Fillet brazed all-road frame with crowned steel fork

When was the last time I made something like this ? About three years ago. I spent the years from 1984 to 1991 building brazed frames - lots of them , both road and MTB, even a few CX frames. After 1991 I went mostly to tig welding and seldom looked back. This one is a look back in a way but it also has current specs like thru-axles and flat mount disc brake fittings. It's not particularly heavy as it has a few lighter Columbus 'Life' tubes in the rear triangle. It should provide and nice lively feel- it isn't super long or laid back-it's almost stage race geometry-good for bad roads. There was a lot of elbow grease in this one- made me wonder how I coped with all the finish work back in the day..........

 

Boost 29er single speed with rocjer dropouts

This tall rider asked for a pretty classic rendition of the single speed 29er, one that I had previously built for the Chris King guest house show back a few years ago. This one has dropper routing and three bottle mounts. Other than that , it's a pretty basic build. It has a big 42 mm Velospec heat treated down tube and a NOS True Temper bi-oval top tube along with Dedacciai chain stays and the special RL Tange wishbone seat stays. All of the other hardware except the zip-tie guides comes from Paragon machine works. There was no skimping on the materials on this one- it's all the very best for the application. I hope the owner likes the ride.
 

The son of Schnoz ?

 This customer ordered a frame in 2019- might have been a Schnozola .....hard for me to remember. Later he cancelled the order , or really just had me put him on the 'on hold' list. My memory of the whole chain of events is fuzzy except for what happened this year- he got in touch with an order wish list and told me to go ahead and build the frame. Sadly, Bruce Gordon, the other half of our Schnozola venture passed away so there would be no more of those bikes. I did , however have a few headbadges left and this customer requested one so that is what you see on this unusual frame and fork. 

The brakes are post mount- something I usually only do on MTB frames. Also, the front axle is 110x15 mm.....another MTB feature. These specifications are meant to allow the customer to use parts that he already has- a good was to economize . I hope that he likes what I built for him as it is definitely in the spirit of those 7 frames that Bruce and I built together.

All-Road frame and fork for Chicago

There seems to be a new favorite type of bike out there in the cycling world- the road bike that can take 700x38 tires. Here's the latest one to roll out of the shop. It has pretty much the Ultimundo tube set but is mated to the Enve "All-Road " fork that has a taller axle-to-crown measurement that allows tires in the range of 35-38 to be fitted. There's a lot to gain in terms of comfort and flexibility and little to lose in terms of rolling resistance. If I make myself a new road bike it is likely to be one very much like this one.

 

Single speed CX frame for a local

This one will take and EBB, likely from Squid or Wheels, Mfg.  The  Enve G series fork was paint matched nicely- the head tube takes an integrated headset, something normally seen on my aluminum bikes but in this case it is on a steel frame. 
 

Small steel gravel frame with painted to match fork

Everybody is getting their forks painted now. This frame is for a 5'1" local rider. I built the frame stout so that it can handle decades of use but I also used smaller diameter tubes that more suite a frame of this size. 
 

Ultimundo disc for San Fransisco

Yes, I do make this model for disc brakes even though the version on my website has rim brakes. Times have changed and wireless shifting and flat mount disc brakes are in. I still have about 10 of these True Temper S-3 round top tubes in stock. After that I think I'll have to switch to Platinum tubes which are a bit heavier. I have not weighed this frame yet but it is probably right at 4 lbs. 

 

Small steel 27.5 boost complete build

It's always a challenge building a bike this size so I hope that the owner likes what I came up with. It is mostly an XT build with a King headset , Ritchey cockpit and Fox fork and dropper post. Some of the newest RaceFace flat pedals complete the build and the whole bike comes in at about 27 lbs. 
 

Level top tube steel all-road frame

This frame will be mated to an Enve 'all road' fork and will be set up with 700x38 slicks most likely. This seems to be a popular bike now- a road bike but with the cush of bigger tires.

The drive train will be Sram wireless, hence the UDH from Paragon. I think that one in ten frames I build have this dropout now. It currently is limited to steel frames and not yet available for aluminum .
 

A tall one- a really tall one

The head tube on this one is 280 mm. I think that this might be the tallest frame of 2025-certainly is so far. Th rider is 6'4" but has really long legs. He got a professional sizing so these frame numbers are not mine but in nearly all cases I find the professional fitters have good results. I guess we will find that out soon.

 

Steel gravel frame for Bay Area

This one is pretty light for steel. It is a mixture of NOS True Temper and Columbus Zona- maybe not the lightest stuff out there but this one feels like it is barely 4 lbs. It is not a large frame so that must have something to do with it . The frame has the UDH dropout from Paragon- seems like the numbers of these are increasing a bit this year. I guess its a matter of time to find out if it will be on many frames in the future.
 

Small steel gravel frame for SF, California

 The sparkle and gloss on this one are something to behold in the sunlight. The owner just drove down and picked it up today. He works for a non-profit bike organization xcalled "Trips for kids" that has been a fixture in the north bay for decades. 

New socks have landed

This is the 2025/2026 edition of the team sock. The saying is reflective of how things have changed over the years- the amount of information and misinformation is causing a lot of people to tune out - I am one of them. I like to stay informed but honestly, it's such a mess in the world today that it's hard to look. Sorry to bring a cynical sock to the market but hey- they usually are ironic so I'm not straying from the theme with this- the latest in a 21 year history of team socks. They are available on my web store for $15.00 a pair.......still the same price as in 2004. Maybe the only example of a price that has not risen in the western world.
 

Little WCCX frame for Washington, D.C.

This is one of the smaller frames I have built this year - a year of many small frames of all types. The frame is capped off with a Jen Green sterling head badge and the Enve G-series fork has been painted to match. It's a nice look and hopefully the owner will like the ride.
 

Steel frame and fork for SF for rim brakes

 This frame will  have Campagnolo components -kind of a retro build. The sparkle black powdercoat is really nice in the sun and if the light is just at the right angle , you can see the black logos- they really are there. This look has been done before but with a flat finish on the frame and gloss on the decals. This one is different in that both frame and decals are gloss but the metalflake in the powdercoat lights up in the sunlight while the decals remain black. It's an interesting look and I'm sure some folks might be wanting to try it. 

WCCX frame for a junior on the team

This kid is fast- he's the 15-16 junior national road champion and he's always up at the front of the loal CX races. He's going big this season so he will now have two bikes for the UCI races and nationals.
 

Steel gravel frame for Sacramento

 Here's one that is pretty much in the mold of what I have building a lot of in 2025. The tubing is a mix of NOS True Temper and Columbus Zona- seems to be a winning combination for durability and customer satisfaction....not sure what people are excited about but hey- give the people what they want. From my point of view, the durability part is essential and the ride quality can be dialed in with tire choice and pressure adjustments. Its just good to know that this tubing combo really works for a lot of people.