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1980 Ritchey Mountain Bikes

After Tom Ritchey created the initial batch of bikes for the MountainBikes shop owned by Charles Kelly and Gary Fisher in 1979, he continued to produce a small number of bikes which did not receive serial numbers.  This included the ignominious bikes with forks that were made too long as well as the bike on this page, which was likely produced some time in 1980. In the busy year that followed, hundreds of Ritchey Everest models would be sold through the shop, with characteristic details such as reinforcement sleeves on the seattubes with a ring, forks with angled biplanes with an upper that protruded on the sides, and serial numbers which included an "R".  By contrast, this pristine example from 1980 lacks all of these details. The top of the seattube makes a smooth, fillet-brazed transition with the toptube.  The fork has a top plane which is straight and finished flush with the sides of the legs.  Custom "MountainBikes" decals on the rims are the only indication of where the bike was sold.  Incredibly, soft goods such as the women's-specific saddle, foam grips, and Snakebelly tires are original to the bike.  Based on the small handful of these bikes known to exist today, it seems likely that far less than 100 of these were made that year, and service to indicate how rapidly the mountain bike would developed.

The Build

Year: 1980
S/N: N/A
Frame: Ritchey Mountain Bikes
Fork: Ritchey Bi-plane
Stem: Ritchey Bullmoose
Headset: Campagnolo Nuovo Record
Bottom Bracket: Cartridge Bearing
Handlebar: Ritchey Bullmoose
Shifters: Suntour Mighty Click
Front Derailleur: Suntour Compe V
Rear Derailleur: Huret Duopar
Brake Levers: Magura Motorcycle "Shortie"
Front Brake: Mafac Tandem
Rear Brake: Mafac Tandem
Crankset: T. A. Specialties
Chainrings: T. A. Specialties 26-36-46
Pedals: MKS BMX-7
Hubs: Phil Wood Cartridge Bearing
Rims: Ukai 26 x 1.75
Tires: Cycle Pro Snakebelly 26 x 2.125
Wheel QR: Phil Wood Bolt-on
Seatpost: SR Laprade
Seatpost QR: Campagnolo Nuovo Record
Saddle: Avocet Touring WII
Grips: Grab-On Plain Foam
Cogs: Suntour Winner Freewheel
Chain: Sedis
Bottle Cage: T. A. Sepecialties
Pump: Silca Impero

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