Tom Ritchey road bike made for Sam Hopkins
05-17-23, 01:25 PM
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Tom Ritchey road bike made for Sam Hopkins
My wife Heidi's father was a serious bike rider and always had the best high end bikes. One of the last bikes he owned was this custom built Tom Ritchey from around 1976. Sam helped Tom with setting up his bike company, so Tom built him this very special machine. The frame is built with Ishiwata 015 tubing, one of the lightest tube sets from the period, and is constructed with lugs except for the bottom bracket shell which is fillet brazed. I never got to meet Sam, he passed away before Heidi and I got together. He rode this bike for around 20 years, on all kinds of epic rides. Never any failures. It was stored in Heidi's sister's garage, with all the original parts. Tom did not use primer when he painted it, too much extra weight! This lack of primer causes the frame to rust under the paint over time, so I decided to repaint it, Ed Litton did the paint job, and Gus Salmon made custom decals for it. I added a few of my titanium parts, but what you see is how it looked back in the day. The weight as shown is under 16 pounds. The bike is too small for me, but I did ride it and it's excellent. The seat/post assembly was a joint project of Tom and Peter Johnson, back when they were still talking to each other, it's incredibly light. More photos here:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Tq3xx8oWtMa2Aug47
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Tq3xx8oWtMa2Aug47
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05-17-23, 02:26 PM
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I remember that bike. Tom made 2 very similar ones for Anton Lappe in the same era, both with Ti chains, Nisi 200g rims, etc.. Had the extended seat tube as well. Same seat/post that had no tilt adjustment but was lighter than a campy post by itself. There was also a green track bike he made for Erika French, a 12lb wonder as I recall, same "Trichey" era.
He had a large shop on El Camino Real just south of Page Mill. when he passed, there was a 600 sedan and a 280SL for sale in that shop, they were very, very nice examples.
/markp
Last edited by mpetry912; 05-18-23 at 08:03 AM.
05-17-23, 02:59 PM
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Wonderful and rare bike 
05-17-23, 04:33 PM
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Such a great bike and history, thank you for the images and story! Really enjoyed it.
05-17-23, 04:40 PM
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Samuel John "Lightnin" Hopkins was an American country blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional pianist from Centerville, Texas. In 2010, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him No. 71 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.
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05-17-23, 05:17 PM
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My close friend from grade school owns the third or fourth frameset Tom built.
We raced in Norcal intermediates and juniors - sometimes going to races with the Ritcheys.
Both Tom and his father were stellar dudes. Tom's dad supported him in every way imaginable.
But short of spoiling him. He used many experiences as teaching moments.
I recall Tom using Imron paint. My pal got it repainted by CycleArt over ten years ago.
He still rides it occasionally. Outfitted with period-correct components, except for using clipless pedals. lol
No idea how he afforded the astronomical $400 back then!
We raced in Norcal intermediates and juniors - sometimes going to races with the Ritcheys.
Both Tom and his father were stellar dudes. Tom's dad supported him in every way imaginable.
But short of spoiling him. He used many experiences as teaching moments.
I recall Tom using Imron paint. My pal got it repainted by CycleArt over ten years ago.
He still rides it occasionally. Outfitted with period-correct components, except for using clipless pedals. lol
No idea how he afforded the astronomical $400 back then!
05-17-23, 09:11 PM
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A great bike that belonged to a great cyclist! I find it very satisfying that Sam's love of super light bikes is mirrored in your fabulous titanium projects.
The lightest bike I saw in the seventies was a Teledyne Titan that Sam set up for Heidi when she was dominating women's cycling. Please show us that one some time if it's still around.
When I was a young pup and Tom Ritchey was still in high school we raced briefly on the same team. Tom knew I was in the market for a new bike and offered to build one for me. I bought a Bob Jackson instead; probably the stupidest bicycle mistake I ever made. Tom definitely had the last laugh when the brake bridge on the Jackson separated from one of the seat stays. It was held in place only by the paint! Tom repaired it for me.
Brent
The lightest bike I saw in the seventies was a Teledyne Titan that Sam set up for Heidi when she was dominating women's cycling. Please show us that one some time if it's still around.
When I was a young pup and Tom Ritchey was still in high school we raced briefly on the same team. Tom knew I was in the market for a new bike and offered to build one for me. I bought a Bob Jackson instead; probably the stupidest bicycle mistake I ever made. Tom definitely had the last laugh when the brake bridge on the Jackson separated from one of the seat stays. It was held in place only by the paint! Tom repaired it for me.
Brent
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05-17-23, 11:49 PM
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If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
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