Old tubes put to work

 As a long time frame builder I have had years of accumulation in my shop-much of it is tubing like this. Easton made a handful of this oval-to-diamond shape stuff and I wound up with a couple sets, along with some odds and ends that might never make it into the finished product.

This is a case where a few overlooked tubes actually did wind up in a frame, although the future of this frame has not been determined as of this writing. Any number of folks might ride this in any number of unnamed future events. First what I have to do is finish the batch,get it all heat treated and painted. After that I think I'll know where this one is going....even if it is going into my own garage !

the tubeset is Easton 7000 Ultralite. I have only built a few frames from this stuff but it is pretty light. This frame as you see it ( With dropouts from Ahrens design group) weighs just 2 lb. 12 oz. -It is equivalent to a 56 cm size. If you see someone riding it, chances are it will be me......for the first few weeks anyway!

Scandium 'cross frame for Illinois

 Truly a dying breed-as a matter of fact the scandium frames are going to be removed from my pricelist until I can get a source for more tubing. What I have left is really only suitable for lighter riders. This guy is all of 135 lbs. so he's right in there.

 The conventional threaded BB and head tube combine to make this one of the lightest 'cross frames that has ever left my shop. It is 2 lb. 11 oz, what I can 'crazy light' for a non-carbon frame.

29er for Montana

 I'm on to aluminum for the next two weeks after building in steel since the first of the year. I think I might have done a small batch in January of aluminum frames but for the most part 2013 is shaping up to be the year of steel. That said, I'm always happy to change materials for awhile and this frame represents the first in the batch. If they all come out like this one I'll be very happy.

 This is a hardtail 29er with the Ahrens upper yoke and a tapered headtube for a hidden headset. I have only built a few like this so far but it makes a for a good small bike. The hidden headset allows for a longwr headtube without raising the handlebars too high. This frame should be a downhill screamer as it has a dual-slalom type front end. I'm liking this geometry more and more-the bikes just carve.

The frame is not made for big tires as this rider is like me, preferring the ease of acceleration with the smaller tires. The frame is 3 lb. 12 oz. and is made for a 5'6" rider.

Single speed CX/Road/Commute sttel frame

 This bike will see varied road conditions...gravel, a  bit of dirt and some possibly choppy pavement so the ability to have big tires will be a plus. The tubeset is again, a mix of S-3 ( yes, I do build frames from other tubing.....just not so far this month !) Nivachrome , and some other OX  True Temper tubes.

 The frame will be fitted with an Easton EC70X fork. This fork is unusual as it has an aluminum steerer....not a thin wispy one, a real piece of pipe. These forks don't jutter as much as the lighter carbon forks.....there's a weight penalty but with this 3 lb. 9 oz. frame, I don't think it will matter. Single speeds are always pretty light bikes.

Last but not least, I added some fender eyeltes to the dropouts and one under the seat stay bridge. Easton was smart enough to have eyelets on the fork as well so this bike can be winterized.

Another S-3 road frame

 This one has Paragon dropouts ( the non-stainless ones) and Paragon cable adjuster bosses on the down tube. The top tube is a round S-3 tube rather than the teardrop version I have used earlier this month.

 This frame is about 3 lb. 10 oz. very light for steel and should wind up being a pretty light build.

Used MTB on consignment

 Yes, the rare occasion where I have a used bike for sale is here. This 7005 hardtail cross country rig is perfect for a 5'7" rider. It has Mavic crossmax wheels, the rest is XTR. The fork is a Fox F-80 RLC and the bike has Easton EC-70 XC bars. It is an amazing deal for $ 1,000. The bike has V-brakes but the frame, fork and wheelset will take Discs.Here's an opportunity to get a bike that normally new would set you back over $ 4,000 -it is in showroom condition. Call me weekdays at 831-429-8010 if  you want to check it out.

29er single speed for Fairfield, Calif.

 I'm waiting on a custom order 80 mm Fox fork for this one so I figured that I should put up some photos before it goes away. This frame is a cross country version.....it won't see huge tires.

 The frame has a host of Ahrens design parts-the sliding dropouts and upper yoke.

I'll bet that this bike will build up pretty light. the frame is pretty light but not fragile by any means.

Steel 29er for bay area

 It was late in the day and too dark to take photos of this one outside. Hopefully you'll get the idea from these dimly lit photos. I think this one ranks up there in terms of execution....at least for me.

 It's amazing how replacing and/or cleaning lenses in the welding mask can open up new ( or old ) levels of precision. In other words, welding blind is not the best procedure. The slow degradation of my welding mask didn't really become obvious until recently.

 Now I feel like I really can see....I thought that I might have been going blind or having macular degeneration. Turns out that I'm not that kind of degenerant....maybe another kind altogether.

I didn't weigh this one...suffice to say that it is sturdy and should be hard to hurt. Should steer nicely, too.

Aw, hell.....another one.

 Yes, another S-3 road frame but this one has the S-3 chain stays.....perhaps second only to the S-3 seat stays in welding difficulty. Lucky for me , my hand was not shaking too much and these paper thin tubes got welded up without the possible drama. Maybe after all these years I'm getting used to this stuff but it is never easy.

 This color scheme is a case of one customer seeing another customer's bike on the blog and coming to the same color conclusion. I don't have even a little problem with that.....when someone knows what they want respective to paint and decals, my job is so much easier.

Another S-3 road frame

 What is this....third in a row ? Man, this qualifies as a trend. Maybe this will be the way I go on my next road frame now that Scandium is not available for the forseeable future.

 This one has Deda s-bend seat stays and Columbus Nivacrom chain stays-the result of this tubing mix is a scant 3 1/2 lbs. This frame is going to a bike industry person- a good number of my frames wind up at other bike companies.....I take it as a compliment, either that or my prices are too low!

Tig S.L. 'cross frame with big tire room

 It dawned on me today that I have been building this model for over twenty years......time does not stop.

 This one has the touring package for racks and fenders but there's a chance that the owner might try a race or two on it. This might be the most versatile frame I offer , probably why it has stood the test of time so well.

Disc 'cross frame and fork

 This is pretty much done except for some holes for....you guessed it-Ultegra Di-2. This will be my first installation of  electric shifting on a bike so I'm in for some interesting times ahead.

 There's no fittings for racks or fenders....this is pretty much a shredder.I'm sure it will be fun to have all that stopping power and no gear cables to foul up. I could have used a bike like this in Kentucky last week.....

Flat bar 'cross bike

This bike will go to a team mate who lives in the bay area. He prefers the flat bar setup with a single ring. He gets on the podium a lot so I don't try and talk him out of it.

 there's some serious color co-ordination on this bike. The red/white/blue of the French flag is mimicked in the headset and spoke nipples. The chain guard was made from an old Dura Ace chain ring.....I just turned it down on the lathe. Another reason not to throw those old chain rings away......

The whole bike as you see it weighs in at 16 lb. 4 oz.  very light for a 'cross bike -even a race bike like this one.

29er single speed for tall rider in Santa Clara

 This one is a big one, folks. The rocker dropouts might be a first for me.....maybe a second-I wish I could remember. The chainstay mounted style of the rear brake will be a nice look-something that I have not done. The frame has the 44 m.m. I.D. head tube for a tapered steerer fork or just a King inset headset. Either way, this frame will see some rugged dry washboard riding on the east side of the mountains near here. Nothing like big wheels to smooth out the ruts.

The white decals on the yellow frame are a first as well......didn't think it would look good but it does-I was surprised how much I liked the subtle contrast.

Big tire road frame for S.F. rider

 This woman is pretty tall and likes to have the bars and saddle about the same height-this is the reason for the longer head tube.Although it is hard to see, there's a chainstay bridge with a fender mount. the bike should be able to have 700x28 tires and full fenders.

 The straight blade crowned fork is something I have always liked the look of and the little window on the side of the crown provides a spot for color.

 The placement of the panels is the customer's idea-something I would have never thought up. I think it really gives a modern look to this frame and sets it apart from anything I have built in awhile.

Here's a closer look at the fork and head tube. The gussett on the down tube will help make the frame last a long time and not be bothered by the occasional trolley track.