Well, he went down down down
And the devil said where you been
He went down down down
He was screamin’ down around the bend
Down down down
This boy went solid down
He was always cheatin’ and he always told lies
He was always cheatin’ and he always told lies
Down down down
This boy went solid down
He went down — “Down, Down, Down,” Tom Waits
Every circus needs a sideshow, and every sideshow needs a freak.
Imagine riding that bad boy at speed along America’s crumbling infrastructure with nothing between you and Allah but a little Lycra. And then go clean yourself up and change your underwear.
Meanwhile, after a month of waiting, Ritchey finally sent me a new fork for the road bike. That’s the good news. The bad news is that this one appears to be defective too. I’m awaiting a final evaluation from the wizards at Old Town, who have logged more time wrenching on these things than I have riding them, but fearing the worst I rang up my old buddy Brent Steelman at Steelman Cycles, and he has graciously agreed to build me a steel road fork with his very own hands.
In the meantime, if you’re riding a Ritchey Comp road fork I’d advise that you have your local shop check the sucker for evil spirits before launching your next Il Falco attack on the local alpine descent. Consider the potential for lower rebirth. You could come back as an Irish-American rumormonger of the cycling persuasion.
Mad Blog Media 
Heh. Just like old times. Zeus crankarms knocked from Campy Super Record, but Zeus took it a step further and drilled out the arms. Titanium fixing bolts that were so weak you had to install and seat the arms with your steel bolts, then replace them with the titanium ones. Whoops, don’t overtighten them or you’ll snap them off in the BB axle! The Teledyne Titan frameset that was only marginally stronger than the Viscount superlight cromoly frames that split down the seat tube. Makes me feel like an old gummer. Where’s that denture adhesive?
Patrick: Sorry to hear about your old and new Ritchey forks. Good to know y’all checked the new one before assembly. Just curious, did the bike shimmy when you rode it no-hands?
Every time I go to Steelman’s website, I just glaze over. That stuff is soooo beautiful.
I remember that stuff. A friend f mine had a 3 Rensho frame that built up to an 18 pounder- with a weight limit of 125 pounds. Not for me- I’ve always ben a Clydesdale. Seems like the search for the ultra-light will never cease…
What’s the history of your Ritchey fork problem; I never saw you post about it before. I guess I’m a little naive; I always thought Ritchey had sound products.
I once bought a used 1989 Porsche 951 Turbo that had a sticker price of about 50k in 1989 dollars, albeit I got it after considerable depreciation in 1997. It was a drop dead gorgeous and scary fast car that handled incredibly well, but ate my wallet year in and year out because it was optimized for speed and handling but not for reliability or easy maintenance. I eventually got real and sold it. There is something to be said for normalcy in this world.
Hm … maybe I haven’t described the Ritchey Fork Factor in detail here; I know I’ve e-mailed a few folks about it.
Long story short, I put the Ritchey on my DBR ti’ road bike earlier this year, replacing a WoundUp that was a little long in the tooth (the bike dates to 1994 and the fork to shortly thereafter). I had noticed some trouble riding the bike no-hands at low speed after the fork swap, but assumed the problem lay with me rather than anything mechanical.
Then after a few hundred gentle miles — no racing, and the bike has never seen a roof rack in this configuration — I got into a terrifying speed wobble at about 35 mph on a long, straight descent on the Air Force Academy, riding smooth asphalt, with a slight crosswind from the right. I got the bike back under control, took it to the shop, and was told the fork blades were 4mm askew to the left.
So off it goes, back to Ritchey, and a month later I get back a replacement fork with one dropout that’s 1.5mm below its neighbor. The guys are going to double-check it using another tool, but since two wrenches came up with the same figure on the first go-round, I’m not expecting a locally based human error.
I was surprised, too, having used Ritchey components without issue for years. This is my first experience with one of their forks, however, and it will also be my last. The perils of bargain-hunting, alas.
Ciao from Lost Wages, anus of the USA. I’ve been at Hinterbike all day and must say this has been probably the most underwhelming (does that make it the least whelming?)show I’ve been to. Walked most of the show floor today, looking for something interesting to photograph and put up on the CycleItalia blog. Not much so far. The “Chinese Shit Sucks” stickers, red with yellow lettering might be the highlight. The folks giving them away didn’t have their own name on them so I’ll leave out their identity. The other was Sidi’s buttons, making fun of the toaster-oven/vacu-form shoe gimmickry. One reads “Bake the pizza, not the shoes” and the other, “Fit to perfection, not baked to fit”. The sad note on this is the Italian shoe wizards have caved in and are offering two low-priced shoes made in ASIA! How much longer before we see a Made-in-Taiwan Ferrari? Back in the show hall tomorrow after attending the Campagnolo technical seminar, then it’s back home to Iowa to celebrate the wife’s birthday on Sunday.
…more $$$ than brains….
God am I glad I’m not in the bike business anymore
Happy birthday wishes to Heather.
Larry … Sidis from Asia? Say it ain’t so! I still have my lace-up Sidi cyclo-cross shoes from the good old days when men rode steel bikes with bar-end shifters, Mafac cantis and Lyotard pedals with double steel toeclips and leather straps. Most comfortable shoes I ever owned.
Meantime, happy b-day to the wife. I quit celebrating mine after 40 but I notice they keep coming around with disturbing regularity all the same.
I got out of the bike business 19 years ago. I couldn’t figure out how to make a living in it then, and I really can’t figure out how to make a living in it now. Cheaper labor + higher prices +/- exchange rates – marketing = fuck if I know.
@Larry: Do the Colnago Ferraris count?
As for the side show, I’ve built a few wheels in my day, and stupid high tension specs have always kept me away from Ti spokes. With carbon rims minus a few plies, I’m surprised those wheels made it out of the truing stand without someone losing a hand.
NO shit about the Asian SIDI shoes! I got it from their PR guy as he explained it to someone else. Sad indeed, eh? On the other hand, our friends (and Official Suppliers to CycleItalia) at Vittoria say they’re committed to Made-in-Italy and explained their factory is now solar-powered. They have a way-cool 1976 shoe that recalls the good ol’ daze. You can even have the classic looking upper with an SPD sole! Not much else of huge interest this year. I’m sitting in the SLC airport waiting to go home as I type this and can’t think of much else that would make anyone wish they were at the show unless you count meeting one’s Italian friends — which to me is the ONLY real reason to visit this thing these days.
How does something not for sale cost anything?