Hi,
I was wondering if Ritchey was licensing the design of his P-series bikes? I know they were TIG-welded in Japan (except for the Team bikes) and finished in the U.S., most notably the seat cluster. Was the Japanese contractor a big company, able and authorized to manufacture enough bikes to sustain a worldwide distribution besides the bikes sold under the Ritchey brand? Or was Tom licensing the design to other brands that were producing P-series bikes by themselves or outsourcing the production to bigger manufacturers?
Indeed, in #26 April 1991 issue of VTT Magazine, StarWay was showcasing at Salon International du Cycle in Paris the StarWay Ritchey P-23 (bottom right of page 22) that, except for the color and stickers, looks a genuine Ritchey P-23 to me:
Similarly, in #40 July 1992 issue of VTT Magazine, the bike of 1992 Peugeot Look Team (top of page 4
looks like a Ritchey P-22 (or P-21?) in disguise:
Was it a known fact? What other brands had Ritchey bikes in their catalogues?
Thanks!
I was wondering if Ritchey was licensing the design of his P-series bikes? I know they were TIG-welded in Japan (except for the Team bikes) and finished in the U.S., most notably the seat cluster. Was the Japanese contractor a big company, able and authorized to manufacture enough bikes to sustain a worldwide distribution besides the bikes sold under the Ritchey brand? Or was Tom licensing the design to other brands that were producing P-series bikes by themselves or outsourcing the production to bigger manufacturers?
Indeed, in #26 April 1991 issue of VTT Magazine, StarWay was showcasing at Salon International du Cycle in Paris the StarWay Ritchey P-23 (bottom right of page 22) that, except for the color and stickers, looks a genuine Ritchey P-23 to me:
Similarly, in #40 July 1992 issue of VTT Magazine, the bike of 1992 Peugeot Look Team (top of page 4
looks like a Ritchey P-22 (or P-21?) in disguise:
Was it a known fact? What other brands had Ritchey bikes in their catalogues?
Thanks!
