inkandsilver

Amazing!

miamijim

The top tube of my Ritchey is sealed on both ends.

mississippimud

You can sure tell how the American builders were doing things alike back then heres a Dinucci built Strawberry from 1975

06tritchey

Hi MiamiJim,

I happened to come across your post and was pleased to see your bike. It's a great bike with a great story! I happen to have Tom's #06 bike. If I remember correctly, I ordered it in 1975 and he completed it in 1976. At that time, the frames were built in his Father's garage in Palo Alto, CA. My frame has the oval down and seat tube at the bottom bracket. The other difference is that my frame has vertical rear dropouts. My frame was painted the exact same color as yours, with the same "T.Ritchey" decals, but about a year or two later, I sent the frame back to Tom to repaint in egg-shell white, with no decals, which is the color to this day. I'm thinking your bike might possibly be the #05 bike?

LeicaLad 

Well, there. Welcome to the C&V Forum! There are a few of us who love the Ritchey garage-built bikes. My Ritchey road bike was among the last of his garage bikes, built in May 1980. My first Ritchey mtn bike was frame #133 from 1981.

We would all really love to see photos of your bike, please! Lots of photos, too, please.

Cheers!

abellanti

That is one awesome bike! I'm in the south Tampa area, if your ever around these parts with the bike, I would love to see it!

06tritchey

Thanks for the warm welcome! Nice to hear that you, and a few others too, appreciate Tom's work! Here are the photos I just took of my #06 Tom Ritchey built in 1975-1976. If I remember correctly, I ordered the frame back around 1975 and Tom completed it in 1976. I remember Tom taking about a year to complete the frame, but it was worth the wait! At the time I was a teenager racing as a junior in Northern California. I initially had my heart set on buying a Masi Gran Criterium; but, when I saw Tom racing a bike of his own construction at the races on Sundays, I was so impressed with his workmanship- which was so uniquely different from the Italian frames of that period- that I asked Tom if he could build a frame for me. I raced the bike for only one season, in 1976 or 1977. (After I turned 18 years old in 1977, I could no longer race as a junior, and quit racing.) I actually raced juniors with Greg LeMond in Northern California, along with many other great junior and senior riders around that time, including Chris Springer, Mark Brandt, Eric Allen, etc. It was a very special time in American cycling history. I remember Greg as an amazing rider, even as a junior- often lapping the field! After one season of racing, scratches and all, I sent the frame back to Tom to repaint in egg-shell white, without any stickers. (Originally the frame was a metallic dark blue with yellow "T. Ritchey" stickers). After which, I moved to Los Angeles to attend college. After graduation, I ended up working, getting married, etc., so the frame, and all of the original components sat in storage for about 30 years! About five years ago, I put the bike back together and started riding it again. The bike as pictured is mostly original from 1976, except for the freewheel, (which I changed out, from the original 13-19), seat, water bottle cage, tires, and front rim. (But, I also kept the original parts, too.) Best Regards!

LeicaLad 

Yowzir! That frame is awe inspiring. The seat cluster, in particular. The egg-shell white is almost stealth-like. One has to look to see all those amazing details of workmanship. He make have taken time on this frame (he was later renowned for high speed output), but it was clearly worth the wait!

Have you already mentioned the measurements?

I wouldn't mind another photo or two of the bottom bracket and chain stay bridge, as his style evolved. This may represent the peak of his individual attention to detail on a single frame.

Thanks, yet again.

06tritchey

Thanks LeicaLad, glad you like it! I, too, appreciate the work Tom put into this frame, and feel obligated to take good care of it, out of respect for him! Enclosed are more photos of the bottom bracket area. The frame is 56cm, with a 38.5" wheelbase. All the best!

The Golden Boy 

Beautiful, beautiful bike @06tritchey!


Thank you for taking the time to take and post the pictures-

Best wishes!

Sir_Name 

What a beautiful bike. It's interesting to me how the seat cluster pulls together the smoothness of the welded(?) BB shell and the intricate lines of the lug profiles. The look is almost devilish.

JGM411

i am quickly learning why so many of you gravitate towards bikes like this. How can I learn more about high end classic bikes?

nlerner

Try here: Classic Lightweights
And here: Lightweight Classic Vintage bicycles

JGM411

thanks!

06tritchey

Thanks "The Golden Boy"! Happy to do it!

06tritchey

Thanks Sir_Name! My guess is that the tubes going to the bottom bracket are fillet brazed. (Because Tom ovaled the seat and down tubes, he could not use a typical bottom bracket shell.)

gaucho777 

@06tritchey, Welcome and thanks for sharing your exquisite Ritchey. What a fantastic bike! I think we have shared a similar cycling arc: teenage CA racer who was lucky to own a high-end bike that we had the good sense to retain despite life trying to get in the way. I raced in Southern CA as a teenager in the mid-80s, then put the bikes away for about 20 years and feel like I've regained my youth after starting to ride again over the past several years. Nice to see your old classic still loved and preserved. Hope to see more of you and your Ritchey around.

dddd

Jim, I've just now got around to checking out all of the photos of your new Ritchey. It must have been fun taking photos of each unique portion of that frame and fork!

It would be interesting to see how much the frame and fork weigh. I've had a couple of Ritcheys pass thru but not with such detail as yours and I didn't have the opportunity to weigh them bare. I'm not suggesting stripping the parts off, I wouldn't bother, but if you ever do...

I'm sure you are preparing to ride it soon. Hang on to your hat, it looks like a race bike!

shoota 

@miamijim

lord_athlon

The fact that Tom Richey could crank this out, either in or just out of high school, only a few bikes into his career shows how talented he is as a human being.

miamijim

Your frame & fork detail are almost identicle to mine with the exception of your oval seat and down tubes. While researching mine I wasn't 100% certain it was a real Ritchey because my steat lug was different than any other Ritchey I'd seen. Your seat lug puts that torest as it's almost identicle to mine. My frame doesnt have a serial number so it's pre 'zero'. Tom graduated high school is '75 and I believe the general consensu on oval tubes is 1976.


If your ever in Temple Terrace let me know...

I enjoy working on the old bikes, it's a fun hobby for me. With the exception of headset cups and the fork crown its fully disassembled. It'll be awhile before its back on the road, busy season at work is here and I'm still contemplating the rebuild details.

I'm here!!! Clocked in 80+ hours on last weeks time card.

shoota 

Hi!!

RobE30

What a fun thread to read. Thanks for all the pictures guys

06tritchey

[QUOTE=miamijim;18172024]Your frame & fork detail are almost identicle to mine with the exception of your oval seat and down tubes. While researching mine I wasn't 100% certain it was a real Ritchey because my steat lug was different than any other Ritchey I'd seen. Your seat lug puts that torest as it's almost identicle to mine. My frame doesnt have a serial number so it's pre 'zero'. Tom graduated high school is '75 and I believe the general consensu on oval tubes is 1976.

Interesting MiamiJim! Also, your frame looks to be similar in size, to mine, (my frame is 56cm). My frame does not have a stamped serial # either, but, originally when my frame was metallic blue, on the down tube, in between the left and right yellow "T. Ritchey" logos, in small lettering, he put "Custom built for" with my name and the number "06" which read from the head tube down to the bottom bracket.

miamijim

[QUOTE=06tritchey;18172328]I'll check the down tube later today.... IIRC prior to to the 'T. Ritchey' frames there were some with no decals....interesting indeed.