Ritchey McKinley 1982

I managed to get my Photobucket up and running again so now I can share a few pics and a little bit of the story of the 82.

I picked this bike up from a fantastic person who rode back on the slopes of Mt. Tam a few decades ago. By the time it came my way, a few original pieces had been worn out and replaced while a few others were lost through the test of time. The frame itself looks fantastic for being 34 years old.

Most of my project are pretty vanilla following close to catalog builds, but with the original fork on this upgraded over thirty years ago and the acquisition of some unique era correct tires from a fellow RBUK member early in the process, I was game to go a little far out from my original style. Although it took a little while for it to grow on me, I am digging the results so far.

Enough yacking, here are a few pictures of the progress so far:

As found. Potential is there. The paint is awesome:

The original biplane was upgraded to a Potts Type 1 by the original owner. Pretty darn cool upgrade for sure:

After close to a year of gathering and cleaning, things are coming together fast:

Hope you enjoy the build. Checking the mail every day for the proper FD and the rear brake pads that are on their way. Holding out for a set of yellow Oakley 3 grips. Then, A little more cable routing and it will be done.

Re:

Lookin' good.

Love it! Though not sure about those tyres (tires)

The tires (Tyres ) are Cyclopro Snakebellies. In 1982 decent tire choices for 26" rims were still pretty slim. If I want to keep it era correct, my options for the most part are the Snakebellies, IRC X1, or Specialized Stumpjumpers (the tires not the bike). All three are very difficult to find, and when you do, after 30+ years, chances are the sidewalls are destroyed. I felt pretty fortunate to find this never mounted set a while back from a member here. With the yellow in the decals and the gold rims already on the bike, I decided to go for it, and have no regrets now. The Snakebellies are a BMX crossover and they came in a few unique colors. Certainly it is an acquired taste, that has grown on me the more I play around with the bike.

Needless to say, these tires are for show only. When it comes time to ride, the tires, along with the 30+ year old Mathauser brake pads will need to be changed out.

Old Rubber. F to R IRC X1, Snakebellies, Cyclopro Snakebellies, Uniroyal Knobbies, Spec Crossroads, IRC X:.

Point taken. Great collection of rubber there! (will try not to make any jokes that may bounce back...) particularly like the IRC X

At a standstill. Need to find a set of Yellow Oakley 3 grips.

Found FD and early Mathauser pads.

If i'm truly honest this bike is looking amazing and yes that includes the yellow tires although tbh i don't normally like yellow tires but i think because of the blue frameset and gold rims it just seems like the right color for the best overall affect and i must admit that you'd never expect paint work of that age on a bike to be looking so darn fresh :shock: so you were exceptionally lucky to find it .