Pre Thanksgiving ride report: "Celebrity" sighting - Tom Ritchey

[charliedid]

Originally Posted by cgolvin

Some time in the distant past, when it was possible to have social gatherings, the monthly shindig at Rapha LA was a panel discussion with frame builders -- Tom was there, along with Caletti, Allied, MMFG, and one other whose name escapes my aging memory at the moment.

The discussion was hit & miss (moderator didn't do a great job IMO), but I enjoyed it nevertheless. One interesting contrast was the scale of work for Tom versus the smaller independent builders. In particular, there was a discussion about metal forks, and Tom said that while he'd love to build some, it wasn't feasible given the stiffness requirements in place (apologies but I don't know anything about the industry and from where exactly these requirements originate).

He struck me as deeply passionate about cycling, frame and component building, and just had a pure honestly and directness about him that I admired. Basically, a mensch.

I think the bit about the forks was around his ideas of performance/weight for a disc fork.

[charliedid]

Originally Posted by pdmtong

I used to see him on arastadero - hard to miss. IIRC he lives about 2/3 up Page

I never got my P-23 but we did have a fillet brazed skyliner,,,

Those bikes were magic. I had a P-22 Team and when that rusted out he graciously built and custom painted for me a P-20 Team bike that was as I understood at the time not avail. for retail. We're of course talking rigid bikes but I regularly rode those in the 18-19 lb range. They were like road bikes for dirt and I probably should have ridden a size larger but that's what we did.

I could see riding an Outback. I have a friend who was a dealer back in the day and he has a few sitting in storage in including a couple mint Everest frames and forks.

[cgolvin]

Originally Posted by charliedid

I think the bit about the forks was around his ideas of performance/weight for a disc fork.

No, I don't think so. I wish I could remember the details better (sorry) but as I recall it pertained to flexibility/stiffness requirements for more mass production bikes.

[AngryScientist]

Tom, Ritchey Bikes and mustaches are A-OK in my book.

[charliedid]

Originally Posted by cgolvin

No, I don't think so. I wish I could remember the details better (sorry) but as I recall it pertained to flexibility/stiffness requirements for more mass production bikes.

No worry. I mean both my Ritcheys had fillet brazed forks that he made. Are you just talking about the Taiwan frames of today? I feel like I read or heard him talking about forks and disc brakes.

Either way great stuff.

[pottshead]

Originally Posted by chismog

Happy to share!

Strava route here: https://www.strava.com/routes/2766820350252043156
(hit me up if you can't see this, I can export a .gpx or whatever you need.)



Convenient start at the wharf or Montecito Country Mart, but obviously you can pick this up anywhere. The trick is doing the loop clockwise which gives you some benefits:
A) lets you avoid the parked cars on the ocean side of Cabrillo by the beach.
B) the climb up Alamar and Mission Ridge to Mountain Dr. is a lot more gradual and scenic.
C) Descent down E Mountain Dr. to Ashley to Eucalyptus Hill is fun and twisty.

NOTE 1: I scoot through the Mesa Lane neighborhood to bypass the Mesa businesses and traffic. Nicer this way, but harder to route find. Easy bypass is simply Shoreline to Cliff Dr.
NOTE 2: To get across 101 after Hope Ranch to Modoc, take the tiny path across from La Cumbre JHS between Vista Madeira and Pilgrim Terrace, which leads you to a pedestrian bridge over the 101 to Pueblo St.

Thanks! I’m staying near the In N Out on turnpike, so I’ll try to integrate this into my ride. Any dirt/gravel nearby?

[chismog]

Well, Mountain Dr. is pretty bumpy . I think the only dirt would be out at Ellwood, past UCSB. If you’re feeling frisky you could do West Camino Cielo dirt, but it’s a tough ride to get up there. I’m not a gravel rider so I’m not well informed about such things locally. I think some folks go up Romero fire road on gravel bikes?

Easy access for you to the posted loop is to pick up the Maria Ignacio bike path just west of In N Out, then Coast Route path east until you get to Modoc. In a couple miles you'll cross the pedestrian bridge to Pueblo and start the climb up Alamar. Finish the loop at the end of Hope Ranch/Las Palmas and retrace your access path back to In N Out.

[Buzz]

Tom’ s a nice guy and easy to talk to as others have stated. Some years ago my buddy and I were riding up Pescadero Rd in the Santa Cruz Mountains when we came across Tom at the top of the climb. He was riding dirt trails in the area and had just happened to be crossing the road as we arrived at the top of the climb.

My buddy is an old friend of Tom’s and he and Tom had earlier in the year spent a couple of weeks riding around Slovenia together. So there we are chatting away. As the conversation wound down both my friend and Tom started pointing to the ground where there happened to be a folded white dress shirt compressed flat and with tire tracks on it. Thus the bargaining began. My buddy and Tom are both road treasure hunters. They examined the shirt and deemed it worthy of taking. (To me it looked like a rag) my buddy won out and took it and we parted ways.

About a year later Tom passed me wearing a pair of army camouflage pants and I reminded him I was there when there were haggling over the shirt. Later my buddy sent me a photo of Tom having strapped a huge monkey wrench to his top tube that he had found out on the road.

My buddy and Tom are of that generation where they don’t thrown away any type of bike part, sew up torn jerseys and shorts, just keep patching tubes, etc. The day we ran into Tom his bike was a mishmash of components with unmatched front and rear wheels. Not quite what you’d expect from the owner of a major bike component company. But that’s how those old school guys roll.

[choke]

On Sunday morning at NAHBS Denver, when I walked out of my hotel I was a few feet behind a couple of 20-somethings who were obviously on their way to the show. A bit before we came to an intersection Tom and his wife appeared from our left and waited for the light. They crossed maybe 15ft ahead of us and as we started to get closer to them the two ahead of me sped up and passed Tom, totally oblivious to his identity. I picked my pace up until I reached him and greeted Tom and his wife. I then said 'I had to laugh, those two had no idea who you are'. Tom chuckled and said 'I like it that way' and then asked me where I was from. We had a nice conversation the rest of the way to the show, maybe 15 minutes long, and never discussing bikes at all.

[pdmtong]

Originally Posted by Buzz

Tom’ s a nice guy and easy to talk to as others have stated. Some years ago my buddy and I were riding up Pescadero Rd in the Santa Cruz Mountains when we came across Tom at the top of the climb. He was riding dirt trails in the area and had just happened to be crossing the road as we arrived at the top of the climb.

My buddy is an old friend of Tom’s and he and Tom had earlier in the year spent a couple of weeks riding around Slovenia together. So there we are chatting away. As the conversation wound down both my friend and Tom started pointing to the ground where there happened to be a folded white dress shirt compressed flat and with tire tracks on it. Thus the bargaining began. My buddy and Tom are both road treasure hunters. They examined the shirt and deemed it worthy of taking. (To me it looked like a rag) my buddy won out and took it and we parted ways.

About a year later Tom passed me wearing a pair of army camouflage pants and I reminded him I was there when there were haggling over the shirt. Later my buddy sent me a photo of Tom having strapped a huge monkey wrench to his top tube that he had found out on the road.

My buddy and Tom are of that generation where they don’t thrown away any type of bike part, sew up torn jerseys and shorts, just keep patching tubes, etc. The day we ran into Tom his bike was a mishmash of components with unmatched front and rear wheels. Not quite what you’d expect from the owner of a major bike component company. But that’s how those old school guys roll.

Originally Posted by choke

On Sunday morning at NAHBS Denver, when I walked out of my hotel I was a few feet behind a couple of 20-somethings who were obviously on their way to the show. A bit before we came to an intersection Tom and his wife appeared from our left and waited for the light. They crossed maybe 15ft ahead of us and as we started to get closer to them the two ahead of me sped up and passed Tom, totally oblivious to his identity. I picked my pace up until I reached him and greeted Tom and his wife. I then said 'I had to laugh, those two had no idea who you are'. Tom chuckled and said 'I like it that way' and then asked me where I was from. We had a nice conversation the rest of the way to the show, maybe 15 minutes long, and never discussing bikes at all.

chapeau to you both

loved reading our posts

one NAHBS i got tom, gary and steve to be in the same pic...it was a mt rushmore sort of moment

fwiw Ive met greg a few times as well ... once with enr1co ... in my moment he made me feel like I was alone talking like an old friend...those guys are the real deal

[chismog]

Thanks everyone, for posting these replies today. I loved reading the personal stories.

I only got to wave to the man, but I knew my Paceline people would get it.