mtb-timeline

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<div column 50% #intro>
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===== 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.
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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]])).
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{{rb.jpg?440|Ridgeback}}
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Ridgeback today
[[https://www.facebook.com/RidgebackBikes|facebook]]
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<div column 50% #s1983>
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===== 1983 Ridgeback =====

The picture of their first mountain bike to the right, supplied by Ridgeback, appears to match their 1984 Ridgeback XT catalog.

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{{1983.png?300|1983 Ridgeback XT}}
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1983 Ridgeback XT
[[https://www.ridgeback.co.uk/media/catalogues/ridgeback/2012_catalogue.pdf|ridgeback]]

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<div column 50% #s1984>
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===== 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]]


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{{1984.jpg?300|1984 Ridgeback XT}}
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1984 Ridgeback XT
[[https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/first-uk-production-mtb-a-ridgeback.260739/page-10|retrobike]]

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<div column 50% #s1985>
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===== 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/]]))


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{{1985.jpg?300|1985 Ridgeback 531}}
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1985 Ridgeback 531
[[https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/wanted-ridgeback-catalogues-upgrade-or-original.370228/|retrobike]]

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<div column 50% #s1986>
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===== 1986 Ridgeback S =====

Budget, half-price version of standard Ridgeback.
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[[https://www.disraeligears.co.uk/site/dnp_derailleurs.html|DNP]] Climber derailleur.  Impossible to date.

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{{1986.jpg?300|1986 Ridgeback S}}
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1986 Ridgeback S
[[https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/1986-ridgeback-s.421933/|retrobike]]

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<div column 50% #s1987>
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===== 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.


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{{1987.jpg?300|1987 Ridgeback 531}}
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1987 Ridgeback 531
[[https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/1986-ridgeback-s.421933/|retrobike]]

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<div column 50% #s1989>
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===== 1989 Ridgeback 601 SIS =====

Low end Shimano Exage Country derailleurs.

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{{1989.jpg?300|1989 Ridgeback 601 SIS}}
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1989 Ridgeback 601 SIS
[[https://deadrats.co.uk/2019/11/13/1989-ridgeback-601-sis/|deadrats]]
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<div column 50% #s1990>
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===== 1990 Ridgeback 703DX =====

1990 Catalog shot.
Full Shimano Deore DX groupset.  Tange Prestige tubing.


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{{1990.jpg?300|1990 Ridgeback 703DX}}
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1990 Ridgeback 703DX
[[https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/ridgeback-1990-catalogue.203313/|retrobike]]
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<div column 50% #s1991>
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===== 1991 Ridgeback 700LX =====

Exage 400LX and 300LX front and rear derailleurs.


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{{1991.jpg?300|1991 Ridgeback 700LX}}
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1991 Ridgeback 700LX
[[https://www.shpock.com/en-gb/i/XrKaTUHSg0iiNjjx/retro-1991-ridgeback-700-mtb|shpok]]
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<div column 50% #s1992>
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===== 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)


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{{1992.jpg?300|1992 Ridgeback 707RS}}
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1992 Ridgeback 707RS
[[https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/1992-ridgeback-catalogue.221780/|retrobike]]
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