Great, maybe we can set the record straight for anyone using this for reference in the future and I'm looking for help with what parts would be correct. I've used the Ritchey Project website
here for most of my research. I've also read a lot of forum comments on mtbr.com from Charlie Kelly who helped build these bikes.
My bike's serial number is 1R0161, it has what I believe (based on the battle scars) are original paint and decals. I believe it's a late 1981 produced in the period they were switching over from the "Ritchey" branding to the "Ritchey Mountainbikes" branding.
Below are pages from the first catalog year showing the "Ritchey Mountainbikes" branding, 1982. The Everest model was made on the custom "Mountainbikes I" frameset. The cheaper McKinley, Tamalpais and Sierra models were built on the standardized "Mountainbikes II" framesets. I've circled a few points to note:
1. Only the Everest frameset was available with a max 25" size; the size of my bike. The Mountainbikes II frameset had a max. size of 23"
2. Only the Everest was available in ten colors. My bike is the Firethorn Red color. The other models were only available in two colors: Metallic Blue or Dark Grey.
3. Only the Everest had the lightweight headtube resulting in the unique (to that model) top and bottom bumpouts in the headtube. The headtube on the cheaper Mountainbikes II frameset is straight from top to bottom.
4. Tom Ritchey only allowed custom frame options (extra water bottle mount, front rack drilling, rear rack braze-ons, mud flap bosses, full cable tunnels) on the Everest model. (mine has additional water bottle bosses and front rack drilling)
Finally, it's not noted in the catalog but only the Everest had a ring around the top of the seatpost, as mine has, which was to be a mounting point for a rubber seatpost boot they planned but never put into production.
If any of the above seems wrong to you let me know where you disagree, I've only got the Ritchey catalogs as a reference source.
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I'm not certain which parts you are referring to. I concede many of the components on my bike were changed out over the years as parts broke (it's a mountain bike after all) or were replaced with improved technology. I'm the second owner of this bike and don't have the original receipt so it's also possible the original owner only ordered an Everest frameset and built it up with whatever custom components he liked. But that wouldn't change the fact that it's an original Tom Ritchey built Everest.
The 1982 flyer below discusses Ritchey Bullmoose bars and indicates the bullmoose bars for the Everest would have been clamped however there also seems some room for a stembolt/wedge option being made available as well. Remember that the Everest was a custom ordered bike and I'm pretty sure that option would have been allowed if a customer paying $1500 in '82 requested it. Again though, my bike had it's handlebar area modified so we'll never know how it was ordered.
I haven't represented this bike as an NOS, Original equipment only bike, far from it, as parts were changed by the previous (1st) owner. I'd like to make it closer to original and if you can tell me which SunTour thumbies were the correct model I'd change them out(I don't think the SunTour XCs were right either). I'm looking for Magura clutch levers, I had the heavy motorcycle cabling installed when I recently replaced it so it's ready to go. I'm considering going to the original Huret and Simplex derailleurs but have to decide if I want originality (and the related $500 expense) or the derailleurs it carries now that reportedly work better. I'm also patiently waiting for a clean Avocet Touring II saddle to become available as well as some actual Ritchey bullmoose bars to replace the Nitto bullmoose bars, but they don't come up often. I've given up on a Ritchey clamp-on stem as it appears those were brazed into the steertube and would require a color matching, 25" headtube fork, a near impossibility.
I'm happy and proud to have the bike, it rides awesome since I've rehabbed it and I can overlook the non-OE components while I wait to find out what is "correct" and wait for those parts to become available. I'd like to hear what your thoughts are on the bike or Ritchey Everests in general since you were around back in the day. Maybe you can also give me some direction as to what you would change most if you owned it, that would be helpful and I'd appreciate that.
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