainstays, slotted cable guides, cartridge bb, Ukai rims, and mostly all first generation XT.

What year do you think it is? I know we dont have catalogs from 82 to 84, Im thinking it is either a 83 or 84. The 86 catalog lists a Commando and said it was the hottest seller so for sure it was made in atleast 85. So I guess the questions are: when did Tom start tapering the stays, and when did the cartridge bb go away?

By the way, do you know if there were catalogs made during those years with the break up of Fisher and Tom? Or do we just not have them yet?

I assume that catalogs must have existed during that period, but I've not come across them. MountainBikes existed until '84 or so, so presumably they produced catalogs up until the Ritchey/Fisher split.

Do you have a picture of the crown? It would be nice to see. Maybe it's a transition crown between the bi-plane and the unicrown.

The serial number is the best indicator of age. The Commandos should be a "B" or "C" frame, and the reminder is the build order. I'm not sure when the first frames came out in that series, '83 or '84 would be my guess.
http://www.oldmountainbikes.com/bikes/

Also look at the production dates on the components to see what year they were made, and it might help narrow it down.

<a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3657230999&category=7297"target="_blank">latest from ebay.</a>

You really think this is a '84?

<img src="http://i11.ebayimg.com/02/i/01/3b/d8/1f_1.JPG">

Not sure the year. Check out the downtube shifters!

Cool color. I remember that one on ebay a while ago. Those shifters must have been some sort of custom request. Quite unique. I would guess its an 83 or 84 based on the non-tapered chainstays and the slotted cable guides. Those bullmoose bars allow a nice spot to tuck the lights into.

Thanks.

I listed it previously on Ebay for my brother, who owns a LBS.

I'll probably end up buying it from him, one day. Less than 100 miles on that bike.
I took the pic, she is just like a brand new/showroom fresh bike!





Cool color. I remember that one on ebay a while ago. Those shifters must have been some sort of custom request. Quite unique. I would guess its an 83 or 84 based on the non-tapered chainstays and the slotted cable guides. Those bullmoose bars allow a nice spot to tuck the lights into.

Heres my latest aquisition of fillet brazed camoflauge.

Heres my latest aquisition of fillet brazed camoflauge.

Score!

Please, let's hear some details, where, how much?

seen a commando before with rollercam bosses? my buddy has a commando just like your's but with WTB Speedmaster Rollercams, that's gotta be a rare one.

yours is super clean, nice score.

i've got 2 ritcheys myself

87 timbercomp all WTB parts
87 Supercomp all WTB plus ld stem and Dirtdrops

i'll post some pics of all my old stuff, if i can figure out the new system

over and out
nate

into anything WTB related, before Charlie and Steve were ousted by siedler

No, I never have seen one with roller cams. That should be quite rare. Supposedly Tom sold a lot of the Commandos but they seem to be pretty rare. Ive always wanted one, I love the camo. Maybe its because my first MTB was a dark forest green with bullmoose bars...

Anyway, this is an oldie, and I dont even know if it had actually been named the Commando yet. It has an odd fork crown that Ive never seen nor has laffeaux (www.oldmountainbikes.com). Kinda looks like the famous biplane fork but not quite hollowed all the way out.

The later Commandos ('86 and on) had all black annodized components to give it a further military issue look. I was glad to find this one in my size.

No, I never have seen one with roller cams. That should be quite rare. Supposedly Tom sold a lot of the Commandos but they seem to be pretty rare. Ive always wanted one, I love the camo. Maybe its because my first MTB was a dark forest green with bullmoose bars...

My TimberComp has SunTour roller-cams in the rear (the bike is upside down in the pic):<br>
<img src="http://www.oldmountainbikes.com/bikes/pics/1B227/PIC00007.JPG">

Since the Commando was a TimberComp with different paint, and black annodized parts, I image that Commando with roller-cams (at least in the rear) must exist. That said, having to change a flat with this brake set up is not something that is fun to do.

My TimberComp has SunTour roller-cams in the rear (the bike is upside down in the pic):<br>
<img src="http://www.oldmountainbikes.com/bikes/pics/1B227/PIC00007.JPG">

Since the Commando was a TimberComp with different paint, and black annodized parts, I image that Commando with roller-cams (at least in the rear) must exist. That said, having to change a flat with this brake set up is not something that is fun to do.


Ya, what is the deal with roller cams, none of my bikes in the 80s ever had them, but now that Ive collected a few older bikes with roller cams and WTB speed masters, it seems necessary to let all the air out of the tire to get the wheel off. Is this just the way it is or is there some trick Im missing?

Yes, I think the only differences between the Commando and the Timber Wolf or Comp was the paint, black components, and the braze-ons. The commando apparently had all the available braze-on options to make it a full expedition/adventure bike. http://www.oldmountainbikes.com/catalogs/ritchey/1985/ritchey1985_04.jpg scroll down to lower left.

More info on the later Commandos: http://www.oldmountainbikes.com/catalogs/ritchey/1986/ritchey1986_12.jpg

It seems necessary to let all the air out of the tire to get the wheel off. Is this just the way it is or is there some trick Im missing?
[/url]

If you have a screw driver, allen wrench, etc., you can pull the cam rearward (mine has a hole to insert a tool in). If you pull hard enough you can get the cam around the rollers and take the wheel off. Not a very good design for a bike that was supposed to go anywhere (dependably). Cantis took over for a reason.

If you have a screw driver, allen wrench, etc., you can pull the cam rearward (mine has a hole to insert a tool in). If you pull hard enough you can get the cam around the rollers and take the wheel off. Not a very good design for a bike that was supposed to go anywhere (dependably). Cantis took over for a reason.
I can get the cams off the rollers without tools, but then the rollers come together and limit the spread of the calipers enough so that getting the (1.9) tire between them is doable, but still a pain. I basically have to work it out and cram it in, and I make sure the shoes are on real tight so I don't move them when I'm doing it.

I have a 87 Diamonback Apex. I am the original owner. The only original parts are the frame and straight blade fork. What a machine. Never a problem. Road bike geometry with hefty parts. Mountain Bike or commute. This bad boy hase been flawless while carrying a 280 pond rider over 10,000 miles. The new stff is awesome but the old stuff keeps us remembering our roots

I can get the cams off the rollers without tools, but then the rollers come together and limit the spread of the calipers enough so that getting the (1.9) tire between them is doable, but still a pain. I basically have to work it out and cram it in, and I make sure the shoes are on real tight so I don't move them when I'm doing it.


Yeah, my problem has never been getting the cam off the rollers, no tools required for the ones Ive dealt with, but even when the cam is out the rollers hit each other and dont allow the pads to open enough to get an inflated tire out without a lot of finagling.

It seems like some of the roller cams have the bigger roller wheels which make it even more dificult.

Ive also noticed on some bikes due to chainstay width, post placement, pad thickness, and rim width, that you cant get the cam to run on the sweet spot. Some roller cams (how many variations were there anyway?? seems like a lot) have two spots to mount the rollers and this enables you to adjust the cam placement better but not always perfect....

Id like to see a manual on tuning roller cams. Im sure some of those old Cunningham or WTB manuals have tuning tips. If someone could scan it or take a picture of it that would be great.

hey there fellows,

i've got the WTB inside tech manual that covers all that up to 1997, lot's of good drawing breakdowns and general tips for operation and setup.

one of the things that i have to do with all my WTB Speedmaster rollercams, is to run the pad all the way against the arm, so that the pad post is back the furthest, this will give you a tad more room. Both of my Phoenix's, my Potts and all my Ritcheys all use chainstay mounted rollercams, all WTB, and the only time i have any trouble is when i run 2.5 groundcontrols on the 93 Phoenix, for obvious reasons. some of these frames vary when it comes to chainstay distance.

when WTB came out with the Toggle Cam, like my 96 phoenix has, and moved the brake to the seatstay, the lack of the second roller made tire removal way easier.

but Rollercams are still more powerful than the best set up canti anyday. specially Togglecams.

glad mtbr gave us this forum eh.

over and out
nate

"but Rollercams are still more powerful than the best set up canti anyday. specially Togglecams."

Thats what I have heard a few times but have yet to experience it....

http://images2.fotki.com/v14/photos/4/43544/178610/Q17-vi.jpg

http://images2.fotki.com/v15/photos/4/43544/178610/G7-vi.jpg

The last one from Ritchey.....Got it stright out of redwood city...

15 " built by Ritchey, but its a Specialized bike... I'm upgrading my frame and going to sell this one once I get the new frame... this frame is absolutely mint!!! If anyone interested email me for details :)

15 " built by Ritchey, but its a Specialized bike... I'm upgrading my frame and going to sell this one once I get the new frame... this frame is absolutely mint!!! If anyone interested email me for details :)

Um, bike not "built by Ritchey".

Um, bike not "built by Ritchey".
The only thing "Un Ritchey " on the bike is the stem and handlebar. Wheels are Ritchey OCR in rear and Rock Comp in front, with Ritchey hubs, Ritchey Headset, ritchey seatpost etc... If I took off the Specialized Logos, it would be a Ritchey bike... it is stamped on the drop outs Ritchey also... but yeah it is built by Specialized....very nice frame to ride... comfortable but abit too small for me so I just bought a used Specialized Hardrock comp 02 18" frame for 100 bucks CAD with rear disc mounts which is what I want.

The only thing "Un Ritchey " on the bike is the stem and handlebar. Wheels are Ritchey OCR in rear and Rock Comp in front, with Ritchey hubs, Ritchey Headset, ritchey seatpost etc... If I took off the Specialized Logos, it would be a Ritchey bike... it is stamped on the drop outs Ritchey also... but yeah it is built by Specialized....very nice frame to ride... comfortable but abit too small for me so I just bought a used Specialized Hardrock comp 02 18" frame for 100 bucks CAD with rear disc mounts which is what I want.

I think most of us would agree that a Ritchey is a Ritchey because it was handmade by Tom. Yes, your Specialized has Ritchey tubing and dropouts and parts, but the frame is a far cry from one of Tom's Ritcheys..... But still a nice bike for a production bike I would assume. I always more or less liked Specialized geometry but they were over built with heavy gauge tubing. Maybe yours is different with its NiTi tubing.......

I think most of us would agree that a Ritchey is a Ritchey because it was handmade by Tom. Yes, your Specialized has Ritchey tubing and dropouts and parts, but the frame is a far cry from one of Tom's Ritcheys..... But still a nice bike for a production bike I would assume. I always more or less liked Specialized geometry but they were over built with heavy gauge tubing. Maybe yours is different with its NiTi tubing....... yeah my bike completely built with a bomber on it weighs less then my wifes Aluminium Kona!!!!!
its extremely light

Great riding bikes. Light, quick, classy.


Not to mention easy on the eyes...

Here's an 87 supercomp serial# 9c87

WOW. Absolutely beautiful. I think thats one of my new all time favorite Ritcheys. I've never seen a Super Comp with bullmoose bars I dont think.

That door way of yours is becoming quite famous. Can you send a pic of your whole stable?

Did you have this one repainted? After a little research with that serial number on oldmountainbikes.com it looks like thats actually a Team Comp which was the predecessor to the Super Comp. The Team Comp's had a Columbus tubing. Also, not sure, but I think Super Comps had a regular stem. Nonetheless, I love it. Its a beauty!

Did you have this one repainted? After a little research with that serial number on oldmountainbikes.com it looks like thats actually a Team Comp which was the predecessor to the Super Comp. The Team Comp's had a Columbus tubing. Also, not sure, but I think Super Comps had a regular stem. Nonetheless, I love it. Its a beauty!

I bought it from Pacific Bikes in San Francisco (a couple of my friends worked there) back in 86. By the time I got it, as ritchey was backlogged, It was in between the Team Comp and Super Comp so the geomery was Team Comp 74-69 with the bullmoose bars but its made out of Prestige so I dont really know what that makes it. It did come with the super comp decal though.

The paint job was my own creation, well kind of, as you'll see (which was then copied by the guy who did ritcheys painting at the time).
I've seen several Ritcheys (in fact, MBA reviewed one) with that same paint job. kind of pissed me off. But I guess immitation is the best form of flattery

I'll tell you where it came from so that proves I'm the first one with it.....
A friend of mine actually my girlfriends(at the time) brother invited me to go down to Nellis AFB in Nevada to watch the air force's equivillent of the Top Gun games and also check out the Thunderbirds (air force acrobatics team). I figured hell their burning all my tax dollars in gasoline so why not, I might as well get something for my money. Very cool to say the least, anyways the "bad guys" (flight instructors) are known as the aggressor squadron and this purple cammo is how their planes are painted. When I saw that color scheme, I sent Ritchey a picture and had them paint my bike the same way. I figured it would look cool on a bike and be different than the regular Cammo, People either love it or hate it!

I repainted it to original specs about 6 years ago. It had seen some action after 10 years of mileage.



--
CR

P.S. I'll post some more pics of my "doorway" soon

WOW. Absolutely beautiful. I think thats one of my new all time favorite Ritcheys. I've never seen a Super Comp with bullmoose bars I dont think.

That door way of yours is becoming quite famous. Can you send a pic of your whole stable?

I'll post some more individual pics as I take them out for a spin......

--
CR

how about a new P-21?

http://www.bikemojo.com/photos/data/500/1496ritchey1.jpg

http://www.bikemojo.com/photos/data/500/1496ritchey2.jpg

http://www.bikemojo.com/photos/data/500/1496ritchey3.jpg

http://www.bikemojo.com/photos/data/500/1496ritchey4.jpg


Wish I could claim credit, but no. Read about ithere (http://www.bikemojo.com/speak/showthread.php?t=28444)

Heres an old shot of Gary Fisher on a Ritchey. Note the Ritchey sticker placed on the top side of the downtube. Also the front brake is something obscure. Not the typical roller cam. The cable housing goes all the way to the brake........ Cool knickers!

Heres an old shot of Gary Fisher on a Ritchey. Note the Ritchey sticker placed on the top side of the downtube. Also the front brake is something obscure. Not the typical roller cam. The cable housing goes all the way to the brake........ Cool knickers!

Did any of you guys catch that Ritchey Tandem on ebay from a few weeks back. I nearly purchased but there was no shipping option. I thought about doing a weeked drive to Denver just to pick it up but my checking account was near zero so I decided it was a no go! It sure was pretty. I've got the email if someone want's to try. I don't think it sold.

I feel naked . . . I don't own any Ritchey's! I don't think they've ever done a carbon one!

-mtnwing
www.carbonbicycles.com

Okay, so I'm a little late to the party, but I've got a couple frames laying about. The ST isn't exactly 'vintage', but the P-21 may qualify. I had an all-black P-20, setup remarkably similar to the one above, though I was running a shorter length Vicious Cycles fork on it (made for a wicked-good handling machine). Had a Ni-Ti, too, but both are long gone. Apologies for the crappy quality of the 'rack' shot, but you can also catch a glimpse of my brother's Bontrager Race. Both the Bonty and the P-21 have horizontal dropouts, er, fork ends:

No, no carbon Ritcheys! :) I dont think Tom could ever do it. He has been touting steel as the ultimate for years.... He is the steel master.

here's what's left of my war torn project-20, now performing faithful wall decoration duties after 4 seasons of racing (along with the 1" king headset and old school XTR FD which don't fit on anything else):

http://www.phoray.com/public/images/p-20.JPG

it's still the lightest mountain bike I've ever had.

I wouldnt mind seeing some nice old Ritcheys.


One of the nicest Ritcheys I've seen. I have a soft spot for Commando's but Anapurnas are pretty rare.

I am in the UK has anybody got Ritchey logo frame decals? Can anybody help?

Going to SS her

Very nice. Who did the work? ALso could you get us a frame weight on that? Im just curious how much the weight has changed from the P23.

He did the work on it, did a great job too. He did alot of the original paint work for ritchey so I figure he knows what he is doing. Here's the number for anyone that's interested. He's in San Larenzo CA 510 278 2976. As for the weight I don't know when I'll have the time to do that but if I get around to it I'll let you know.

He did the work on it, did a great job too. He did alot of the original paint work for ritchey so I figure he knows what he is doing. Here's the number for anyone that's interested. He's in San Larenzo CA 510 278 2976. As for the weight I don't know when I'll have the time to do that but if I get around to it I'll let you know.

How did you ever get that info!? :p :D

How did you ever get that info!? :p :D

Joe, that looks great!!!

We (you, me, R, and M) should have an all Ritchey day at FO. (Oh wait, Rumpfy has no Ritchey.) Maybe an all Ti bike day instead. (Oh wait, Rumpfy has no Ti bike either.) Oh well.

See you on the trail!

Joe, that looks great!!!

We (you, me, R, and M) should have an all Ritchey day at FO. (Oh wait, Rumpfy has no Ritchey.) Maybe an all Ti bike day instead. (Oh wait, Rumpfy has no Ti bike either.) Oh well.

See you on the trail!

Can I bring a picture of my old Ritchey? I did have two at one point in time...

I'm good with my steel. Titanium is slow going downhill anyway! :p

Thanks EL, glad to hear the good news that you got that ti lite you've been after for so long. We definately have to get up to FO sometime. I'll get that ritchey built up soon here. On a side note I just got back from clayton and got a ride in at mt diablo. We have it good down here, too much climbing and all fireroad.

Here's my TimberComp with various component upgrades I made in the early/mid '90s, with mostly WCS and Logic parts. It still has the original Specialized cranks and rings, front and rear XT derailuers, rear XT U-brake, and XT thumb shifters. Bought it new from Mammoth Sporting Goods for $1000 as my friend's gf was the shop manager and it was the end of the season. I then sold my '85 Ritchey Ascent to my buddy for $750, as I recall. Rear spacing on the TimberComp is/was 130mm and came with a 36h Dura Ace rear hub and XT front both mated to Araya rims. I since upgraded to a 32h XT/Ritchey Vantage wheelset during the 90s. I still have many of the old parts, including hubs and rims.