Ask a Founder with Tom Ritchey at Mission Workshop

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Ask a Founder with Tom Ritchey at Mission Workshop

This Saturday, May 30th Tom Ritchey will be at Mission Workshop in SF for one of their Ask a Founder events. Here are the details:

“The Founders Event was created in effort to pull the curtain back and learn more about cycling brands that we respect. We as an industry tend to focus on the stunning finished parts but not as much on the struggle it takes to get there. For the event we simply turn the cameras on, step back and watch the story unfold. We cover the inspiration behind ideas, the projects that never got off the ground and everything in between.

For the third installment of the Mission Workshop Founders series we are honored to have Tom Ritchey on our stage to learn about the massively influential brand that shares his name. Ritchey’s love with all things two wheels started early. He built his first frame when he was just 16 years old and started his first company in his early twenties. The shape of cycling would arguably look very different without his involvement. Join us this Saturday May 30th at 7PM PST to watch Tom spin his tales live on Bikemag.com. Be part of the event by asking Tom a question via Twitter using “#AskRitchey” as the hashtag.

Live audience space is limited, if you can make it, email RSVP@missionworkshop.com for a seat.”

Ritchey Master P-29er – Kyle Kelley

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Ritchey Master P-29er – Kyle Kelley

Ritchey Master P-29er
Words and photos by Kyle Kelley

Have you ever seen a bike that makes you wanna say uhhhh! Uhhhh! Na na na na! Na na na na!!!

Well… that’s kind of what this Ritchey P-29er did for me. So I took a picture and put it up on Instagram to see if I could get a nice call and response going. Next thing I knew I had 1,000 people on Instagram screaming “uhhhh! Uhhhh! Na na na na!!!” so of course I decided it’d be best to take more photos of this amazing bike to share them here.

Graham, the colonel of this muthaf<3kin' tank is definitely pulling rank! XTR everything. He's even rocking XTR Safety Wire on those disk brakes. Thomson this and Thomson that, Ritchey where many lack. But the wheels, I'm in love with the wheels! White Industries hubs tied to the Blunt SS (full polish) and some 2.40 gumwall Ardents! I don't think anything could make this build any better. From the nips to the grips, it's dialed. The only thing Graham says he'll be changing down the road will be a wider Ritchey Classic Handlebar - this one was cut down to look and feel more classic. Time to get faded(Red,white, and blue foo), pass me the dojah and say uhhhh! Uhhhh! Na na na na! Na na na na!!! ____ Follow Kyle on Instagram

Ritchey’s New Breakaway Tourer

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Ritchey’s New Breakaway Tourer

I can’t think of a better bike to utilize Ritchey‘s Breakaway system than a touring bike. Especially one that can run either 700c x 40mm or 27.5 x 2.1″ wheels. These new Breakaway tourers feature an integrated head tube and will be available in the fall. The pricepoint is to be determined, but expect them to be around the same as the standard Breakaway.

Ritchey Now Offers Their Disc Swiss Cross in Custom Commando Paint

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Ritchey Now Offers Their Disc Swiss Cross in Custom Commando Paint

Since the beginning, Rick at D&D Cycles has painted the Ritchey frames that found their way to him, including the popular Commando mountain bikes. This irregular pattern was something that the Ritchey factory overseas couldn’t emulate, so the team brought this new Swiss Cross straight to D&D Cycles for the appropriate treatment.

For 2015, Ritchey will now offer up any steel frameset with this paint option. It doesn’t matter if you’ve got an older Swiss Cross or a new Break-away, any of their steel frames can be painted like the old Commandos. Simply contact them for more information.

See more photos of this beaut in the Gallery.

Ritchey SuperLogic Carbon C260 Now Comes in High Vis Yellow

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Ritchey SuperLogic Carbon C260 Now Comes in High Vis Yellow

These look super slick!

“For a limited time, get the SuperLogic Carbon C260 Stem in one of cycling’s most popular accent colors. Bikes from Pinarello, Ibis, Masi, Jamis, etc… all have models to match.

The full carbon C260 stem was designed to meet the needs of high-wattage European Classic Specialists. The SuperLogic Carbon C260 maximizes Strenght-to-weight through the use of high modulus carbon fiber, increased boom diameter, a wide clamp and our patented C260 clamp design.”

Lengths: 90/100/110/120/130mm
Stem Angle: 84/6 degree
Weight: 125g (110mm)
MSRP: $297.95

In stock now and ready to ship at Ritchey Logic!

Ritchey Brings Back the Bullmoose Bar in Carbon for 2015

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Ritchey Brings Back the Bullmoose Bar in Carbon for 2015

This classic shape is often rendered in steel and is not the lightest option for a modern day race machine. For those looking for a classic Ritchey look for the XC bike, look no further. 35 years since it was first introduced to the MTB world, the Bullmoose returns. Just as stylish, but a little lighter…

The Ritchey WCS Bullboose features a 9 degree sweep with a 6 degree angle, weighs in at 280 grams for the 80mm and comes in three sizes: 70x720mm, 80x730mm and 90, 100 & 110x740mm. Retail is set at $299.95.

2014 NAHBS: Ritchey’s New Breakaway Carbon Road and Swiss Disc Cross

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2014 NAHBS: Ritchey’s New Breakaway Carbon Road and Swiss Disc Cross

Two production bikes that I was rather keen on at this year’s NAHBS came from the Ritchey booth. The Swiss Cross received what seems to be an industry-wide upgrade for cross bikes: disc brakes and a new addition to the family: a carbon Breakaway road bike.

Both come in black paint (not safe for non-metal heads) and aren’t too far off for production. I don’t recall what the MSRP was on the Swiss Cross but the Breakaway will retail for $3,199 – frame, fork and headset included. For the weight-conscious, the Breakaway comes in at exactly 15.10 LBS as shown.

One note: the Breakaway was made by Tom Ritchey and production will have clearances for a 28c.

See more in the Gallery!

Cadence and Ritchey: Airflow C260 Stem

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Cadence and Ritchey: Airflow C260 Stem

This collaboration has been in the makings for quite some time and it coincides with the new Airflow line from Cadence. Ritchey’s C260 stem got a wet coat with “Keep Going” painted on the top, along with the Airflow graphic.

In stock now at Cadence in various lengths.

Dustin Klein of Cadence Painted this Ritchey Swiss Cross

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Dustin Klein of Cadence Painted this Ritchey Swiss Cross

To commemorate a forthcoming collaboration with Ritchey, Dustin Klein from Cadence took the time to personalize his new Swiss Cross frameset. I love seeing projects like this unfold, especially with companies like Cadence and Ritchey, both of which make exceptional products.

Personally, I think the Cadence x Ritchey stems look great and I can’t wait to see what else they’re cooking up!

Until then, check out the process and completed bike photos below!

Chris’ Ritchey Swiss Cross

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Chris’ Ritchey Swiss Cross

It’s hard to deny the impact that the original Ritchey Swiss Cross had on American cyclocross. Any cycling history buff will note Thomas Frischknecht’s many victories in the early 90’s while riding the original, so it had to be a perfect choice for Ritchey to re-introduce the mighty red machine for 2012. Having only seen the bike at Interbike, I was stoked to hear Chris’ choice in picking one up when he wrecked his previous cross bike. Built with mostly matching Ritchey components, this build turned out perfect. Last Sunday, after a Walnut Creek singletrack session, I got some photos of this race-ready machine.

Some of my favorite details are the integrated head tube and that wicked cable routing at the seat tube cluster. Check out more in the Gallery.

Ritchey Classic Logic Curve Bars Are Amazing

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Ritchey Classic Logic Curve Bars Are Amazing

So you’ll have to excuse the enthusiastic photos and copy here but since I got my new fork on my Icarus ViKing Track, I’ve been looking for a polished silver, non-grooved 31.8, 44cm wide road bar, but to no avail. Track drops on the street aren’t for me. They never come wide enough and I like having multiple hand positions on the bike while riding.

I couldn’t figure out why it was so hard to find that exact bar. Surely someone else wanted it? It wasn’t until a friend showed me the Ritchey Classic Logic Curve that I thought there even existed such a bar. Minimally branded and all of the above, these bars fit the bike perfectly.

Click on the above photo to launch the gallery, or here to open in a new tab.

2011 NAHBS Recon: Ritchey Bicycle Components

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2011 NAHBS Recon: Ritchey Bicycle Components

Before you get your hopes up, be warned: the Swiss Cross is back in production but it’s not for public consumption. While there are plans for a Taiwanese tig-welded version, these handmade bikes are for friends and family. Ritchey may be one of the biggest names in mountain bike history but one of his most cherished bikes of all time is the Swiss Cross. This was one of my favorite bikes at the 2011 NAHBS and Ritchey Bicycle Components had a killer booth!

Check out a slideshow from my coverage of the 2011 NAHBS Ritchey Bicycle Components booth below.

Tom Ritchey: Unicrown Fork Pioneer

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Tom Ritchey: Unicrown Fork Pioneer


Scans from Old Mountain Bikes

Yes, we’re all lucky to have durable forks now for our fixed gears. Remember all those photos and videos of kids snapping their forks a few years ago? After the fixed freestyle crew picked up on 26″ rigid MTB forks, or unicrown forks, there’s been very few instances of snapping forks. Most people want to thank the BMX industry for that and it’s true, early BMX bikes did use unicrown forks. The late 1970’s introduced the first BMXs, which were beefed up Schwinn Stingrays. On the bigger-wheel side of the cycling world however, we have one person to thank; Tom Ritchey.