Rebuilding Matt's Ritchey Ascent

This bike restoration rebuild is a thank you to all the school teachers out there, and specifically to Matt. It was awesome working on another vintage Ritchey Ascent from the 80's. They are such great bikes.
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The decals for this build were from Velocals - bit.ly/3vamwKp
Music from Epidemic Sound bit.ly/30pwbOZ
Falling Down - by Loving Caliber

[@thisismycoment3251]

I was bullied by teachers at school for been dyslexic and autistic left school at 14 because of its never got help no grades but had 1 teacher that tried there hardest to get me help I'm 34 now and still have no help but fixing bikes and stuff like your KZbin channel helps to deal with the stress and depression so thank you for all you do sorry for the long post just shering my story love you're work 😊

[@oldshovel]

Thank you for sharing your story and I am sorry you were bullied. I also had dyslexia and struggled greatly in school as did Matt who I did this restoration for. It was because of those struggles Matt chose to be a teacher. I was blessed to have some really good teachers who helped me a lot but I also had a few that also did not understand, and regularly yell at me and regularly humiliated me in front of the class so I also feel your pain.

[@thisismycoment3251]

@@oldshovel you seem a great guy and very caring to i think in England thay just don't know how to deal with people with these kind of issues but I do have a grate family support wich helps alot thank you for taking the time to read what I wrote means a lot from you 😏😊

[@Sokolva]

My first mountain bike (and first "adult" bike) which I built with my dad in 2002 when I first started middle school in about 4th or 5th grade, was literally an exercise in giving new life to things, and still is to this day. My dad was a really passionate mountain biker in the 80s and 90s, and some of my earliest memories was him taking me out in the mountain trails of Arizona in the little kid seat attached to his mountain bike so I could ride with him through the mountains and trails nearby our house. He used the parts and odds and ends from all those old bikes to build my bike, with the only new part being the beautiful blue Jamis Durango Sport XS frame and blue Viscount bike seat to match. He thought it would be my first "youth" mountain bike and that I'd outgrow it, but being a small woman that never grew much beyond my middle school years, when it came time to get me a bike for college all we had to do was tweak the bike up and raise the seat and it fit me perfectly, just like it had on the trails when I was younger. In its current form, which hasn't changed since that day when I took it with me to college, it is a mishmash of all sorts of parts, from some of the earliest carbon fiber handlebars that he used to ride when I was a baby, to his 90s Manitou 3 fork. The bushings inside the Manitou were literally so old that had completely frozen and dissolved, so he took some springs out of another bike's shocks that he had scrapped and we worked through the night to build a new amalgamation of a fork from that that actually works really well. I absolutely love my bike, which I christened "Jay" for short, because it is blue and white and black, like the beautiful bird. It is light and agile, and I was absolutely crushed when the front tire was stolen one night while I stopped on the way back from working late at the school. My dad once again helped me replace the tire with one of his old ones, and I got a much better bike chain and security after that experience. Someone else at the school slashed my back bike tire while I was in class, and I had no choice but to sadly replace it with a much lower quality new one that I could afford at the local bike shop. Over the years I've taken care of this bike, kept it tuned up, and cleaned and oiled it regularly. I ride it all the time and those times building the bike with my dad are such good memories that I want to continue to learn more about bikes now in my adulthood. Since COVID, everyone in my fiancee's family want to get into bike riding, so my fiancee and I have been learning and watching videos, fixing them up the bikes they acquire and getting them into riding shape, even though a few are quite rough and have a lot of problems. My fiancee and I ride together every single night when we get off from our online jobs; me working at the University as I get my PhD, and him working with computers. I recently found out my dad is using his last mountain bike build, which he assembled during the same time period as we built mine, to hit the trails beside his house. Giving old things new life, spending the time to work with them in fix them, and call them worthy through your time and care, is one of the most important things we can do. It is an action that speaks great hope, not merely in objects, but in life. Taking the time to fix things, to make them last, to restore them, is an assertion, on the most basic level, that our lives, our time on this earth, and our beloved gifts are worth investing in and caring for. My bike means so much more to me than any new bike from a bike shop possibly could, because every piece of it is a memory of my dad and me, sitting in his bike shop, assembling my perfect bike out of parts we restored and cared for, and built, so this value is something I can attest to first hand as someone who grew up after receiving such a gift, and still loves and treasures it to this day.

[@ВладимирБатраков-з2к]

Thank you

[@walthansen6333]

It is SO nice to see someone doing a refurb video and doing it the way it's suppose to be done. You've got standards and skills.

[@mtbadventuresnikuyajay8216]

Wow! Salute to all teachers, without you we are nothing. 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

[@oldshovel]

Agreed

[@georgekell2344]

The right or wrong one can make or break ya

[@nathansharp3193]

I grinned big at the end! You took a $50-75 bike and turned it into something that I wouldn't trade for a new $1200 city bike. There's just not many bikes at the $1200 price range that have fenders and a basket with components that I would compare to the old Deores XT. $1200 is the absolute least that bike could be replaced with something new from a shop. Pro tip: (the only thing I'm surprised you didn't do) Put a sheet of sandpaper on a flat surface and sand the brake pads when you have them off the frame. The stuff you'll find in brake pads is gnarlier than the stuff in jockey pulleys. The pads will wear faster (from sanding), but the rims will be much happier and the braking action will be improved until the pads glaze over again.

[@sumotofu]

I didn't know that quiet bike rebuild project videos were the thing that I needed in my life.

[@MrMoppeh]

Hey man. Thought i'd drop a comment to say how great your videos are, and how i've been helped out by the process of rebuilding my own bike. My gf of 8 years ended things just over a month ago and i've been getting by 1 day at a time with depression. Speaking to a friend last week, he mentioned he was fixing up an old "rat" bike. I realised my dad's bike, an early 90's raleigh MTB (built in Nottingham, England, my hometown) was the perfect candidate for a project of my own. It had been stuck in our garage for over a decade, used only when my road bike was in for repairs, but because of this neglect, it was in really good condition. After watching a few of your videos I was fully inspired, and I set to work stripping the bike down, cleaning the components one by one, and ordering the tools & parts needed to convert it into a single speed. Working on the bike in the garage with a beer, the smell of grease, that satisfying feeling of tightening a nut along a perfect thread, ( or finally loosening a particularly stuck one), and watching these videos of the process has been like therapy, infact i'd say better than the therapy sessions i've been to. I have something to look forwards to doing each day again, and I can't wait to see how the finished product looks and rides. All the best & thanks for putting the time and effort into these great vids & rebuilds

[@oldshovel]

Neil, thanks for sharing your story. There is something therapeutic about restoring a bike. Awesome awesomeness.

[@byrondot]

Lovely work done with that beauty. I don't know if this happens to other people that watch your videos, but each time I press play on a video made by you, I know that I'll be watching a nice story and I enjoy second by second all that you do. Big hug, and thank you.

[@oldshovel]

Thanks 🙏

[@AngelJul]

Yes, this happens to other people like myself! Love the stories and the restorations. I have already said in other video, I can feel the love Old Shovel puts on his work. Big hug from here too!

[@rocco.mbb.zoccoli]

Nice start to a Sunday, an oldshovel edit and some coffee on the patio before the kids woke up. #winning

[@nawaal4452]

You didn't only give the bike a new life, you resurrected it and made it 100 times better You're a legend! Your videos are like therapy ❤️

[@oldshovel]

Thanks

[@jonathandougherty3677]

Great start to my morning, now off to the store to buy a couple tools I need, and I’ll be in the garage the rest of the day working on my own bike. Thanks Old Shovel and God bless. 👍🏻

[@oldshovel]

Awesome 👍

[@patrickreedy9886]

So awesome and thanks for sharing the great video. Matt is amazing human and even more amazing teacher. We feel fortunate to see Matt regularly as our daughter goes his school. Couldn’t think of a more deserving person to get your helping restoring this cool bike.

[@cjohnson3836]

I don't think its possible to watch an oldshovel video and not end smiling. This was beautiful.

[@BanjoLuke1]

What a joy to see.... I have long been of the opinion that the best urban scoot is an early, good-quality, rigid-fork MTB on road tyres. This Ritchey is a thorough, thorough job and now looks good for a decade of use and abuse. Canti brakes can be a nightmare, but set up right from the start they are excellent. The mudguards make me wince, but I am on denial about the mud stripe I often have on my back. The joy of a first ride on a rebuilt favourite bike is a.mpment to treasure. Good video!

[@underacheiver2000]

It's always a good day when I see a new video from Oldshovel. Beautiful job.

[@oldshovel]

Awesome thanks

[@CargoBikeCowboy]

Love that green paint. Bicycle looks beautiful!

[@driver8sk]

Have alot of nostalgia for purple mtbs, but the green looks much better.

[@yoghurtlidlicker]

yummy green!

[@mattiamercanzin4274]

I really appreciate your great approach for every Restoration... But this one... Probably for the fact that it was a teacher's bike... Wow! You're a great great great person! World needs more people like You! Thanks for all the videos!

[@Boy_sumi]

I loved the 90’s steel frame bikes. Good job!

[@bikenmike1024]

Great video and the bike turned out amazing! Thanks for recognizing teachers as well👋🏽😃

[@Gordonhaymes]

Amazing how those XT thumb shifters trigger so many memories...more than any of the high spec modern running gear I use today. And about great teachers...amen and thank you. 🤘🇨🇭

[@matthorn9670]

That cockpit is just awesome, and the white turbo saddle was just a perfect final touch, great video keep it up! 👍

[@mattyfrommacc1554]

Wow, that is a lovely machine and groupset, and yes I agree on the sentiment about teachers very very much

[@thesolitaryparty]

this was relaxing to watch. no rush just the right pace.

[@dkeisj153]

Love the Old Shovel "Road Trip" edition. The end result is amazing and I am sure has caused many viewers to search for an old Ritchey frame!

[@dorigirl7122]

I loved this. What a great looking bike.

[@fbiker79]

Awesome work, it turned out really good. Thanks for doing that for him. He gets such a pleasure riding that bike!!!

[@JordiMoll]

Well done. Drawing smiles every time that you restore a bicycle. I like it.

[@oldshovel]

Awesome

[@chrishernando9959]

I love the sound of crickets while ur night grinding. Tranquility.

[@JensMHA]

Those Surly bars are very comfortable. I mounted those with a 40 mm rise on a bike after my father earlier this year, for my oldest son. It is the first time I have "seen" them in the wild though. Thanks for the videos and keeping the older stuff on the road. :-)

[@Sultan-of-Visjaya]

Imagine rigging it with a hollowtech 1x10 drivetrain and hydraulic brakes on discs. 🥺🥺🥺🥺 The build and restoration really is so cool! Been a fan since your first build with your son.

[@bosanderspublictheology]

Can I just say thank you for that paint job. What a great refresh. Amazing watch.

[@willversiontwo1653]

Stunner. Great touches and such a legit commuter rig.

[@martinwakawaka5265]

To watch your rebuildings, is a inspiration, and meditation for me thanx.

[@da7715]

Loving the bike restoration. Despite owning & riding newer road & gravel bikes my 20 years old Stumpjumper is a fun ride. They should bring back the trusty 26" wheel MTBs.

[@leqin]

Sweet looking ride and a wonderfully sympathetic rebuild of a classic - there is something very theraputic about watching a video of a bike being stripped and rebuilt anew with care.

[@Lofty2006]

After recently getting my 1999 model Sunn back and searching for rebuilds on older bikes, I came across Oldshovel... And I wanted to say thank you for the content you provided... It's enjoyable and relaxing, as well as inspiring me to fix up my old bike too...

[@oldshovel]

Awesome thanks

[@nightsblood324]

Love these videos. Just finished a 84 Peugeot p8 build myself. So much fun and so satisfying to give it new life.

[@digaboldo27]

Beautifull job! Your purpose of working with restoration is very beautiful at the give new life for the bikes.

[@dansmith9569]

I binged ALL of your videos so I must say...it’s so good to see an upload from you! Love your content, keep it up!

[@addeats]

Just beautiful.... Love to see those old bicycles turning youth again in your hands... Looking forward for your new project again, as always... 😁

[@oldshovel]

Thanks

[@dazzasp3]

One of my favourite builds 👍🏼

[@SynthwaveDave84]

We can all relate to getting on a bike and loving it. He seemed so genuinely happy to be back on his bike.

[@jasonbannan4024]

Wonderful job. It inspired me to look for a bike and I found a 1992 Bridgestone MB-6. My problem is that it was rarely used and well kept. It looks almost new and all components work. I cheated myself out of any fun work by buying a pristine bike! But I purchased handlebars with more sweep, and a fun black and yellow theme in the new seat, bar grips and pedals. Fenders and racks will top it off. Thanks for the inspiration.

[@the_nondrive_side]

The editing allowing for lots of silent contemplation is wonderful. That's one sweet unit now. Love it

[@Gour-mand]

Awesome colour for that Bike 👌

[@guillermohourcade3713]

Thanks for sharing! To renew, reuse and give new life to old or broken things is a very satisfying experience.

[@xxgg]

Absolutely love the night noise! Music to fall a sleep to.

[@ritcheydesign]

Fantastic work! Thanks for sharing!

[@oldshovel]

It’s a great vintage bike.

[@lucm70]

Thanks to you, I've got four bike make overs done since spring, you are also a great teacher !

[@josef.david.mushpile]

Wow, what a craftsman! He put a lot of time in and it shows, what a beautiful bike!

[@shalomiyahyisrael]

Beautiful bike. I have a Ross mt. hood that looks the same. I love those bike they are awesome. I love the paint job. Thank you ❤

[@dima.s]

thank you very much for the great videos. that motivates me to learn something new, to work on my bike and to be successful with the repairs.

[@ytwhite5930]

Teachers rule,so do old guys!!! Pay it forward... Beautiful resto job!

[@richardcunningham5540]

Brilliant colour!

[@oldshovel]

Agreed

[@charlestatem3099]

Absolutely awesome video. Love your dedication to the bikes and more importantly to your neighbors.

[@oldshovel]

Thanks

[@waynejohn1241]

The love you put into your craft shows in the finished product, what an awesome build.

[@oldshovel]

Thanks

[@CorporateWeasel]

This is probably my favourite bike I've seen you update. Very well done.

[@isilber1]

That's a uniglide cassette! Difficult to find replacements, unfortunately. Thanks for another great video, I love your stuff

[@antoinedoinell]

one advantage to uniglide is that you can flip the cassette cogs around once they wear out on one side.

[@timjrvine]

@@antoinedoinell that brilliant.

[@berntfritiofulveborn3163]

I liked those uniglide sprockets too, you could build your own custom cassett with almost any weird combination of sprockets, the only downside was that you had only 13-32t to shoose from but other than that they worked well and with the right chain and derailiur they shifted very reliably.

[@ChrisinOSMS]

I checked out of bike maintenance for awhile in the early 90’s. Fast forward to 2010’s and I broke 2 chain whips on a hyperglide cassette before I realized the world moved forward. Newer things seem to be designed to be disposable, I have tossed several cassettes because the middle cogs were worn, even on those cassettes held together by screws, as a home mechanic, I don’t know a source for individual cogs. The uniglide cassette were maintainable for sure.

[@davidlittlefield2483]

Awesome paint job and refurbishment of Matt's Ritchey!

[@pgcracka]

I'm always excited for your bike restoration uploads. These are really satisfying and you do amazing work. Thanks for making these videos.

[@ashdavies3218]

Lovely job man..Im a bike builder myself and take alot of pride in rebuilding old bikes

[@JoskiiWoskii]

Growing up I rode all the time, through college I spent a good amount of time at the Bike Co-Op in Santa Cruz, after college I worked in a local bike shop for about a year, and then life got in the way and I stopped....That was almost 7 years ago. I took my old fitness bike out for a 25 mile ride the other day and was so inspired to get back on saddle I disassembled, upgraded, and rebuilt my 2006 Allez. I found your channel yesterday and subscribed after watching the first video lol. Keep up the awesome work dude! Your builds are amazing!

[@dazzasp3]

What a lovely bike we'll done 👍

[@ljp1391]

I could watch this all day long!!!!

[@vvmmm1]

I love to watch your work on restoration old bikes. It is amazing!

[@jamesy954]

Has to be one of the best youtubers on KZbin, don't ever stop.

[@decentdad1160]

CONGRATS OLD SHOVEL YOU MADE IT TOO 100K!!! It has been an absolute pleasure to watch your channel grow and grow. You deserve 100k and many more. Here is to your success, go get yourself something nice today!

[@dannysantos1266]

That man looks really happy with his new life bike ♥️

[@lowranchero]

Just picked up a vintage Ritchey Ultra. It’ll be my first build. Wish me luck. Thanks for the inspiration. Funny thing is, it has the same small dent in top tube.

[@AydinProductionsLtd]

Nice work as always and your continued support of in need kids to enjoy biking is such a great thing to see. We need more guys and girls out there like you doing this.

[@laifsoks]

I love your videos, I really need one of those ritchey frames, greetings from Mexico 🇲🇽

[@Joooooooooolz]

Great refresh to a beautiful bike! I've been working an restoring an old Norco because of you. I look forward to watching these vids!

[@oldshovel]

Awesome

[@donaldfranklin5391]

The paint job looks awesome and so does the bike and I like handlebars and grips

[@dipthongthathongthongthong9691]

Your rebuild vids have such a calming effect on me. It's like a yoga class. haha I appreciate the whole vibe... your narration, the craftsmanship, your "presence" with the bike that I sense as you work on each component and feature, the subtle euphoria I feel as you slowly build to the finished piece, the wisdom and heart you put into each project. Thanks Old Shovel!

[@abhiseksaha3221]

What a paint!! If I stayed near you place I would have surely visited you with my bikes!

[@karllorossanodasilvarossan8708]

Nice paint! Very Beautiful bike! Congratulations!👏🙏🙏

[@oldshovel]

Thanks

[@Robin_Hood381]

That looks so sick. The chrome on green with the yellow 'maxxis' font on the tires with the shiny black looks so good.

[@charlificity]

I love these videos - much as I like modern bikes, I do love a good rim brake bike with personality. Very relaxing and informative videos.

[@pepperoniface8896]

Amazing finish product!

[@billromano5844]

Nice job! I've got an old Gary Fisher that I've been thinking of repainting. You're giving me ideas! And I'm totally going to do that to my old Shimano Exage 500 triple crankset. You made it gleam!

[@bozstitch]

Mine is also an Exage 500(LX) groupset from '91. Would love to transform it the way @OldShovel has in this vid.

[@johncostelloe743]

Loved your video thank you things like this brings me joy god bless you

[@haniff.J]

Result.. Priceless.. Good Job bro

[@purpletrance9874]

Love this video and how the build turned out. I bet Matt isn't quite so relaxed about where he leaves it now with it's amazing facelift! 👍🙂

[@Rexxis-Arcturus]

I enjoyed this so much. Thank you for taking the extra time to film it all. I always want to make content like this but I find it difficult to set the tools down and make sure I document each step.

[@michaelxmckinlay]

Mike from Toronto , Canada, here. I do similar, but not as extensive rebuilds here in Toronto. Was a bike mechanic as a teen back in the late 80's. life altered but I found my way back about a decade ago... Since then between 150 - 200 bikes here have gone from forlorn and lost to back in the saddle again and if I can brag about one thing.... I have yet to have a bike returned to me.... I've had return customers, but never a returned bike. I'm glad I found your channel, the ASMR element is so funny yet so real. It's the sounds only a bicycle mechanic would know, understand and appreciate. If I have one comment for you regarding continuing to grow as a mentor, as a teacher, a storyteller and as a channel... Positivity can be found in the smallest things... I appreciate yours... so may I suggest, at the tail end of your videos would it be possible to change the words "Don't forget to like, comment, subscribe..." (Don't & forget are both negative words)... Try switching it up to be "Remember to like, comment and subscribe..." The words 'Remember To' have such a positive affect and place positive words in the ears of the listener. I look forward to hearing your next video and your shoutout to "Mike in Toronto... To Remember is better than to Don't Forget." :p

[@timmyreeves4546]

The crank and chain ring looks amazing!

[@donavan8616]

Great job! Thanks for showing, Nicolas from Argentina

[@oldshovel]

Awesome thanks

[@SuperPassiveaggressi]

Love love love!! Beautiful bike before and even more beautiful after restoration!

[@duberdeedu]

Another wholesome and great video! Really heartwarming to see you contributing to your community. Cheers!

[@cyanginpedro]

Congratulations on 99k! Your channel has inspired me to repaint an old bike. Thanks again for all the great content. 👍

[@oldshovel]

Awesome

[@secretdaisy6484]

You did a great job! My best friend has a Ritchey road bike that he special ordered & I think he would marry it if he could. 🤪👍☮️🌞🚲

[@christopherloewen1433]

Just realized he is about to hit 100k subs keep up the great work love the bike restoration vids👍

[@DenVixen-16]

Great work

[@bigfienz]

Love this restoration story, actually the white turbo saddle looking awesome. great job

[@juancostilla2003]

Thank you so much for the great video. God bless you greatly

[@YerDad632]

Such a cool bike! I love that green

[@k0ba_]

Such a sick restoration!!! 🚲

[@jespurrier]

OMG that looks stunning!

[@qwertyazerty2137]

What a nice bike with that surly swallow bar. And that cassette. I've never seen this type of locking. The paint is so dope. The finish would be even better if the logo decals where yellow to make a nice contrast. Also I would apply protective sticker patches on the sides od the head tube where the housing touches because the paint will quickly get scratched off.

[@danielleiva2070]

Muy bueno, es genial lo que hace este tipo, deja las bicis como nueva, se nota la pasión!