Steel commuter 650 for Texas

A customer sent me a frame to duplicate -at least as much as I could considering that his original frame was 26" wheel and this new one would be 27-1/2" wheel. I think I really captured the spirit of the old bike with the classic MTB geometry from the '90's . I used some older dropouts and some NOS tubing to make it a frame that is not typical of what I or any current builder would do,at least not in 2026.

I hope that the owner likes what I put together for him. He has had a few bikes over the years but his old beater commuter was his favorite and he is only retiring it as it is cracking and pretty much fully worn out. 

 

Bro-Tour in-route ....new model

 

Yes-I'm making these now- if you want all your brake lines hidden on one of my bikes it can now happen. This one is going to Washington state to a team rider . He wanted the team color but also wanted some sparkle- it has that in a big way. This 'space dust' sparkle clear coat has to be seen in person to see the depth- it is amazing. The frame and Enve fork are joined by a King Aeroset-3 in polished gold to match the seatpost clamp. The max tire size on this model is 700x32

Steel road frame , fork and stem for Ohio

Not often that I build stems and this one has the last of my Paragon stem parts. This blue has to be one of my all time favorite colors and the photos do not fully capture the richness. With mechanical shifting and rim brakes, this really harkens back to the '90's when I built many frames like this. I kind of miss those days when there weren't so many new component and frame specs coming down the pike every year. Sure, things like disc brakes and tubeless tires have revolutionized riding but still, simplicity has a beauty all its own. This frameset is a testament to that.

 

Steel 29er for San Fransisco, Calif.

This month is MTB month -I have three in a row to build, this being the first. This one will take 2.4" tires and has the newer UDH dropout. It is built to take a beating with a Velospec down tube and my new-ish wishbone seat stays. It also has one of my last Paragon head tubes. When they are gone, they might not be fully gone and First Hand frame building is seeking to ressurect many of Paragon's pieces. For now,I'll say that I don't know if I'll ever see these again but hope to.

 

Steel big tire CX for Colorado

 This one is made to take up to 700x50 tires. It will be mated to an Enve G-series fork. The chain stays are Columbus MTB bend - a little heavier duty than my stock Zona chain stay and a tighter bend to fit around those big tires. This one should be able to handle some rough terrain, as I am sure it will where it is going.

29er for Switzerland

This frame will be mated to a rigid fork. The customer asked for down tube routing- not standard for me but custom frames are custom and my job is to do what is requested. This one is meant to be light and lively and it should be that way with slightly smaller diameter tubing than what I usually use for a frame like this. I hope that the recipient is happy with what I have built for them- This one is really a custom order in all respects.
 

I'm leading a ride tomorrow.

 Yes- this is very late notice but I am leading a ride that leaves from the Missing Spoke bike shop in Santa Cruz tomorrow at 10:00 AM. It will be a leasurely 25 mile ride up the new bike path to Davenport and a new park just past the town. Anyone is welcome- might be a bit of dirt here and there.