Steel CX frame with some 853

Yes, this one has a top and down tube of Reynolds 853. Not sure why but people seem to really be able to notice a subtle ride difference with the 853. I can't say what it is but enough people have told me about it. 

 

Steel 29er for a local

This one has boost spacing and a UDH dropout. I think that most of the future MTB frames I build will have the UDH. I still am not sure what the benefit is but people want it. I guess if you are running SRAM it is a must. 

 

Steel gravel frame for a local

This is the 20th one of these that I have built this year so I think by the end of 2024 I will have built 25 % of all the frames I put out over the whole year in this form.

this one has rack mounts and I tried to rotate the rider position forward so that he does not have to sit so upright.

 

Steel gravel frame for Phoenix with panel paint

The photos do not do this one justice-it really is striking to see in person. The rootbeer metallic spakle just lights up in the sun. I have to say, this is one of the top-3 paint schemes of the year for me-the customer came up with the formula and I wish that I had this one on my website. 

 

Goodbye, Dave.

 This is very hard for me to accept, let alone write- one of our former team riders has passed away suddenly. David Wyandt was a star long before he was on the team , being a very talented junior MTB racer and a top US CX racer and road as well. Dave had experience racing at the highest level but quit when he started a family. 

I saw dave around 2007 watching a race at Aptos high school and asked him if he would consider joining the team as I had seen evidence in race results that he was riding again . Dave humorously wrote in the results that his team was the "John Basedow spin clinic " -which of course didn't exist. Dave put in a few years of great racing on the team before he retired again to raise his family. 

Dave was universally liked and was a natural leader, although he never appeared to actually be leading-people just followed his path and trusted his wisdom. Dave was an original thinker who left school early to pursue racing. In spite of his limited education, Dave was a store of knowledge on many subjects and would always surprise people with his insights. He didn't talk that much but one could tell that whenever he did talk it would have thought and depth behind the words. 

One thing Dave did talk about was '80's pop music, a subject he was well versed in. I remember at a team party an animated discussion about one song in particular-"Baker street" by Gerry Rafferty. Dave seemed to hold this particular song up as one of his favorites. Whenever you hear "Baker street" come on in a super market , elevator or anywhere, think of Dave- He would probably like that . 

Oct. 6th Surf City CX at UCSC

Yes, after decades of waiting it is finally here. Come to the UCSC campus this Sunday to check out something that has not happened since the '90's- a cyclocross race on the rough ground where many early races had taken place. This is the latest edition and it will be a very challenging track with some features not seen in most CX race courses. That said, everyone will have to race on the same course so it is an even field, albeit an uneven surface to say the least. Get ready for hardpack and gopher holes. Races start at 9:00 AM this Sunday , October 6th. 
 

Steel MTB frame for Austin, Tx. with UDH

What is a UDH ? I'm not 100% sure- it is something that SRAM is pushing so I get the feeling that they (SRAM) are wanting to creat something that separates them from the other component manufacturers - read: Shimano. Not much else out there to separate from these days. 

This s the second UDH frame I have built. At this time I can only offer this feature in steel. If a aluminum version materializes then all the folks that are asking for it (And there are a few ) will get what they want. 

What does the UDH do ? You'll have to ask Sram. To me it does not look much different than other hangers except that it has a more complicated way of attachment. Still, it looks pretty robust and people are clamoring for it so I will offer it. It might be maddening trying to keep up with all the new standards and gadgets in the bike frame building world but at least this one was not that complicated- only thing that threw me is that the thru-axle threads are not what I normally use.....it was the threading I used 10 years ago but most of the industry abandoned it. Well, now it is back- 1mm threaded thru-axles. I still have a few in stock that I never thought I would be rid of..........