1980s Ritchey mountain bike, handmade by Tom Ritchey
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1980s Ritchey mountain bike, handmade by Tom Ritchey
Hi, everyone--
I have a Ritchey mountain bike that was customized and handmade by Ritchey in the mid-1980s with the following features:
-The frame, fork and handlebars were handmade by Tom Ritchey
-Original Shimano thumb shifters
-Shimano cranks
-Shimano headset
-Suntour peddles
-Magura brake levers
Condition:
-It's been lightly ridden over the years, and has a few nicks here and there, but is in excellent shape overall
-Original red paint
-The ride is very true and smooth to this day
Ultimately, I am thinking about selling the bike. Does anyone have a sense of whether people are interested in these models? And if so, what sort of valuation I can expect.
Thanks in advance for any help.
I have a Ritchey mountain bike that was customized and handmade by Ritchey in the mid-1980s with the following features:
-The frame, fork and handlebars were handmade by Tom Ritchey
-Original Shimano thumb shifters
-Shimano cranks
-Shimano headset
-Suntour peddles
-Magura brake levers
Condition:
-It's been lightly ridden over the years, and has a few nicks here and there, but is in excellent shape overall
-Original red paint
-The ride is very true and smooth to this day
Ultimately, I am thinking about selling the bike. Does anyone have a sense of whether people are interested in these models? And if so, what sort of valuation I can expect.
Thanks in advance for any help.
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You need to ask that in the "Vintage Value Inquiries" at the top of the C&V page..
But before you do that... PICTURES PICTURES PLEASE!!
And no, they are not sought after and are junky old bikes. Please send me your address and I'll get it out of the way for you
Seriously, if it's hand-fillet brazed, that is a very good thing... TIG welded, not as good, but good...
You may have a model name on the top tube...?
But before you do that... PICTURES PICTURES PLEASE!!
And no, they are not sought after and are junky old bikes. Please send me your address and I'll get it out of the way for you
Seriously, if it's hand-fillet brazed, that is a very good thing... TIG welded, not as good, but good...
You may have a model name on the top tube...?
Last edited by bigwoo; 01-13-09 at 10:42 PM.
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I'll post pictures tomorrow.
Is proper Bike Forums protocol to repost in the right place, or just leave it be to avoid cluttering the boards?
Thanks!
Is proper Bike Forums protocol to repost in the right place, or just leave it be to avoid cluttering the boards?
Thanks!
#4
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I'm not a mountain bike expert but I think you own a desirable bike.
this website has some historical Ritchey models for your reference:
https://mombat.org/Bike_Listing.htm
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Yes, please report move requests to us instead of re-posting in a new forum. I'm moving this now (from Classic & Vintage).
--Juha, a Forum Mod
--Juha, a Forum Mod
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Yes, pics are a must have. Besides the obvious fillet-brazed vs. TIG I.D., there may be a decal on the seat tube that would state either "Handmade by Tom Ritchey" (he built the entire frame) or "Handcrafted by Ritchey Mountain Bikes" (built overseas and possibly finished by Tom -- most likely fillet-brazing the seat cluster). Lots of info here:
https://www.oldmountainbikes.com
Bob
https://www.oldmountainbikes.com
Bob
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Pictures
Here are some pictures I took today. Let me know if there are other angles that folks would like to see.
Thanks for moving the thread to its proper place, and thanks for the links to other mountain biking pages.
You'll see in the middle picture that the bike was "Handmade by Tom Ritchey"
Thanks for moving the thread to its proper place, and thanks for the links to other mountain biking pages.
You'll see in the middle picture that the bike was "Handmade by Tom Ritchey"
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80's Ritchey Mountian
Dude, you should hang onto it unless it doesn't fit you... if you must, find a high end bike shop in your area and put it on consignment...
Look for the serial number on the bottom of the bottom bracket... oldmountainbikes.com will tell you how to read the number which will tell you when it was made, what type of frame and model... they also list photos of different models...
Look for the serial number on the bottom of the bottom bracket... oldmountainbikes.com will tell you how to read the number which will tell you when it was made, what type of frame and model... they also list photos of different models...
Here are some pictures I took today. Let me know if there are other angles that folks would like to see.
Thanks for moving the thread to its proper place, and thanks for the links to other mountain biking pages.
You'll see in the middle picture that the bike was "Handmade by Tom Ritchey"
Thanks for moving the thread to its proper place, and thanks for the links to other mountain biking pages.
You'll see in the middle picture that the bike was "Handmade by Tom Ritchey"
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Fantastic looking bike!
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Price
Here are some pictures I took today. Let me know if there are other angles that folks would like to see.
Thanks for moving the thread to its proper place, and thanks for the links to other mountain biking pages.
You'll see in the middle picture that the bike was "Handmade by Tom Ritchey"
Thanks for moving the thread to its proper place, and thanks for the links to other mountain biking pages.
You'll see in the middle picture that the bike was "Handmade by Tom Ritchey"
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Great bike zombie thread.
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I've been answering real estate ads from 11 years ago. So far, it hasn't worked. But I need just one.
Last edited by wrk101; 03-24-20 at 09:26 AM.
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#17
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I rode a lot in Woodside afterwork in the eighties. Sometimes fellow riders would point out Tom passing us on Skyline in his truck/van--he was an almost mythical figure. Anyway, I lusted for one of these bikes at that time, but they seemed impossibly expensive and I had to settle for a lesser mountain bike. For some reason, a few months ago I had a dream where I was somehow gifted one of these red Ritchey bikes (were there any other colors?) and was walking with it in downtown Seattle (not far from where I currently live). I had to use the bathroom (in the dream) so I leaned the bike against a wall and left it. When I returned from the bathroom the bike was of course gone, and I had a futile experience trying to recover it (I went a bit Chris Farley on myself for being stupid enough to leave it out unsecured). I was sort of puzzled by such a dream as I hadn't thought about having this bike in decades (I used to dream about being with beautiful woman--but those type dreams ended about 20 years ago).
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I enjoyed the pics of that iconic mtb even if the thread is old
I recall having a customer in Colorado who had 2 original Ritchey MTB's (his and hers) hanging in his garage from that era which looked pristine and he advised he purchased them from the man himself years previous for he and his wife to take up the sport, but they lost interest after one summer
Beautiful and graceful workmanship on those bikes
I recall having a customer in Colorado who had 2 original Ritchey MTB's (his and hers) hanging in his garage from that era which looked pristine and he advised he purchased them from the man himself years previous for he and his wife to take up the sport, but they lost interest after one summer
Beautiful and graceful workmanship on those bikes
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Well, the OP hasn't checked into the net since January 14th, 2009. You might be waiting awhile for updates...
DD
DD
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Understandable - they're great pics of a rare bike
DD
DD
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The nicer Richey built MTB's and BMX stuff from the 80's are a bout the best built frame sets I have seen nearly flawless lug work and brazing and basically the toughest high end lighter weight frames ever made.
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So......how much is it worth...?
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1987 Crest Cannondale, 1987 Basso Gap, 1992 Rossin Performance EL, 1990ish Van Tuyl, 1985 Trek 670, 1982 AD SLE, 2003 Pinarello Surprise, 1990ish MBK Atlantique, 1987 Peugeot Competition, 1987 Nishiki Tri-A, 1981 Faggin, 1996 Cannondale M500, 1984 Mercian, 1982 AD SuperLeicht, 1985 Massi (model unknown), 1988 Daccordi Griffe , 1989 Fauxsin MTB, 1981 Ciocc Mockba, 1992 Bianchi Giro, 1977 Colnago Super
1987 Crest Cannondale, 1987 Basso Gap, 1992 Rossin Performance EL, 1990ish Van Tuyl, 1985 Trek 670, 1982 AD SLE, 2003 Pinarello Surprise, 1990ish MBK Atlantique, 1987 Peugeot Competition, 1987 Nishiki Tri-A, 1981 Faggin, 1996 Cannondale M500, 1984 Mercian, 1982 AD SuperLeicht, 1985 Massi (model unknown), 1988 Daccordi Griffe , 1989 Fauxsin MTB, 1981 Ciocc Mockba, 1992 Bianchi Giro, 1977 Colnago Super