The legendary framebuilder tells his life story in a book for the first time.

CLICK HERE to preorder now on Kickstarter

A teenage racer and framebuilding prodigy, at barely twenty-two years old Tom Ritchey defined what the modern mountain bike would be, and, under the watch words of strength, light weight, and high performance, went on to create a string of innovations in bicycle design.

After more than fifty years, he is a legend in the industry, and remains the sole product developer at Ritchey Design, the company he founded at the age of sixteen.

In ONE RIDE AWAY FROM FIGURING IT OUT, Ritchey will share a lifetime of insights on events that have shaped the bicycle as we know it today, looking back with humility and candor at the hard work and chance that helped him survive.

The book contains untold stories of his early life in the crucible of Bay Area innovation, riding road bikes off-road as a teenager, and the meeting with Joe Breeze that would spark a global mountain-biking revolution. He’ll share an insider’s perspective on the heady early days of mountain-bike racing and the highs and lows of business as American and Japanese companies took the bike industry by storm, as well as detail personal challenges and his reawakening of purpose in Rwanda.

It also features stunning photography from the Ritchey archives, key documents and catalogs, and new studio images of some of Tom’s most beautiful, influential and successful bicycles.

Full of wisdom and stories from one of the cycling world’s most original thinkers, who helped revolutionize how we ride bikes, ONE RIDE AWAY... is about bicycles, innovation, and how to survive in a fast-moving business—as well as the few crashes along the way.

PREORDER ONLY, DUE 2026.

Cover and spreads images are indicative and are subject to change.

PREORDER HERE, and follow along on Kickstarter!