Single speed CX frame for S.F.

 You might see this one again but I can't say where just yet. It has a couple of tubes of Scandium, the rest being 7005 aluminum. There are some Ahrens sliding dropouts and it is a disc only bike just like the one Aaron Bradford rode to the National championship in 2012 and the silver medal in 2013. I guess you could say that it is a proven design but also that the motor was proven as well.

 The main difference is that this one does not have provisions for rim brakes and it will take a tapered steerer.

It will be raced....you can count on that.

Columbus Max road frame for the U.K.

 Wow....another one ! Could it be that Max is making a comeback ? Looks like it to me. I enjoy working with it and that Columbus metal has the mythical ride that stumps framebuilders and engineers alike. Nobody can really articulate why it rides the way it does. This is as it should be......something nebulous and undefined but still a thing that one can notice.

Steel tig welds

 Here's some pretty decent looking stuff from last week. I have been using my newer welder for about 10 months now and am pretty comfortable with it. Maybe some day I'll be nearly as good as Mike De Salvo !

 For the people that wish to know, this is a mid-'90's Miller Syncrowave 250 and I do not have a pulser. I use a 3/32 " ceriated or lanthanated electrode most of the time and have a gas lens. I use about 18-20 PSI pf Argon and use the 'dab' method for adding rod. This is all primitive style by current standards but if I get results like this I guess I'm doing o.k.

Tom's ride 2013

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 It was going to be about 90 degrees so the group did its best to get up the first climb before the heat really set in.Here's us at the top of climb # 1   at 2,450 '.

 Here's a view of the mountains just starting the descent down into the valley.

 Brent on his recently resurrected '70's Motobecane Le Champion. The triple crank came in handy on the grades.

 This group of buildings is a simulated middle eastern village......the military was doing maneuvers here a couple of years ago-maybe a rehersal for something........use your imagination.

 After the river crossing the group neared the lunch spot-a swimming hole at the base of the final dirt climb. It was really hot at this time of day and people were definitely feeling it.

 A dip in the water helped counteract the effect of exposure to the 90 degree sun.

 Meanwhile, the bikes were left up on the road, not getting a frosty dip in the cold waters.

 Most of the way up the climb there was a big rockslide. This was a bit of a hike but the fact that it is there prevents car traffic. This makes for a downhill where you can really let it fly.....no worries about traffic coming the other direction.

This is the last water stop at the Arroyo Seco campground. The store was closed so we had to make do with the not too great campground water. Everyone was cramping at this point so the water really saved us.

At the end of the ride even my camera was so tired it could not fully open it's eye !

Proto track bike for local rider

This is probably the first bike that I have built under 14 lbs. It is 13 lbs. 8 oz. It really feels like it when you pick it up. It does not feel flimsy when you ride it, though. This is made from Easton 7000 tubing.

7005 29er bound for Flagstaff

This one is all Shimano XT except for some Mavic SLR wheels. The post, bar and stem are Easton Haven....bombproof yet still pretty light. With tubes this bike weighs 25 lbs.

Road frame for L.A.

 This one is nice and stout for the streets of L.A. where surprisingly a bicycle culture is emerging. Funny , it wasn't that way when I lived there 30-some odd years ago. You see lots of folks riding everywhere. Maybe you'll see this one !

Geard 29er in steel

 I have some great tubing available to build frames like this......the current set works really well.

 The top and down tubes are True Temper O.X. but the chainstays are Dedaccai.....nice bend.

This frame was made for 2.2" tires and a 100 mm tapered steerer Fox fork. It's a popular cross country setup. And yes, those are rack eyelets. This rider might do some dirt touring.

650 Single Speed for Staten Island

 I've been wanting to put up photos of this one as it is a really interesting ride. The frame and fork are pretty simple and conventional other than the 44 mm ID head tube, a good choice for this rider to keep the handlebars from being too high.  The rigid fork is about the same length as an 80 mm shock fork.

 The build is very typical for me-True Temper OX tubing up front, Dedaccai tubing in the back. There's room for some pretty large tires front and rear but the bike will mostly be for inner-city use. Some big slicks will most likely be the tire of choice in this rig. The new graphics are courtesy of Ely at Easton.Bell sports. The new stickers are available for anyone who likes the look. I think it will work well in NYC.

There's a lot going on with this frame....

 Yes-two brake systems , eyelets for a rack, sliding dropouts for either geared or single speed riding.

 The options are many on this frame which will be multi-tasking down in Florida. It's pretty stout but not super heavy. The fork is the same length as a carbon 'cross fork so that the owner can switch out and not make a significant change in the geometry. The present fork should carve the turns pretty well, though.

Another S-3 mix road frame.

 Before I put the braze-ons on this tall frame I weighed it. It was all of 3 lb. 13 oz. .....surprisingly light. This rider is a taste over 6'2" and likes to climb. I have to get it powdercoated soon as the future owner will want to get it dialed for the Markleeville Death Ride. The frame is fairly conventional except for the BB-30.

 I wish I had time to do some close ups of this frame as it came out really nice. I'm steadily trying to improve what I do in spite of 34 years of experience-there's always room to improve and one is never too old to learn something new.

Two 'cross frames for S.F.

 These two guys know and ride with each other. They ordered their respective frames a few days apart.

 Both tubesets are my standard True Temper OX mix with Columbus chainstays.The forks are nearly identical. The frames are similar sized with the orange one just  taste smaller. The colors , however are not the same by a long shot. The black has large metal flakes, kind of like a bowling ball-neat look. The orange is pretty bright and has the rare gold/black decals.

 I'm sure that these guys will battle on the race course and on the trails....should be pretty cool.

Two unusual projects that I did today

 The is the first order for a fillet brazed pre-suspension MTB fork I have had in nearly a decade.The blades are NOS Tange prestige bought from Bruce Gordon, probably the only person in the country who has a stash.

This stem is a quill 65 mm zero degree road version for a 31.8 MM handlebar. It is going on a frame I made almost 20 years ago. The second owner is a bit stretched on it so this will shorten it up a taste.

Will this be the last scandium ;cross frame ?

 It looks like the supply of scandium has ended. The scraps I have will not be enough to build another frame like this. At 2 lb. 13 oz.  it is really light. This customer is in the midwest and will be riding through the wet muddy conditions this fall.

 The frame has a standard threaded BB shell and a normal head tube for a straight 1 1/8" steerer fork. These factors contribute to the low wieght. the frame will be paired with an Enve carbon 'cross fork and a black King headset. Beyond that I don't know what parts will be mounted to this frame.

It will be sad to see this one leave the shop but I had better get it to the customer a.s.a.p ! He has been very patient .

Steel road frame for Palo Alto

 This frame is a blend of old and new. The new: PF-30 BB shell and 44 mm ID head tube.

 The old: Level top tube and aggressive position. This rider likes the bars low and rides pretty fast. I'm hoping he'll like the oversize tubeset that I chose. The rear triangle tubes are pretty light and should soften the ride a bit.

Steel single speed 29er for New England

 This single speed has the Paragon 'rocker' dropouts and a belt drive splitter on the wishbone. I had a week go by where I couldn't build anything......so much stuff going wrong with the mail, supplies-you name it.

 After a bit of a delay this one is ready to get sent off to the painter. It isn't light.....this customer told me that he has broken a few frame so I made sure that this one would be up for punishment. I didn't go overly heavy with the tubes but I did not use anything that sounded too thin. This one will be powdercoated black.