Ritchey P-21 Team - Resurrecting an old friend : )

Chinn

Dirt Disciple
:D

I'm sooooo glad I found this site. I keep up with the cycling world on the road side, but I left the mountainbike side over 10 years ago and a lot has changed since then......

I raced MTB throughout the 90's. At the peak, I raced about 30 events a year. I was a mechanic in a shop and did every project in business school on cycling stuff. Mtnbiking was my life.

My best buddy was a Ritchey P-21 that I bought as a used frame from the manager of another bikeshop in town. It was 'Barney' friggin purple, so I had it professionally media blasted and painted green metalflake. Tom Ritchey provided a new sticker kit for it after a call to his biz. I built the bike with a lot of 'attention to detail' and used good parts. The Gripshift system was literally one of the first 'high end' carbon SRAM systems - I won a preproduction setup at the CABDA bike show in Chicago and installed it on this bike.

A few years ago, during an aborted attempt to get back on the mtb, I dissassembled my old friend and put a lot of my gear on a modern S-Works frame. I hate that frame and just don't like the bike nearly as much as I liked my old green friend.

Though I raced a lot of races on it and countless training miles, I managed to keep the paint in really good shape. I also rust protected the frame, so it should continue to last.

I recently got an invitation from my sister's fiance to ride in a place called Devil's Den when my wife and I go up to see my family on summer vacation. That invitation was just the thing to convince me to get my sweet old ride back together.... May take a couple weeks, but I'll get it done!
 
So here goes! I'm hoping I have all the bits I used to build this thing originally, because I'm sure a few of them are more than just a little difficult to find now....

The original derailleur I built the bike with is still mounted on the frame.

First up was polishing up the frame and cleaning it. I also took some halfway matching touch up paint and touched up a couple dings.

Next up, I decided to install the headset, stem and fork crown. I still had all the pieces in a junk box in the attic.

Don't laugh at my headset press. Its crude, but it works...... : ) Its also good for compressing the front suspension springs on a Triumph TR6....LOL

The P-21 of course uses that short little 1" headtube, so I had the requisite special crown for the Manitou fork I build the bike with.

The headset is a Ritchey Logic roller bearing 1" and the stem is a Ritchey as well!
 

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A few more pics then done for the night....
 

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Excellent, what an interesting post. Amazed you still have the stuff lying around to complete the build...the frame looks lovely.
Welcome to the site and lets see that finished build :cool:
Cheers, Carl
 
Love it.

It's the history that surrounds these older bikes that makes them interesting, and if the history is your own then that makes them extra special. Build it, ride it, enjoy it.
 
That is gonna be awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwesome! So great that you and the bike have a 'history', get it build and get us some pictures!
 
MikeD":322pjdak said:
Nothing says "retro" more than a stem that's longer than the head tube :)


:LOL:


really looking forward to seeing this one, will it be a no holds barred full on racer?
 
Hello and welcome,

Ritchey bikes are my thing and your P 21 is loveeeerly!

Is the green from the Rocky Mountain range? You will be very surprised how much kit is still available from this bunch of geeks on here. ;)
I for instance have tracked down a NOS wcs Ritchey 2x9 gear system which is going on my Sunn Exact. And no you cant have it. :D

I have been lucky enough to own a few Ritcheys over the years. And i am looking forward to seeing your build.


All the best, Al
 
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