If steel makes you feel like you’re flying, thank Tom Ritchey

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.

HNH: Does Ritchey carry the same cache in Europe versus NA? JL: Quality and good taste know no geographic boundaries. But in all seriousness, I believe the Ritchey brand is revered equally on both continents. The European business for Ritchey was established in 1995 in Switzerland. Ritchey, over all, was still a relatively small company back then, so the US and European divisions grew together. Being, literally, at the start of the mountain bike revolution put Ritchey in the minds of cyclists all over the world. And that's been galvanized by its continued innovation, staying power, and consistentcy flowing through the company. Discerning cyclists everywhere want what Ritchey represents and what it offers. Ritchey frames and components are not commodities.

How has COVID impacted the company and where does it see itself when the dust settles? Ritchey is still open for business and shipping products. Fortunately our supply chain has not suffered too badly because of the crisis. Taiwan, for all companies producing there, has been open through all of this. Locally, there might be some delivery delays when ordering from the Ritchey web site and online retailers because couriers such as UPS, DHL, etc. are overburdened and not as fast at delivery as usual. Unfortunately our trusted local bike shops are closed across Europe. This has had some impact on Ritchey, but I'm more concerned how the closure of those bike shops impacts the communities around those shops. People need their bike shops. Especially since, at least here in Belgium, I'm seeing many, many more people cycling than before the crisis. I'm confident that when things ease up, many of these "new" cyclists will stick with the sport and bring their bikes to the shops for repair or to buy new bikes. Staff at our Swiss and California offices have been working from home for at least a month, and everything is running just about as normally as it usually does. Our Swiss office is in the Ticino region, just on the other side of the border with Italy. It will be a bit lean for a little while, but Ritchey is, fortunately, uniquely positioned to weather the storm of this crisis.

How involved is Tom in the biz? Yes, he certainly is. He is the sole owner of the company. While he does not "run" the company - things such as payroll, shipping, inventory, etc. - he is head of product development. Every single Ritchey product must pass through his hands and be approved by him before it goes into production.

Find out more about Ritchey frames here.