Hey Everyone,
I have a disassembled, mid-80s 20" Ritchey Timber Comp. Before I put it back together, I'm curious to know if it's too small for me. How do you determine how these old mtbs should fit?
My usual ride is a 61cm/24" Rivendell Atlantis (my pbh is 90.5cm/35.6"), and I really think I could've gone to a 62, if they had made one.
First off, is it 20" base on a measurement that you took, or base on the serial number? A 20" Ritchey would have a zero as the first number of the serial. Just an off the cuff, but if you're riding a 61/62 Riv, a 20 is likely going to be too small.
Need: McMahon brake for roller cam mounts, Mountain Goat fork.
Probably too small. They have short-ish TTs. I had a 20" Team Comp and found it too small at 6'1" -- I tend toward a 58cm road ride.
Yep, I'm the same height as Nate (and think that he should sell him his Chance road bike) and agree that a 20" Ritchey (measured center to top) would be small for you. I fit on a 21" but prefer a 22" Ritchey frame of that era.
Frame sizes ranged from 17" (smallest frame) to 25" (very large). A 20" is a medium(ish) sized bike in that range.
Each bicycle owned exponentially increases the probability that none is working correctly.
Yep, I'm the same height as Nate (and think that he should sell him his Chance road bike) and agree that a 20" Ritchey (measured center to top) would be small for you. I fit on a 21" but prefer a 22" Ritchey frame of that era.
Frame sizes ranged from 17" (smallest frame) to 25" (very large). A 20" is a medium(ish) sized bike in that range.
Originally Posted by yo-Nate-y
Probably too small. They have short-ish TTs. I had a 20" Team Comp and found it too small at 6'1" -- I tend toward a 58cm road ride.
+1 My 21" Team Comp - similar PBH to you - was far too small. Back in the day I would have remedied that with a 150+ low-rise stem (in this case that would have meant a fork too) and miles of seatpost. You riding a Riv may make you less inclined to do that.
If I were buying an old Ritchey today, I'd be looking at 23"-25". Definitely 25" if it had the low-rise bullmoose bars. In short, I'd size it like a road bike.
Thanks a lot for your input everyone. Yeah, I measured the frame center to top. I'll post some photos this wkend, too. I suspected it might be too small. I'm 5'10", but with a 90cm PBH; I like relatively short top tubes. Well, I guess I won't be building it up to be my commuter. Maybe I'll hand it down to Jr.
5'10" with a 90cm pbh??? Wow, you are all legs! With an upright stem a 20" frame might fit you - at least in the top tube. You'll be showing a lot of post.
Each bicycle owned exponentially increases the probability that none is working correctly.