Largest road frame of my career

Every step of this build really made me think. I even had to send the frame back to the painter for a satin clear coat as I had forgotten that request from the customer. I was lucky to get perhaps the very last purple King Inset-8 headset available-everything else was out of stock at the time but the exact headset that I needed was there......a rare bit of luck in 2021.

To build this frame I wound up getting my old jig back from a friend as it had more flexibility to make something with a headtube this long. Once I got the front triangle together I had to transfer the build to my newer jig as it had the thru-axle hardware that the old one didn't . The steerer on the fork had to be extended-fortunately I have a reliable way to do this. It is a Paragon tapered steerer and it is a unicrown flat mount fork with a 12 mm thru-axle. I am building more of these forks lately but this is by far the biggest one ever.

Most of the tubes are from Vari-Wall in Ohio. I had to use a down tube for a top tube as it was the only tube long enough to work. The top tube level measurement is 740 mm. The rider is a hair under 7 feet tall. Everything is off the scale on this bike and I'm sure that tandem gear cables will be needed to hook up the derailleurs. This complexity in the build does not stop with me......the mechanic will have his or her hands full.
 

Steel SSCX with gear option with steel fork going to the east coast

Here's something that I spent much of the 2000-2010 years building. Single speed CX has always been something I have been a proponent of, even when hardly anyone was enthusiastic. I remember the years when 350-500 riders would show up at the SSCXWC and when the single speed class at the nationals was the largest field- maybe it still is !

This frame also has front rack mounts that will work with a variety of racks. Looks like this one will do multiple duties as a racer and as a commuter. The frame and fork will also fit some pretty big tires, up to 700x45. 

I miss my SSCX that I built about 12 years ago. Even though I know that it is in good hands I still think that I had some real fun on that bike and even now that I'm 65 I still think about building another one-I have the original drawing........first I have to build a few customer frames- I think the list is up to 60 now.....might have to wait on that single speed.....
 

CX frame in aluminum with painted to match Enve fork

This is pretty much a world cup CX  model but with rear rack mounts. The tubing is the same set I use in our team bikes and the geometry is for aggressive riding in mud,turf, snow or whatever is in front of you.

The stuff on that rack better be strapped on tightly because this bike is not made for only smooth roads or slow speeds.

 

Reynolds 531 lugged frame for the east bay

I built this frame back in December and am surprised that I neglected to post it when it went out. This was a custom order, the only lugged frame for the year 2020 for me. I used a mix of NOS and new 531 tubing throughout. The lugs and fork crown are very old - the fork crown might be from the '60's. The lugs are likely from the late '70's and the cast BB shell is a mid '80's piece. I got these materials from a number of sources- departed frame builders and people who still had stashes of the old stuff available for sale.

In 2019 I made two Reynolds frames and they are now built up with period-correct parts in my shop. I'm thinking of selling one of the bikes- stay tuned for that. Back to this one- the owner has bought two other frames from me over the last decade or so. He does some very long rides and was looking to get a bike that would have relatively modern equipment but still have the look and ride of an old 531 frame. I do hope that this one has a bit less 'whip' than the old PX-10's or Raleighs of the day. The fact that I use low temperature silver solder and very carefully fit tubes and lugs might help this one feel a bit more solid. The 531 tubes are not super light and do have ample wall thickness to resist denting and feeling too flexy.

Still, the aim is to build something that rolls smoothly down the road , soaking up the bumps so that the long miles don't take as much of a toll on the body.

 

Steel 29er single speed/geared frame for Salinas, Calif.

The rider of this frame is 5'6" so I had to do something to get more standover. The reverse-curve top tube is what I have used quite a few times in the last couple of decades and here was a good pace to employ the design.

The frame has Paragon sliding dropouts so it can be run single speed, geared, QR or thru-axle. There's also dropper post routing.

 

Steel disc brake road frame for Los Altos, Calif.

I just sent this one out yesterday- the frame is paired with an Enve disc/road fork that was painted to match. This was supposed to be a full build from me but I was unable to get the build kit in a timely manner so the owner has had me send it to a shop that fortunately had the build kit in stock- a real rarity these days.

The tube set is a mix of Columbus Spirit and Life and the sterling silver headbadge is from Jen Green as always. A bike like this built up with Ultegra and alloy wheels is usually less than 20 lbs., even with the discs. Notice the third bottle mount- my guess is that this bike might see the back side of Mt. Hamilton or the Livermore valley this summer