Tom Ritchey is a frame building legend. His ideas and, above all, his high-quality frames had a lasting influence on the sport of mountain biking like few others. Of course, the frames were made of steel. And, with a few exceptions, they still are today. We talked to him about the good old days and asked him about the future of steel as a frame material.
BIKE: What's the difference between a Ritchey P-series frame from 26 years ago and the Ritchey frames you're making in 2015?
Tom Ritchey: The P-series mountain bikes were launched 26 years ago in 1989 with the P-23. That was pretty much the beginning of the Logic story. Knowing the properties of steel and its advantages, we set ourselves the goal of producing a steel frame suitable for competition.
Because mountain bike races were really popular internationally at that time and were becoming increasingly popular. So it was more and more about technology and marketing. Many team riders from big brands were getting on new, oversized aluminium bikes that weighed around 25 pounds (11.25 kg).
When Don Myrah won the MTB World Championships in Mammoth on a Ritchey P-23, which was around 2 pounds (0.9 kg) lighter, it left a lasting impression. The bikes were celebrated because they proved that despite the futuristic aluminium that everyone was working with at the time, steel was still a wonderful material.
These bikes were revolutionary. Even today, the current Ritchey bikes hardly differ from those of the original P-series. Even back then, a lot of time was spent analysing strength, developing the ideal tube connections and heat treatment. The knowledge from back then is still in our frames today, only that we have made a few decisive improvements.
The new bikes have a heat-treated down tube that is slightly curved towards the head tube, very stable and light. This provides enough space for the fork crowns, and we achieve the same rigidity in the head tube area as with welded-in reinforcement plates - without having to accept the additional weight and the point load on the frame caused by the plates.
Combined with our forged head tube for integrated headsets, this results in a very stable, very light front end. Of course, we now also offer our P-series bikes in 27.5 inch (650b) and 29er. I was already aware of the advantages of larger wheels in the 1970s, but the world didn't seem ready. Until now.
The Ritchey Logic frame was a groundbreaking innovation compared to the rest of the market when it was introduced. What has changed with the latest version of your Logic tubes?
The new version of the Ritchey Logic tube set is almost the same as the original, with the exception of the larger tube diameter and the curved down tube. Few people realise how advanced the original Logic tubes were when they were developed. This left very little room for improvement.
When I developed the Logic tubes, I had already been building frames from existing tube sets for ten years, which were designed for lugged construction with traditional tube diameters and connection points and had remained virtually unchanged for over a century. No one had tried to rethink or optimise frame construction, especially fillet-brazing and TIG welding. Until I arrived.
The original Logic tubes became the new standard in steel frame construction. In practice, they proved themselves in use by the Ritchey team. Numerous other frame builders also used them for their bikes. The current tube set embodies everything I have learnt on my long journey and is probably the best steel tube set in the world.
What was your inspiration for the 2015 Ritchey steel bikes?
The evolution of different riding styles and the growing popularity of the new wheel sizes have definitely prompted me to bring out some of the new models you'll see in 2015 and beyond. The biggest change in the Ritchey line this year will be the tapered head tubes on the P-650b and P-29 and the soon to be released Timberwolf.
While the tapered head tubes are only new to a limited extent, the forged and subsequently machined version offers all the advantages of the tapered steerer tube in steel frame construction - without the typical increase in weight. In combination with the light, stable and heat-treated down tube and the rigid front end, this makes the most significant difference in our steel frame designs.
Carbon is now very common. Why would anyone still opt for a steel frame? Is it pure nostalgia?
Steel has so many advantages, even today. That's not nostalgia. Of course, carbon also has many advantages and very special properties that aluminium lacks. Carbon can be very strong and light at the same time, but it can also be made compact. This has always been a major challenge with aluminium. The major manufacturers have shown that carbon frames can be built that are very light and stiff at the same time. High rigidity and low weight are always good selling points on the market.
But when it comes to riding - the actual riding - a steel bike is simply hard to beat due to its riding characteristics. It's light, stiff and comfortable enough to perform well on long, rough trails. And then there are the size options, durability and cost.
As a performance material, steel has always set the bar for riding experience. Riding a good steel bike is coveted and every other frame material is compared to the ideal of steel. This is the reason why the material is so timeless and why riders will always reach for a steel frame.
Which bike do you ride the most and why?
I spend a lot of time with my wife on the tandem. But when I ride alone, I usually ride my P-650b with a rigid fork. It's this purist and direct riding experience that I love.
Ritchey offered TIG-welded frames in the 80s. Has the process of TIG welding (TIG: Tungsten Inert Gas, editor's note) with suppliers changed since then?
I have personally built thousands of frames with my own hands and have learnt a lot about steel frame construction in over 40 years of frame building. In 1985, I started working with other frame builders who were proficient in TIG welding. I trained them and we built frames together. The people my partners work with are unique. After 26 years, I can now say that I have taught some of the best frame builders in the world how to build a steel frame to Ritchey standards.
And they are getting better and better! Our latest bikes are beautiful, from the mitre to the welding and soldering quality, right down to the last line. I always keep an eye on what's going on, but the quality is so good that I don't really have to worry about the process - at least these days.
What does the future of steel for biking look like?
People are always trying to use materials like titanium and stainless steels to surpass the riding experience of the currently available steel tubesets. Titanium is considerably more expensive and only a little bit lighter, so it's not a relevant advance. Steel was already good 100 years ago, so good that it has hardly changed since then - a testament to how good the material really is. Good alloys and advances in cold forming have brought about the most significant improvements.
It is said that important advances have been made in metal research and processing in the Far East, which promise a whole new generation of steels - with properties that go far beyond what we know today. I'm already looking forward to building steel bikes from it soon.
Tom Ritchey, thank you very much for the interview.
