7005 'cross frame

 This is my stock and trade race frame . This frame is part of a program that involves a number of builders building a few types of frames for certain events. I got picked to build what I am known for-lucky that I didn't have to build something I'm not comfortable with.

 Other than the BB-30 this is what my typical 3 lb. 5 oz. cyclocross race frame looks like. I hope the rider enjoys it.

This weeks visitors

 The Sea Otter was last weekend so all sorts of industry folks have been by the shop. I didn't get photos of everyone but here's two guys from Chris King who didn't seem to mind the messy confines of my shop.

Sylvaine and Conrad from Mavic liked the shop as well, despite the typical mess and piles of metal everywhere......notice that I took the photos outside the shop ?

Bike for the next door neighbor

 The future owner of this frame wanted me to make it light so I chose True Temper S-3 top and downtubes and some really light platinum seat stays along with the Columbus chainstays formerly known as 'Foco'.

 All of this steel wound up weighing 3 lb. 10 oz. , really light for a steel frame of this size. This rider has a habit of breaking things-hubs rims, frames.....my hope is that he gets a lot of years out of this frame. I put the der. cable adjusters on the side of the head tube as I didn't want to heat the side of that paper thin down tube. True Temper S-3 is pretty dicey to weld and requires a very steady hand. I pulled it off in this case, but only just. My eyes and my hands are not what they used to be, even if my experience level is pretty deep.

The frame will get a Keith Anderson paint job so I know it will look great. I'm currently riding a bike with a similar tubeset and despite the thin walls of the tubes the ride is stable and solid.

Dumpstervaagen ready to ride

Yes, those are German flag tires. I won't just be rolling.....I'll be Ja-volling at the Sea Otter tomorrow.
The Retro-shift resides on this bike and will for the forseeable future. I have some big rides planned for the coming weeks.

Big tire disc brake road bike

This frame can take caliper brakes as well. This would not have been much of an issue for me to build except for a small detail.....


I ran out of countersunk brake bridges. Lucky for me I never throw anything away. The center piece of the bridge is about 14 years old. I had to modify it a bit on the lathe and weld on some legs. It might be a one of a kind but it almost looks like the commercial item. I spent an extra 1/2 hour on this part but at least I got the frame done today and it is now on the truck bound for the painter.

Steel road frame for a local

Step-through townie

This 26" wheel town bike will have a rack and fenders and be going to Los Gatos , Calif. as soon as it is all built up. I'll be putting a mix of Shimano components on it.

Yes, there even is a kickstand mounting plate made out of 1/8" plate right in my shop.

Das Dumpstervaagen

Here's the rig with paint and decals. I guess I should let everyone know that this will most likely be a one of a kind......salvaged tubes and couplers are rare things in my shop. I try not to ruin tubes....it's a tragedy when it happens.
This is a big tire road bike but this time it's a travel version.......I hope i get to fly somewhere with this thing.

Two 29ers

This frame has been shipped to it's owner in Eugene, Oregon. I'm sure a lot of hard miles await this one-racing and general shredding.
The frame is set up for a Fox Talas shock that can adjust from 95-120 mm of travel.

This frame will go to a local rider who is on our cyclocross team. He spends a lot of time in the woods as he's a forester. I hope he gets lots of time to check out the forest on this rig.
The flat finish and panels give the frame an almost " Highway patrol " look. Maybe you'll see it in your rear view mirror some day.......

Belt drive commuter built up

This is a pretty aggressive commuting rig but it suits the rider. The tires are 700x25 but the bike will handle much fatter treads. The hub and light did not come with the connectors or a tail light so the wiring is not done yet.....this was no quick build as the wheels had odd spoke lengths and the mechanical disc brakes are always touchy to set up.
The odd thing was, the belt was very easy to deal with and is silent when being pedaled. The only noise is the occasional rub of a disc rotor-these hubs might not have as tight a bearing set up as an MTB hub.
All in all, it is a sure-footed rig that glides along without much effort.

Was ist los ?

Back in August of 2010 I built a big-tire road frame and sent it to a magazine. This bike was pretty nice but the thing it was lacking was a set of S&S couplers. I wound up selling the whole built up bike last month. As luck would have it, I had forgotten that I was planning on doing a big ride on the bike.......that would now be rather difficult as I no longer had the bike. So , being a bike frame builder I got to work. Of course, being a frame builder means that one is broke most of the time so I would have to scrounge to build the next version of the big tire road bike.
And here you see it, the next version. I used some salvaged and re-worked materials to build the frame-stuff that didn't find its way into customer's frames for one reason or another.......downtube cut too short , chainstay munched in the mill while being mitered , headtube welded on at the wrong angle for a larger frame and finally...couplers harvested from a crashed recumbent tandem. This stuff would never find its way onto your bike but I'm fine using this stuff for my own bike. Hey, I can say that this may be one of the 'greenest' frames I have ever built and I'm sure it will ride fine and last a long time.
It is my first own personal travel bike and because much of the materials were salvaged from the scrap bin I will call and fully decal this frame as the ' Dumpstervaagen"-with no disrespect towards any other 'vaagens' out there. It is what it is and I'll be riding it very soon...as soon as the paint dries.

Steel Team Carbon with S&S couplers

That's right.....a steel Team Carbon - my first. Also it's the first with couplers....probably not the last. The rear end is the Dedaccai 'Fire-box' carbon stay kit. It went together really well and I think it is a good alternative to the other kits on the market.

This has to be the lightest S&S coupled frame I have ever built-surprising, considering that it isn't a small frame.
Here's the rear stays , very svelte and sculpted. The carbon has a more graceful look than the other kits I have used in the past.

Bike and rider

Here's the customer for the disc brake town bike. She's taking it to Yosemite this weekend.