While baking banana and sourdough breads have become the unofficial pastimes of quarantine, I find myself crawling down a different rabbit hole these last few weeks: the idea of riding a RItchey. Chalk it up to boredom (though there is no shortage of awesome cycling prose to troll right now) or a shunning of bent top tubes; I feel myself getting sucked into its steely vortex.
It’s completely irrational, of course. There’s no real reason for it. I’ve never ridden one and honestly the reviews describe a “timeless aesthetic of small-diameter steel tubing with more modern touches such as an integrated head tube, subtly sloping top tube, and a carbon fork” that provides an unrivalled ride quality but lacks some of the snappiness of its modern carbon cousins. (Who wants that?) But that’s not it’s appeal. This Gear Patrol article compares riding modern steel to flying. Christ, I like flying, you? If that’s what you get from timelessness, simplicity and a mad scientist tinkering away in the woods building bikes, sign me up. Flight or no flight, I want some.
No complete framesets exist in Europe for test rides at the time I connected with Ritchey, so instead we chat with Jeff Lockwood, Ritchey’s International Marketing Manager, for a look at Ritchey and to possibly explain an irrational pinning for something timeless, steel and designed by a legendary bike builder with 40 years of awesome on his palmeres.
HNH: Ritchey frames have taken on a near mythical status in cycling. Why? JL: It really comes down to one thing. Or rather...one person: Tom Ritchey. Of course, the bikes and components he's created over the years deliver a truly unique ride quality that people deeply connect with, but it all starts with him. It started when he was building his own bikes when he was a teenager and it continues to this day. Tom is very careful and purposeful when he creates something. It's of the utmost importance for him, for any frame that bares is name, that it is designed and built in a truly logical way. You're not going to see any fads on Ritchey bikes. And it's not a 'simplicity' thing. In fact, his reasoning for a lot of the features on Ritchey frames, and how those details contribute to the ride feel, are actually quite complicated. But it all boils down to how Ritchey bikes ride - and they ride amazingly well. This, combined with the absolutely inherent honesty of Tom...which spreads across everyone in the company...really resonates with people. It's quite magical, honestly.
HNH: There are a lot of frame builders in 2020. How does Ritchey match-up? JL: There are a lot of insanely talented builders out there doing some really, really cool stuff. And it's great to see. Many builders today are of the bespoke variety. Meaning, they're not necessarily producing bikes in larger numbers, and those bikes usually...and rightfully so...command quite a high price. The ride quality of any Ritchey bike absolutely rivals most custom or handcrafted bikes out there. But the accessibility of Ritchey is much more realistic. Ritchey framesets are not cheap, but they're much more affordable than many alternatives. We like to say it's "custom performance at a privateer price." This is all, of course, in addition to the high level of heritage, history and legacy that ships with each Ritchey.
HNH: Where are the frames built? Where are the majority sold? JL: Tom researches, develops and designs all bikes and components from his home workshop in California. Tom rides more than 10,000 miles each year. All Ritchey framesets and components are built in Taiwan. Ritchey Asia, based in Taiwan, is where all our product development and production lives. We have a great staff there that keeps production tight. I'd say it's an even split between Europe and the US for where Ritchey frames are sold. Same for Ritchey components, such as bars, stems, posts, wheels, saddles, etc.
HNH: Walk me through the Logic Disc. How was it reimagined from the Logic? JL: At the end of the day, the Road Logic Disc is nearly identical to its discless sibling. But you wouldn't know that for how much development went into the bike. Tom spent a lot of time making sure the chainstays properly supported flat-mount discs, yet kept the ride experience the same. I don't know how many iterations and sample frames we went through, but it was a lot. People were asking for a disc version of the Road Logic for years...me included. But we would not release it until it lived up to Tom's high standards. Just about everything is the same on the bike as the non-disc version, though it accepts slightly wider tires.