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ridgeback:start [2021/08/21 21:21] – created gchandlerridgeback:start [2022/05/20 14:31] (current) – mtbtimeline
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-asdfasdf+<div column 50% #intro> 
 +---- 
 +===== Ridgeback ===== 
 + 
 +Ridgeback was founded in London by South African Errol Drew in 1983 who, after spotting his first mountain bike in New York in 1982, stated: //"This is the future of cycling".//  Prior to this Drew owned London's Beta Bike Shop and the Madison Distribution Company which published the [[https://www.freewheel.co.uk/about-us|Freewheel]] Catalogue.  Ridgeback was created in 1983 to bring mountain bikes produced in Japan((Or Taiwan?  Early models seem to be made in various locations - with TIG welding or lugs and various country stamps)) into the UK.  ((Info from [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ridgeback_(brand)|wikipedia]], [[https://www.ridgeback.co.uk/about|Ridgeback]], [[https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/first-uk-production-mtb-a-ridgeback.260739/|retrobike]]))  Today Drew runs [[https://designbydelta.com/|Delta Cycles]], a bike parts distribution company in Massachusetts. 
 +\\ 
 + 
 +Ridgeback was the first mass produced mountain bike sold in the UK, predating the [[sng:start#s1983|S&G Muddy Fox]].  Their claim that they are //Europe's// first mass produced mountain bike may only be correct in that earlier European mountain bikes didn't sell as well: [[schauff:start|Schauff]], [[centurion:start|Centurion]], [[bianchi:start|Bianchi]] or [[puch:start|Puch]].   [[raleigh:start|Raleigh]] produced mountain bikes starting in 1982, but sold them only in the US ((US Raleighs in 1982+ were made by [[huffy:start|Huffy]])). 
 +\\ 
 + 
 +</div> 
 + 
 +<div column 45%> 
 +{{rb.jpg?440|Ridgeback}} 
 +\\ 
 +Ridgeback today 
 +[[https://www.facebook.com/RidgebackBikes|facebook]] 
 +</div> 
 + 
 +<div column 50% #s1983> 
 +---- 
 +===== 1983 Ridgeback ===== 
 + 
 +The picture of their first mountain bike to the right, supplied by Ridgeback, appears to match their 1984 Ridgeback XT catalog. 
 + 
 +</div> 
 + 
 +<div column 45%> 
 +{{1983.png?300|1983 Ridgeback XT}} 
 +\\ 
 +1983 Ridgeback XT 
 +[[https://www.ridgeback.co.uk/media/catalogues/ridgeback/2012_catalogue.pdf|ridgeback]] 
 + 
 +</div> 
 + 
 + 
 +<div column 50% #s1984> 
 +---- 
 + 
 +===== 1984 Ridgeback XT ===== 
 + 
 +**XT** to advertise Shimano's deer head gracing the Ridgeback's derailleurs.  The next model down was the STD, shown below. **//STD//** should already have been marketing anathema by 1983, but perhaps in this early pre-AIDS awareness age, "std" simply meant "standard", which Ridgeback thought was a solid, dependable image to attract people dissuaded by mountain biking's unconventional hippy reputation. 
 + 
 +{{1984cat.jpg?200|1984 Ridgeback STD}} 
 +1984 Ridgeback STD [[https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/first-uk-production-mtb-a-ridgeback.260739/page-6|retrobike]] 
 + 
 + 
 +</div> 
 + 
 +<div column 45%> 
 +{{1984.jpg?300|1984 Ridgeback XT}} 
 +\\ 
 +1984 Ridgeback XT 
 +[[https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/first-uk-production-mtb-a-ridgeback.260739/page-10|retrobike]] 
 + 
 +</div> 
 + 
 + 
 +<div column 50% #s1985> 
 +---- 
 + 
 +===== 1985 Ridgeback 501/531 ===== 
 + 
 +Presumably Shimano told Ridgeback to cease and desist appropriating their XT brand reputation.  In 1985, after discovering that STD wasn't the best association, they tried transferring some of [[https://www.reynoldstechnology.biz/|Reynolds]] credibility into their lineup with the introduction of the 501 and 531 model numbers, using Reynolds 501 & 531 tubing.  Funny, none of their bikes from this time bore the Reynolds [[https://h-lloyd-cycles.myshopify.com/collections/reynolds|decals]].  Ridgeback dropped Reynolds ((Or the other way around - hey, it's just numbers?)) a couple of years later.  ((To be fair, Ridgeback restarted using Reynolds a decade later and proudly put their stickers on their downtubes.  See: [[https://www.facebook.com/RidgebackBikes/photos/915572898466415/]])) 
 + 
 + 
 +</div> 
 + 
 + 
 +<div column 45%> 
 +{{1985.jpg?300|1985 Ridgeback 531}} 
 +\\ 
 +1985 Ridgeback 531 
 +[[https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/wanted-ridgeback-catalogues-upgrade-or-original.370228/|retrobike]] 
 + 
 +</div> 
 + 
 +<div column 50% #s1986> 
 +---- 
 + 
 +===== 1986 Ridgeback S ===== 
 + 
 +Budget, half-price version of standard Ridgeback. 
 +\\ 
 + 
 +[[https://www.disraeligears.co.uk/site/dnp_derailleurs.html|DNP]] Climber derailleur.  Impossible to date. 
 + 
 +</div> 
 + 
 + 
 +<div column 45%> 
 +{{1986.jpg?300|1986 Ridgeback S}} 
 +\\ 
 +1986 Ridgeback S 
 +[[https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/1986-ridgeback-s.421933/|retrobike]] 
 + 
 +</div> 
 + 
 + 
 +<div column 50% #s1987> 
 +---- 
 + 
 +===== 1987 Ridgeback 531 ===== 
 + 
 +1987 Freewheel Catalog shot.  £389.50 in 1987 == £940 in 2022, or $1174 in today dollars.  Not cheap.  However, they saved money by using out of date parts.  Full Shimano Deore 700, which was **three** years out of production by this point 
 +and already superseded by two groupset iterations. 
 + 
 + 
 +</div> 
 + 
 + 
 +<div column 45%> 
 +{{1987.jpg?300|1987 Ridgeback 531}} 
 +\\ 
 +1987 Ridgeback 531 
 +[[https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/1986-ridgeback-s.421933/|retrobike]] 
 + 
 +</div> 
 + 
 +<div column 50% #s1989> 
 +---- 
 + 
 +===== 1989 Ridgeback 601 SIS ===== 
 + 
 +Low end Shimano Exage Country derailleurs. 
 + 
 +</div> 
 + 
 + 
 +<div column 45%> 
 +{{1989.jpg?300|1989 Ridgeback 601 SIS}} 
 +\\ 
 +1989 Ridgeback 601 SIS 
 +[[https://deadrats.co.uk/2019/11/13/1989-ridgeback-601-sis/|deadrats]] 
 +</div> 
 + 
 + 
 + 
 +<div column 50% #s1990> 
 +---- 
 + 
 +===== 1990 Ridgeback 703DX ===== 
 + 
 +1990 Catalog shot. 
 +Full Shimano Deore DX groupset.  Tange Prestige tubing. 
 + 
 + 
 +</div> 
 + 
 + 
 +<div column 45%> 
 +{{1990.jpg?300|1990 Ridgeback 703DX}} 
 +\\ 
 +1990 Ridgeback 703DX 
 +[[https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/ridgeback-1990-catalogue.203313/|retrobike]] 
 +</div> 
 + 
 + 
 + 
 +<div column 50% #s1991> 
 +---- 
 + 
 +===== 1991 Ridgeback 700LX ===== 
 + 
 +Exage 400LX and 300LX front and rear derailleurs. 
 + 
 + 
 +</div> 
 + 
 + 
 +<div column 45%> 
 +{{1991.jpg?300|1991 Ridgeback 700LX}} 
 +\\ 
 +1991 Ridgeback 700LX 
 +[[https://www.shpock.com/en-gb/i/XrKaTUHSg0iiNjjx/retro-1991-ridgeback-700-mtb|shpok]] 
 +</div> 
 + 
 + 
 +<div column 50% #s1992> 
 +---- 
 + 
 +===== 1992 Ridgeback 707RS ===== 
 + 
 +1992 Catalog shot. 
 +Al frame, full XTR, unknown PowerFork RS3 shocks ((No internet evidence of an RS3 fork existing.  Perhaps relabeled for Ridgeback?)) 
 +26.5 pounds. 
 +£1595 ($3700 in 2022 dollars) 
 + 
 + 
 +</div> 
 + 
 + 
 +<div column 45%> 
 +{{1992.jpg?300|1992 Ridgeback 707RS}} 
 +\\ 
 +1992 Ridgeback 707RS 
 +[[https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/1992-ridgeback-catalogue.221780/|retrobike]] 
 +</div> 
ridgeback/start.1629606062.txt.gz · Last modified: by gchandler