Thursday, June 25, 2015

steel 29er frame for a local

 there's a bit more to this frame than normal. Since it is equipped with Paragon slider dropouts there is the ability to not only run the bike with or without derailleurs but also to change the rear axle spec. There are inserts for 142x12 thru-axle that bolt right on just like the 135 Q.R. inserts pictured here.
There's bit of  weight penalty with this hardware but it is almost like having two bikes in one.
The paint scheme has been done before on similar frame and that is where the customer got the idea for this panel and stripe option. It would be funny for the two bikes to meet on a trail somewhere......

Friday, June 19, 2015

Single speed aluminum CX bike

 This one is the official pit bike for the team, although it is technically my bike and I'll maybe do a few races this fall. The chain tension is adjusted with an eccentric BB from Beer components. This has to be the only good EBB I have used. The chainring is a 40 tooth rom Praxis Works, another Calif. company.
 The wheels have hubs from Paul Components, yet another Calif. home grown component. The wheels are some I built with Mavic Reflex tubular rims and DT competition spokes. I think that the whole bike is just a hair over 17 lbs.
The head tube is a new one for me, a Dedaccai tapered unit for internal headset. I'll be interested to see how it holds up over the next couple of seasons.The fork is a re-painted Enve with a tapered steerer. There's a chance that soon I'll be able to make a thru-axle disc brake version of this bike. I'm sure it will be popular when it is available.

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Aluminum CX frame for Di II and disc brakes

 This one is headed east and is pretty close to the most up-to-date CX frame I can construct. The aluminum tubes came from no lass than three suppliers and three countries: The USA, Italy and Taiwan. This is what I have to do to get it all together but the results are worth the trouble.
 I used to think that electric shifting on a CX bike was silly-that was before I saw a really cold race where the mechanical bikes stopped shifting but the Di II bikes were still operating fine. When the temps get below freezing there is a definite advantage for not having cables.
I'll most likely be boxing up this one tomorrow. Elaborate paint jobs like this ( from Allan Neymar in this case ) can take a long time. The distinctive look is going to be hard to miss on the race course.

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Tig team 'Utimundo' bike built

Here it is, my first new model in 1,000,000 years. It's not all that new but it has a new name. Since the features on this frame have been so popular I have decided to offer it as a package: Frame, fork ( painted to match) with  sterling head badge and King headset-the 'Ultimundo'. The tube set is a mix of True Temper S-3 and Columbus 'Life' and the fork is a tapered Enve carbon . This package with the King headset will go for  $ 2,400 plus shipping and/or tax.
The bike pictured here is a recent build by the customer and CX team member-he went with a solid mix of the Dura Ace 9000 group, King hubs and Enve rims with Ritchey carbon post, bar and stem. Not sure what the whole bike would cost but I can figure that out in a few days.