This sweet relic from 1982 rolled into the shop a few days ago. It had been sitting in a woodshed for the past 10 years, still owned by the original owner. Cables were frozen and the paint’s not looking the greatest. But, it’s still a classic 1982 Ritchey Mountain Bike. The pressed in cartridge bearings were still smooth. The rubber covers of the Tomaselli Racer brake levers were still in outstanding condition. The TA cranks were in great shape. Basically, the bike was still a great bike that could continue to be a nice rider for many more years.
I stripped off all the cables and casings, cleaned up the frame, scoured as much of the grime off the derailleurs, brakes, and cranks to make it presentable and then re-cabled it. Rides great!
And the Pièce de résistance. All this so that it can go to the dogs. Meet Bailey’s new ride.
And for all you nit-pickers, yes, the cable ferrules are a little undersized for the stops, there’s rust on the seat pin QR, there’s a front tire on back and a back tire up front…
(What’s playing: Muddy Waters Long Distance Call)
Cool! Love the old aesthetic. There was just a great balance to the look of those early mountain bikes that seems to be lost now.
FWIW: We used to put Panaracer Smokes on the fronts of our rigs out here in the late 80’s early 90’s because they provided better braking into corners.
Nice nice bike. What is the headset?
Shimano 600 EX.
that fork is a beaut!
“Rides great!”
Can we please see some pictures of you riding this with your knee caps up near your ears? haha.
Those tankish Cheng Shins are kinda killlin’ it for me. 🙂 Great bike though. Find me a 21″ that same age, please.
GAH! I am constantly amazed by all these vintage rides that come through your shop. Are they drawn there by some cosmic force? Who knows. Only in Marin, though, that’s for sure!
I think I want your job…getting paid to fix up classic bikes! 🙂