Rickert Spezial Ladies Road Bike 1980s

Hugo Rickert was an artisan frame builder from Dortmund, Germany. Born in 1928, young Hugo found himself without work after the second world war. So the former cyclist learned the art of welding and brazing frames for several years and eventually opened his own workshop in the year 1952. It should become sort of a pilgrimage site for German cycling enthusiasts for the next 5 decades before the workoholic Rickert had to close it for good in 2002 after three strokes.

First he produced frames under the brand name Ric Super but after a lawsuit from a similar named company he changed his brand name to Rickert Spezial.

Over all the years Hugo Rickert built excellent lugged frames mainly from Reynolds tubing. Countless victories were achieved on his bikes. Among them olympic gold medals and world championships. His bikes have indeed been ridden in 5 different olympic games!


Being an incredibly leery man who never took an apprentice or helper into the business out of fear that the quality of his frames might be watered down, Hugo build every single bike completely by himself! Only his wife Doris was allowed to take part in the process by lacing spokes and building wheels - and legendarily pinstriping the outlines of the lugs of already painted frames in her kitchen.

This rare Rickert ladies bike is made of the outstanding Reynolds 531 tubing. In this case it is the Designer Select edition, which allowed frame builders to choose from different gauges to form whichever frame result they were going for.
All components are formed around a beautiful and elegant Campagnolo Chorus groupset.
And it would not be a Rickert Spezial without a special colour. Well in our case the frameset is a deep cherry red with with white lug linings.

If you have a heart for bikes from artisan frame builders, this breathtaking beauty surely will warm it.

If you would like to ride L'Eroica on this beauty, we could easily adapt it to the cause.
In case you really want to purchase this beauty, be prepared to send us a picture of you with your new bike, when it has arrived. We promised the former owner that we would give it to good hands and we would like to send her the proof. :-)