# How did Ringle evolve?



## Elevation12000 (Jun 16, 2004)

I were looking for a good History write up on Ringle, from the early beginning on, but I can't find it anywhere. I know it started with the Trialstem and the bizz took really off with the CamTwist, but what happened before? I know that mulitple CNC bike parts manufacturers had a backgound of manufacturing for the military. Was that also the case with Ringle? What brought them to the idea to start manufacturing bike compenents? What ties with other partners in the bike industry/scene did they have?

Ringle >>


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## IF52 (Jan 10, 2004)

If I remember correctly Geoff was fabricating things for the medical industry before getting into bike parts. Last I heard he was fabricating restoration parts for old Indian motorcycles.


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## v8mercedes (Dec 28, 2008)

check this out


mombat.org/Ringle.htm

wundel.com/ringle.html


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## Elevation12000 (Jun 16, 2004)

Thanks for the links, but I visited the two sources already. I am now lookking for the missing parts of the puzzle. Both Mombat and Wundel don't say much on how it all started with Ringle for example. 

Also surfed to BikePro and MTB Hall of Fame, but no write up on the matter there too. Geoff Ringle isn't even in the later.

So fabricating bits for the medical industry it is? Okay, wasn't it profitabale enough and did he see more perspectives in cycling bits? Did his heart tell him to do? Other?


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## IF52 (Jan 10, 2004)

Funny you should mention heart. I e-mailed my friend Earl Bob, who was sponsored by Geoff and still sort of keeps in touch with him. He wrote that yes Geoff designed medical equipment before bike parts, and recalls Geoff having a patent on a heart pump he designed perhaps. The reason he got into bike parts was the reason he got into anything, because he felt there was a better way to do something. Constant tinkerer.


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## TheRedMantra (Jan 12, 2004)

I was gonna say try Retrobike but it looks like you already have. Writing a book? Some guy I met on the trails this week told me he has a set of Ringle cranks. I'm waiting for the pictures when he gets home from his road trip. He was sure they were Ringle. I never knew that they made cranks so I will keep bugging him until I get some pics to post.


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## IF52 (Jan 10, 2004)

I don't think Ringle made cranks or even prototypes of cranks. Grafton or Topline probably. I think Ringle and Grafton had sort of a loose affiliation.


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## Elevation12000 (Jun 16, 2004)

TheRedMantra said:


> Writing a book?


No, I am not that ambitious. An article. I fear however that atm there is simply not enough on Ringle to compile a nice story.


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## IF52 (Jan 10, 2004)

Try and contact him. From what I recall he is a nice guy and is still out there machining parts, just for motorbikes, not pedal bikes.


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## John Grafton (Jan 29, 2011)

*Ringle*



IF52 said:


> Try and contact him. From what I recall he is a nice guy and is still out there machining parts, just for motorbikes, not pedal bikes.


Better late than never. Geoff was most likely one of the coolest guy's I have ever met. He and his wife and I spent a lot of time together back in the day. If your out there Geoff, I need a stem cover (?) mine cracked. Kind of like my bad run of cranks.

John Grafton


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## Mossey Oak (Oct 22, 2004)

John Grafton said:


> Better late than never. Geoff was most likely one of the coolest guy's I have ever met. He and his wife and I spent a lot of time together back in the day. If your out there Geoff, I need a stem cover (?) mine cracked. Kind of like my bad run of cranks.
> 
> John Grafton


Very moving and very funny! Nicely done.


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## britbikemike (Mar 13, 2011)

There is actually ONE set of Ringle Cranks out there. I owned them, until quite by accident, I sold them on an old Stump Jumper in Charlotte NC. There was only the drive side, the non-drive side did not exist. I was the first rep that was brought in for the new SunRingle venture. I traveled the country in the van and was the first driver of the larger white truck we had. Geoff was WAY cool. Oddly enough though the other set of cranks I used to run was a set of green 180mm Graftons. lol I LOVED those things. I can actually remember talking to Joe about those. You were a class act Joe. I lost them when my bike was stolen in Arizona at the Cactus Cup.


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## britbikemike (Mar 13, 2011)

Geoff was bought out by Sun Rims in about 1996. His plan was to move to Indiana and keep designing products there. He had a change of heart at the last minute and pulled the plug. Geoff decided he wanted to stay in New Jersey. The owner of Sun was a pill to deal with, so I know Geoff would of been miserable. I can remember going for a mountain bike ride with him on his local trails. The guys was a blast. Loved tequila, but was a blast. lol I was never really disappointed by any of those guys back then. Breeze, Grafton, Bontrager, Fisher, Ringle, the whole lot of them where very approachable and eager to talk to you. If I had my choice today I would still be riding my Breezer with the Grafton and Ringle bling all over it. Right now I have a old Voodoo (Joe Murray era) with Kooka cranks, Lawill Leader 3 shock, and the rest of Ringle's goodies I still had laying around. It still rides better than a lot of the newer bikes I have tried!


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## britbikemike (Mar 13, 2011)

Geoff used to say that a lot of his ideas came to him in dreams. lol


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## syklystt (Mar 31, 2010)

a mans gotta dream.....

thanks for the history lessons folks...always good reading....i was there when it was all going down, but just like most cyclists I was just riding my bike as much as possible and enjoin new stuff as I could get it. Now it's nice to sit back and see how it all unfolded....and by the folks that did it all too...how Freakin' cool is that.


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## John Grafton (Jan 29, 2011)

*Ringle and Vintage bikes*

If anyone out there wants to build up a vintage bike I have a few original Speed Controllers left and even a few Ringle bottle cages.

John Grafton


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## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

Anyone have more info on these?


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## MendonCycleSmith (Feb 10, 2005)

^Very Cane Creekish^ if you ask me!

Ringle small parts question, since it seems like a proper place to ask. I've come into a NOS Ringle 150 mm TA rear hub. Missing it's non drive side spacer/hardware. 

Any thoughts on how I might obtain such a thing? Guy I got it from said he thought modern Sun/Ringle stuff would fit, but I haven't had time to go down that road yet.....


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