Today on my bike, a car pulled up next to me. Guy driving said he was looking for a route to avoid a busy street on his next ride and thought this might me the right direction. I suggested a route and we talked bikes a bit.
He said he had a vintage bike built by a guy named Richmond in the Bay Area but he was sure I had never heard of Richmond.
He was right. I had not heard of Richmond. So when I got home, I tried looking up Richmond Bikes, Richmond Frames, Richmond Cycles, etc.
So while I now know a lot about what I might buy in Richmond, Va, I still know nothing about Richmond, the frame builder.
Anyone ever heard of these frames?

There's Ed Litton in Richmond, CA. Bay Area all right. He's an excellent framebuilder and has been doing it under his name since 1984.

Ben

Litton I have heard of and maybe even talked to when the handmade bike show was in Portland. But did he build frames labeled Richmond ? The guy Intalked to insisted that his bike was decayed as Richmond but removed them because “ people would ask about the bike and the explanation was too long.”

Might be worth touching base with Mr. Litton to see if he recognizes the name as a Bay Area builder. American Cyclery in SF or Cupertino Bike Shop might also be able to offer some leads.

I have lived here for most of my long years and never heard of any bike named "Richmond" or a custom builder named "Richmond" (and either connected with the City of or the SF District of) but agree that if there IS one Ed Litton might be best positioned to know...Ed's shop is in POINT Richmond, a distinct separated region of the city of Richmond CA and on the Bay, home of the Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park.
(my civic boosterism now done for the year!)
If somebody comes up with an example of an eponymous "Richmond" frame from the Bay Area I'll be surprised, but crazier things have happened around here!

Is it possible he was saying "Richman"?

Ah-HA!^ I think you may be on to something now! I didn't even think of RichMAN because I thought of him as strictly a Mountain Bike builder, but clearly he made some road frames, too. But AFIAK Richman was never located in Richmond, CA...rather up North in Petaluma now located in Fulton, CA IIRC.

Pix or, well, you know...

It coulda been Richman. He was across the street, talking through the window of his not so quiet car. I am going with that.