This is a powdercoat fade- only the second one from this painter and the first three color one at that. A little touch up needed to be done to the dark blue in the back but I think it came out really well for a process that does not lend itself to doing fades. I guess if you are an experienced powdercoat shop ,it is doable.
The frame is paired to a Whiskey # 9 CX fork , the same one I have on one of my race bikes. It has a bit less rake than the Enve and works well with steeper head angles like what is normal on a larger frame such as this one. This bike with be set up with Shimano Di II.
Friday, February 20, 2026
All road in steel with Enve AR fork for Palo Alto, Calif.
This one is a bit different than my usual. A few months back I got some wishbone seatstays that I had designed from the Merry Sales company who import Tange tubing. These are the official Rock Lobster seat stays and that's how they are sold- my first tube design.....better late than never ! This stout steel frame will take 700x38 tires and should be nice for all the roads that no doubt will be sporting new chuckholes from the winter storms that have finally hit the bay area. The other feature is the UDH. Not sure if this rider will be using the newer SRAM but I guess just in case, might as well have it. The front of the frame is capped off with a King NTS taper headset.
Monday, February 16, 2026
WCCX frame for Atlanta , Ga.
This will be the first 'In-Route" WCCX frame for me. There's large holes in the head tube and BB shell to accommodate the rear brake line. I probably should have included a detail photo of how the brake line exits the chain stay- maybe next time. I had to use a PF-30 BB shell to have enough room for the brake line but it should help make the bike easier to set up. I have a feeling I'll be building more of these soon- seems like it is what people want and it does have a very clean look.
Friday, February 13, 2026
A re-worked oldie comes back to the shop.
This frame was built around 2003. The owner got it off of Craigslist a few years ago and finally got it all restored and back together. Not sure where the original fork went but it rides fine with a Surly replacement fork. As you can see, the new owner didn't skimp on the parts- King hubs, White Ind. cranks, Phil BB-its all the good stuff. He has a Simworks stem on the 1" steerer fork and some really interesting tires. The Flite saddle is a nice nod to the time period when this frame was built.
Ultimundo frame set for San Fransisco
This one is just waiting for the Chris King anniversary gold headset and seatpost clamp- been waiting a few weeks actually but I hear the parts are coming soon. This one looks amazing in the sun with all sorts of gold flek and tones that shift depending on the light. It really is a color I have not seen on one of my frames until now. I hope that the owner gets it soon and that it gets some real miles. It has been hanging on a hook too long !
Saturday, February 7, 2026
Steel all-road frame returns to shop for a tuning
Yes- I had to use my Park Tool brake boss facer and some elbow grease to get a rear disc brake caliper not to rub - took a bit of time but it's good to go now. I like to show full builds when I can as so few of them are done at the shop- the bulk of them are done by the customers or by shops .
Friday, February 6, 2026
New model- "Bro-Tour Plus"
Yes- here's a new model that might be filling the gap between road and gravel. I have built many in steel which I call B.T.R.B , or "Big tire road bike" . Most of the original versions had long reach caliper brakes-I had one with S&S couplers that I used for everything from touring to CX racing as a spare pit bike. This aluminum version will not be used for either of those situations . The idea is to have a real road bike that will take up to 7000x38 tires for the generally crappy pavement conditions that we have here in Santa Cruz county. There's a lot of nice longer climbs that I like to ride here but the downhills for the most part are pothole-filled minefields of jarring misery on 700x28 road tires, even at 70 PSI. Won't it be nice to have bigger tires , disc brakes and lower tire pressure for a change ? I would say so. This one is for me, the first new road frame I have built for myself in nearly a decade. I'm building it up with all the spare stuff left on the shelves from 2025 and before. I could not do the full in-route system with this style of head tube but that's fine with me- I don't like complicated bike builds and this one is in my comfort zone.
Yes, the dropped seat stays are a nod to most of the current pro-tour road frames- is there some advantage to the design ? Hey, if it makes people look, it does not have to have better wind-tunnel numbers.....it's the sizzle, not the steak in this case. Frame weighs in at 3 lb. 1 oz.
Yes, the dropped seat stays are a nod to most of the current pro-tour road frames- is there some advantage to the design ? Hey, if it makes people look, it does not have to have better wind-tunnel numbers.....it's the sizzle, not the steak in this case. Frame weighs in at 3 lb. 1 oz.
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