Retro Ridgeback gallery and video walkthrough

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2023 marks Ridgeback’s 40th anniversary and Madison had a bunch of retrobike beauties on display at their recent iceBike* trade show. For those who couldn’t attend the show, here’s our gallery and video for your delectation.

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Orange Switch 6er. Stif Squatcher. Schwalbe Magic Mary Purple Addix front. Maxxis DHR II 3C MaxxTerra rear. Coil fan. Ebikes are not evil. I have been a writer for nigh on 20 years, a photographer for 25 years and a mountain biker for 30 years. I have written countless magazine and website features and route guides for the UK mountain bike press, most notably for the esteemed and highly regarded Singletrackworld. Although I am a Lancastrian, I freely admit that West Yorkshire is my favourite place to ride. Rarely a week goes by without me riding and exploring the South Pennines.

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Viewing 10 posts - 1 through 10 (of 10 total)
  • Retro Ridgeback gallery and video walkthrough
  • mtbfix
    Full Member

    There’s a chap local to me riding what looks like a late 80s Ridgeback as his daily. I’m always a little envious when I see it. Not that is have thanked you for a Ridgeback back in my youth.

    Posted 1 year ago
    P20
    Full Member

    Don’t think they’re discs. They’re roller brakes

    Posted 1 year ago
    teethgrinder
    Full Member

    I’m sure they did a Ti bike back in 89-90. Think it was even Merlin fabricated. Really, really nice kit for the time.

    Posted 1 year ago
    andyspaceman
    Full Member

    Love the colour of that ’83 Standard. The head angle is fairly progressive looking too. If only the reach were longer and seat angle steeper, we could have fast-forwarded 40 years of evolution!

    Posted 1 year ago
    Jerm
    Full Member

    I still have the video and book of Nick Crane and two others riding the length of the Atlas Mountains on early Ridgebacks. Great stuff.

    Posted 1 year ago
    timf
    Full Member

    Re “We wonder if that bike shop is still there in Reigate..?”

    Thre family retired a few yesrs back and sold the shop to Balfies Bikes.

    In my childhood the finch family had two shops side by side an electrical goods shop and bicycle and moped shop. One son ran the bike shop and te other the electrical shop. The electrical shop closed sometime in the late 1980’s.

    I still have the 5 speed Falcon flat bar Super tourist I purchased from Finch’s when i was 16, currenly in storeage in my loft.

    Posted 1 year ago
    oily76
    Full Member

    Reminds me of my 1990 701LX. I rode it for years then got it resprayed in Ritchey-alike colours and got some lovely kit for it when my parents gave me some cash for my GCSE results. It was beautiful. Then my brother ‘borrowed’ it when he was late for college and left it unlocked and it got nicked. Still remember the feeling when I found out.

    Posted 1 year ago
    Dickyboy
    Full Member

    I’ve just “inherited” an old Ridgeback from a mate who passed away before Xmas, it’s got quite chunky rather than tapered forks so the plan is to retromod it with disc brakes etc fit a front pizza rack and use it as a pub bike 🙂

    Posted 1 year ago
    centripedal
    Free Member

    Nice! The Orange/Grey Ridgeback 601GS in the blurred manual caught my eye, looks like my first MTB. I can recall the exact feel of those Airgrips – through Pittards leather – jumpers for goalposts, happy days. I sold mine eventually to a schoolfriend. Replaced with a Raleigh steel road bike. I took the road bike to Uni with me for commuting, and appropriated my brothers Red/Yellow Ridgeback 601SIS for bimbling about on. I guess it wound up at the Recycling Centre about 2003.

    Posted 1 year ago
    winston2005
    Full Member

    First Mountain Bike was a Ridgeback 607 ’87 model I think. Biopace Chainset, Araya Rims, kenda tyres, shimano ‘light action’ derailleur
    Did well on it until crashing into a stone wall and ‘shearing’ the front brake mount off.

    Posted 1 year ago
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