Tom Ritchey

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Tom Ritchey, born in 1956, is an American bicycle frame builder, racer, and founder of Ritchey Design. He’s known as a pioneer of modern frame building and the first major producer of mountain bikes. His frames and components have helped riders win major events like world championships, the Tour de France, and the Olympics. Ritchey was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 1988 and the US Bicycle Hall of Fame in 2012.

Growing up, Tom moved with his family to California in 1963. His father’s love of cycling inspired him, and Tom began learning to build and repair bikes as a child. He started racing at 14 and built his first racing frame in 1972. He developed a lightweight, strong way to make frames using fillet brazing and other techniques, and by 1979 he had built over a thousand frames.

In the late 1970s, Ritchey helped launch what would become the mountain bike boom. He and partners Joe Breeze and Otis Guy built early off-road bikes, and Ritchey’s workshop produced many of the first production mountain bikes. This work earned him the nickname “the GM of mountain bike frame companies.” After leaving that partnership in 1983, he started Ritchey Design, growing into a leading maker of off-road components as mountain biking exploded in the 1980s.

Beyond racing, Ritchey has supported people around the world. In 2005 he visited Rwanda and started Project Rwanda, a nonprofit to help with cycling development. He organized the Rwandan Wooden Bike Classic in 2006 and helped create Team Rwanda, distributing thousands of bikes with the help of NGOs to assist farmers and communities.

Ritchey’s innovations include advanced frame tubing ideas and lighter, stronger wheels with durable spokes. He has influenced many other builders in the bike world. He is married to Martha, has six children, and has six grandchildren.