|
A Bike for a Plane, or a Plane for a Bike? |
The Ritchey Break-Away Bike is often touted as "revolutionizing the travel-bike industry." While it seems this would be something Ritchey took pride in, it's actually hard to accept. The bike is so amazingly functional, that for Break-Away owners who ride and race their Break-Aways, it's just their road bike, and doesn't even fit into the travel-bike category. Tom Ritchey is no exception. He is and always has been, an elite level cyclist, and a purist. He wants the same quality of bike to ride that professional riders would use and race on. But…he loves to travel, and that's why the Break-Away was created; a true road bike that Tom ingeniously manufactured to disassemble in minutes into a small case that can easily be carried by hand. Tom is a world traveler who will go to great lengths to satisfy his desire to ride and explore, and planes are number one when it comes to scouting new territory and getting to remote locations. "I always wanted to be a pilot, I wanted to have the freedom of flying for efficiency and transportation. It's fun to cruise along the coast at 200 feet above the water and look for whales. But I mainly fly to scout out trails and look for roads I haven't ridden before. From a small plane you can see how dirt roads interconnect with places you've been, where you've wondered where that road went." Tom's first plane was a Sky Arrow, which is an Italian designed, carbon-fiber-kit experimental plane. It is completely carbon fiber and very light, with two-person tandem seating. It was designed for slow flight, 100 knot cruising and short runway spaces and is perfect for getting on and off remote dirt runways in northern California. It has a unique 400-mile range, which transports Tom to southern Cal and Nevada. "There are a lot of places that are difficult to drive or ride to, but if you can get there by plane you can be more spontaneous about going on rides. That was why I made the original plane decision. Fitting a bike into that plane was a big desire for Break-Away product development. That plane does not easily take a bike, it barely fits the Break-Away, so it was cool that it worked out." In addition to using a plane to fulfill riding passions, it's proved more than useful for business. With an international business in 50 different countries, and professional sponsorships spanning the globe, Tom's responsibilities take him far and wide. For international needs he of course uses commercial flight, but in the U.S. and especially throughout the west, Tom has realized the amazing efficiency of a personal plane. The need for more space has grown however, leading to the recent purchase of a larger plane. Owing to the revolutionary that Tom is however, he didn't settle for just any average plane, just like he would never settle for any average bike product. "The new plane is called an Express, and I can see myself owning it for the next 20 years because of it's technology, design, speed, distance, range, amount of people it can hold.  Tom building the new Express It's got almost 2,000 miles of range, has a fully wet wing with a 142-gallon tank. It's got a new technology Continental IO 550 engine, which is the first engine that's come along in a long time that uses modern engine technology and ignition systems to manage the spark and timing. There's a lot of aviation technology through the experimental category of plane design that's come about in the last ten years, but also improved engine designs. The new high-tech avionics technology where computers are part of your onboard systems and carbon fiber design props add up to a plane that has about twice the range that other planes have had in the past but can still carry full loads. And of course the Break-Away was a consideration for buying the plane. I actually built a custom size door that can take the largest section of the Break-Away, and gives me the ability to put the bike in through that cargo door behind the two rear seats and not go in the other main to the plane." The design of the Express is more for corporate travel and Tom's west coast business that requires him getting to Colorado, Moab, Seattle and southern California. Those trips in a plane like the Express are impressively efficient, with no lines to wait in for tickets or baggage. There are faster planes available, but it travels at close to 200 knots, which is about 230 mph. It can take 4-5 people and a couple of bikes and it can fly in difficult conditions. It's IFR equipped which means it can fly in the clouds and at nighttime. IT has safety equipment in it to know where traffic and storms are, which Tom's other plane does not have. It has GPS and autopilot so plane can fly itself or fly much more efficiently with less distraction to the pilot. "Another reason why I wanted to build this plane is I wanted to use the building of composites to understand composites more and increase my skill set. The use of composite construction to possibly make bike parts such as saddles and things I couldn't previously prototype is a big part of why I wanted to build this plane and learn higher-level fabrication structure techniques." Tom himself is a low-time student pilot, but benefits from the flying prowess of Ritchey COO John Frechette. John is an instructor commercial pilot who has been flying for 30 years. Next on Tom's docket is a plane that could do away with most of his commercial flying in the states and aid the company significantly. He recently returned from Florida where he purchased an experimental, 6-passenger plane called the Super Stallion. Along with transporting more passengers, this plane has an interesting design for a cargo door that opens up on the whole side of the plane and could take something as large as a motorcycle. Owing up to his notoriety for quality, he's got his hands in the actual building of this plane as well; it will be ready for flight in the Summer of 2005. So don't be surprised if on your next flight across America, you are passed by a plane whose mustached pilot is controlling a yoke made from Ritchey WCS Carbon Bars!  The new Super Stallion |