RITCHEY - What model / year is this Ritchey????

[shutter]

Actually that's not true... Ritchey's made in Japan at the Toyo (sp?) factory did not all have ritchey dropouts...

If it's not a Ritchey it's ok, I'm not bummed out at all... Even if it was a ritchey it's not a fully filet brazed one so it's not one of the rare ones...

I'll look again but didn't have much luck last time

 

[IGOTTASEROTTA]

Ritcheys were hand built in the USA by Tom Ritchey and I never herd of one that was made in Japan. I had a few p-23's all made in the USA. Maybe in the late 90's they sub-let them out to Japan but early Ritcheys were all USA. Every Ritchey was triple butted and even the Bridgestone MB-Zip which I owned has ritchey dropouts on them. Give me a few days and I will find what your bike is! Promise!

 

[shutter]

Thanks, look into it and you will see that the early ritcheys were made by hand in USA... Then around 1985 Ritchey started importing frames from Japan... The first order was a problem because the factory had a minimum order stipulation, so Ritchey and Rocky Mountain teamed up to share the first order. So the first production Ritchey and Rocky Mountain were one and the same... I have one that is mint... It's branded as a RITCHEY USA bike but also branded as a Rocky Mountain.. There are a couple members on this forum that have one of these bikes

 

[IGOTTASEROTTA]

http://www.oldmountainbikes.com/bikes/summary.html

check this out, I might be wrong and it takes a real man to admit it

 

[IGOTTASEROTTA]

http://project-serotta-t-max.blogspot.com/

http://weightweeniesinc.blogspot.com/

http://projectpro-flex857.blogspot.com/

this is me and what I do....

 

[andyz]

Looks very similar to my Ritchey Ultra, which has Shimano dropouts, the front half of which was definitely made in Japan. But, it mine does have an ovalised seattube. The seat cluster looks identical to your frame.

The bottom bracket looks brazed on this, but some of the other joints look tig-welded, which is a bit of a puzzler, could is be a Ritchey Ultra or Ascent which has had a seat tube and bottom bracket replaced?

The externally butted head tube is a bit of puzzler too, unless thats an illusion in the photo?

 

[shutter]

UPDATE: ok, so I looked closer, everything is Tig welded except the seat tube clamp. Head tube is tig welded...

BUT this may help... There is a stamp on the bottom of the BB shell... It's a Diamond shape with "ES" spamped in the middle...

Does that help at all????

thanks!

 

[suburbanreuben]

That bulge at the bottom of the headtube is a bit distinctive, but not Ultra.

 

[24pouces]

When I see the lugged/filled brazed seat tube clamp, it seems to be a very old ritchey, before 1990… So, classic 4130 tubeset without oval end. It's not a P20, 21, 22 or 23 but perhaps a Timbercomp or Timber Wolf with some TIG welds.
On the Mombats, I have read that some Ritchey were sold in Canada by Rocky Mountain.

 

[shutter]

When I see the lugged/filled brazed seat tube clamp, it seems to be a very old ritchey, before 1990… So, classic 4130 tubeset without oval end. It's not a P20, 21, 22 or 23 but perhaps a Timbercomp or Timber Wolf with some TIG welds.
On the Mombats, I have read that some Ritchey were sold in Canada by Rocky Mountain.

True... This is not that one =)

There was one model of Ritchey that was also a Rocky Mountain... I actually have one and its not the same as this. The ones that were branded as both were lugged frames from Toyo.

This one has a 1" steer tube so I agree, probably 89 or older...