The Ritchey Project

I remember having to get a bike before my first year of university at the University of Waterloo. I wanted some thing which I could use not only getting back-and-forth to class but also that I could use on the trails if I ever got some time off from school. I went down to a bike shop that unfortunately no longer is around called bike energy and they suggested I take a look at this Force Comp. I remember being pretty excited and little nervous as I don’t think I’ve spent this much on a bike before that time. I recall it being around $1100 which back in 1988 was a lot of money for somebody just starting university. Although if you think about it over the last 30 or so years it really only comes out to about $33 per year which is a pretty good deal if you ask me I’ve done several modifications but the basic framing components still work perfectly. I’ve changed from the original knobby tires to a Kenda cross tire which has a war Street profile for commuting. I have graded the original supposed to one with a slight compression damper as well as changed seat. I also changed the stem to one which was taller so that I did not have to get into such an aggressive position for commuting Finally, a few years ago I brought it to a local bike shop to ask if I should replace it with some thing else and they said actually all the components are operating perfectly so as long as it still fits your needs we really don’t have to modify it in anyway. I think that’s a great testament to the longevity of these bikes