Ritchey Tom

Updated 11.5.2015

Starting in 1974, Tom Ritchey, frame-builder, component and tire designer, co-founder of the
first mountain bike company, has also been a road bike builder throughout his career.

Many pics courtesy Omar

Ritchey road frame circa 1973

Early track bike

“….Tom Ritchey frame that he built for me during the Christmas break of 1973/1974 when he was a junior (I think) in high school. His dad was a machinist, and their garage was a machine shop. One of my friends (Mark Crane) knew Tom and suggested that I get a frame from him. I am guessing that this is one of the first 5 or 10 frames that he had built (in fact, I only knew of 1-2 other frames that he had built before this one — one of the previous frames was a yellow, I think, one that he rode in races). The frame was repainted by Brian Baylis in 2004. I had gotten some older decals from Ritchey for this frame. The original frame did not, of course, have any decals, as it was made before he took up framebuilding as a career.”

Jim Kadonaga

Tom Ritchey's Dad's bike 1974

Palo Alto catalog page 1979

Bridgestone catalog 1993

Noah Gellner's Ritchey~Palo Alto road bike

"Tom Ritchey in his Own Words"

“…so that hearsay would be replaced with the true facts and history.” HERE