Just wondering – this is my '95 Kona Kapu with Ritchey dropouts. What's the deal with branded dropouts? i.e. seems like a standard frame component, did Ritchey innovate in dropout design and sell these to a bunch of big bike brands or what? I've never seen branded bottom brackets for example. Apologies if this is a stupid question.
by lord_donkulus
10 Comments
Edit: never seen branded bottom bracket *shells*
Dropouts are often bought by frame makers and are cast or machined. Not necessarily in the wheelhouse of all frame makers – lots of extra tooling and knowledge.
Edit: sort of like Kona probably bought their tubing from Easton or some other foundry and that is probably branded too.
Ritchey made tubing (or had tubing made using their name), as did other builders.
You can still [find them today](https://www.framebuilding.com/NEWPARTSPAGES/Forged%20Dropouts.htm), and they’re not the only manufacturer that does this. Cinelli sells[ a bottom bracket shell. ](https://velobase.com/ViewFramePart.aspx?ID=73ea175f-01a2-4256-9005-ce0f741b67e4)
If you were a custom frame builder back in the day you could make every part of a frame with steel tubes and some fairly basic metal fabrication tools.
Apart from dropouts. You’d buy these parts from manufacturers like rictchey / campagnolo / etc.
https://preview.redd.it/yy9jnyasbyke1.jpeg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=32ab3c324c657c06602d173b1add4f24d28b6f49
Branded dropouts were a thing for steel frames the same way that tubing was. It’s two different manufacturing processes. A bike would have, for example, Columbus tubing and Campagnolo dropouts, or Reynolds tubing and Ritchey dropouts.
You don’t see “branded” bb shells because they are just really short and wide tubes, just like the rest of the frame.
All City (RIP) stamps their bottom brackets.
https://preview.redd.it/eykt61h2cyke1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=21c1408fb553ebfe4c6d9075da449c57b3e9a972
https://preview.redd.it/9sb6kujecyke1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e8d99360bdbf6026591e8fd3f41749da219222a2
Campagnolo dropout on an Eddy Merckx. How many bikes were/are built.
https://preview.redd.it/5bvnrhcvfyke1.jpeg?width=694&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=297823f8ad18a3f4bd2a2d8ba6684b9ff4551e4f
therichardsachs on Instagram.
Doesn’t stop at just dropouts. Complete lug sets were available from a lot of the manufacturers, for making a complete frame and fork!
https://preview.redd.it/uswstrprhyke1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f507e9d5551398148f82ad8b0dc81b033fc57a7a
The 90’s steel Specialized has these dropouts. Is there a list of other mainstream manufacturers that used them as it really appeals to my thirst for useless bike info.