Friday, July 26, 2013

Single speed steel 'cross frame for So-Cal.

 This frame is for a 5'3" rider who is very light. I didn't weigh the frame but it is well under 4 lbs. and should be a nice ride for someone at that weight.
The tubing is a mixture of True Temper OX, S-3 and Columbus 'Life'. There are a couple of Dedaccai tubes as well......pretty much the kitchen sink. I like blending tubing based on wall thickness and profile rather than brand name. 

Two team aluminum 'cross frames for Canada

 These two rocket sleds are going to a new member of the team who lives in Canada-hence the maple leaves. The sponsor goods and stickers are on the frames-kind of like a stock car.......but the engine is entirely different.
 With the King BB and headset, Easton forks and eventually Paul Component brakes these will be what our entire elite team fleet looks like, except maybe for the maple leaves. I predict that these bikes will be ridden at a very high rate of speed.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Steel road frame and fork

This one is half True Temper OX and half Reynolds 725. The frame is really stout and should be fine on any road surface-dirt, gravel, whatever. 
 The crown is a Mitsugi from Pacenti designs and is nearly the same as what came on Masi frames of the early '80's. I think it is about my favorite crown to work with in all regards.
The bend in the stays is really subtle, just enough to see. The 725 seat stays are really rigid and don't like too much manipulation...err......tweaking.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Road frame for Bay Area

 This customer has been riding the same road bike since the late 80's. I guess he thought it was time to retire the old ride and get some stout steel as a replacement. This one is very typical of what I build except for the headtube collars-a nod to the 80's bike building aesthetic.
 I put tome very subtle bends in the seat stays this time. Since it is a road bike there's no need for width for cantilever bosses or big tires. This frame has my very last set of Salsa dropouts-looks like they are going the way of the Dodo , just like some of my favorite frame building materials , unfortunately.

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Two aluminum 'cross frames with forks painted to match

 'Cross frame # 1 in this post will be going to a rider in Walnut Creek Ca. who is also a new addition to the team.
 This rider has been on steel forever so it will be interesting to hear his take on something like this.

 'Cross frame # 2 is going to Iowa and will also be raced. The top tube will be level when the bike is all built up-kind of a throwback to an earlier style , albeit with more modern materials.
The photo does not really show the color well.....it has a bit more of a grey cast to it.....quite a nice color.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

7005 road frame with tapered steerer fork for Seattle

 This frame is for a pretty tall rider who does not have much of that height in his torso.....all legs.
 This frame will be up on the Pacific northwest roads and should be a stiff and stable ride.
With the PF-30 BB and 44 mm I.D. head tube , this is pretty current for features on a road frame from me.

Monday, July 8, 2013

Last bike in the batch finished-this one is going to Reno, Nv.

 Yet another disc brake 'cross frame. I'm building quite a number of these this summer but this one will be the last for a number of weeks. I'll be back on steel as of tomorrow.
There are some nice stout tubes in this frame so it should take the rigors of racing well.
With the PF-30 BB and big head tube, this frame has most of the newer stuff covered.

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Travel road frame for Florida

 This road frame has a lot of features-S&S couplers  head tube pump peg, chain hanger , Enve carbon fork painted to match. It's a nice package altogether. The stem is not the one that will be on the finished bike  it is just there for this photo. This ike might do some racing miles but it will definitely be doing some air miles.
 The tubing is a mix of True Temper OX and Columbus Life-pretty much my choice for a stout frame that won't be too heavy. The couplers do add weight but the benefit in flight cost savings is well worth the few oz.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

The last team frame for Ashville is done !

This is actually the second to last one - an aluminum 'cross frame for cantilever brakes. This one is like the rest, pretty durable and 3 lb. 4 oz. Maybe not as light as scandium but still about a lb. lighter than what I would build in steel.
 All six of these team frames are being fitted with tapered steerer forks and four of the frames will be disc brake only. This one is more traditional and maybe a tiny bit lighter as a result.
 Here's all six frames , about two weeks of determined work. I still have one more frame in the batch to build-a disc brake 'cross frame for a rider in Reno. I'm giving myself extra time to complete it ......I think a more relaxed pace for the last two days of the week is in order.

Monday, July 1, 2013

"cross frame for Ashville, N.C.

 You'll be seeing  number of these disc brake 'cross frames all going to the same team in N.C. Not all the frames are disc brake , maybe about half. This frame is # 9 of 12 in the # 2 aluminum batch of the summer. I'm working on # 10 and hope to have the rest ready to send out to heat treatment by the end of the week.
 I'm getting a pretty good groove on these frames right now but as it gets closer to the end of the batch I know I'll have to really try not to hurry and keep the quality where it needs to be. It is a delicate balance between efficiency and attention to detail in fit and geometry. This shit ain't easy-in technical terms at least.