Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Tall S-3 road frame for Bay Area

 This is a big one. It has a bit of a headtube extention and a BB-30 shell. The tubeset is pretty light for a frame this size but I have a couple of others out there that are larger and have gotten some really good ride reports. My own track frame is this tubeset except for the chainstays and I ride it every week with a smile on my face. You can stomp on the pedals and it just goes. Let's hear it for modern steel !
 The photos don't really show how nice the metallic blue came out. I am amazed at how smooth a powdercoat can be when it is done right. Of course, all of my frames have a wet clear coat over the powder but this frame looked really good before the clear went on.
There's some Columbus in  the rear stays......a nice mix with the S-3. It's all light but it's all pretty stiff as well. I don't think a frame like this could have been built 20 years ago with the tubing of the time.

Two frames going to far away places

 This first frame is a Columbus Max road racer bound for the U.K.

This next one is a Team Euro actually bound for Europe.......Czech republic this time.

Tall 7005 road frame for Seattle

 I'm running low on this Easton tubing but I think I'll be able to maybe finish off the year using my favorite aluminum. It will be a sad day when all the NOS Easton elite and ultralite tubes like the ones in this frame are gone. I'll still build aluminum frames but I can't say that I'll ever have access to stuff this good.
 The rider of this bike has a short torso and arms but really long legs. At 6'2" his legs are comparable to riders 6'4" that I have built frames for in the past. The head tube is 44 mm I.D. and will accommodate a tapered steerer fork.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Two 'cross frames for Iowa City

 These two frames are both bound for Iowa City, Ia. I'm not sure when the last time I sent a frame to Iowa but now there's two in fairly rapid succession. This one is a level top tube 7005 aluminum 'cross frame wthat will also see a lot of duty on the massive network of gravel roads in the region.
 This stout frame weighs in at a hair less than 3 lbs. and should be up to the task.

 This next one is a disc brake version with a pretty fancy paint job from Allan Neymark.The fork was painted to match but didn't get into these photos. I put up a photo on the Rock Lobster facebook page of the frame with the fork.
 Yes, this is another jen Green headbadge, this time a copper/sterling mix. It should age nicely.

7005 road frame for who ?

 This frame is to be a display item-but not forever. It will eventually find an owner. I built it for a display that will feature a number of other hand built bikes. I can't say where it will be yet or who is involved but I'm sure it will be a cool lineup.
 This is a 58 cm road frame made for a tapered steerer fork. The tubing is a variety of 7005 aluminum, most notably my very last Easton 'penta' top tube. I think I only ever had three of these. These were U.S. made and extinct for at least seven years.
The downtube and chain stays are Easton tubes from Taiwan from about three years ago. The rest of the tubing came from Fairing industrial, my current source of 7005 tubes. I have access to some tubes from Columbus and Dedaccai but they are in short supply these days.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Possibly the very last Sandium Team Carbon road frame ever

 Yes , that's right. This was a tubeset I was saving for myself but decided that a customer half way around the world needed it more than I. This customer opted for a level top tube and a normal head tube and BB.
 These flared tubes were the flagship Easton Scandium GX-2 tubes that I used on my team 'cross frames and this model. I think I only made one MTB frame with the tubes. I feel that they are the most astutely designed tubes I have ever used.
The rear stays are not bonded in yet-I just put the rear triangle together for the photo. I still have to bond on the rear der. cable stop on the chain stay. The frame will get a wet paint treatment in the darkest blue available. When it is all painted and prepped it will be shipped to Taiwan-Ironically, the source of most of the materials used to build this frame. What goes around comes around !

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Bike tour !

The shop will be closed for a few days......had to happen some time. This will be wilderness product testing. Dirt/pavement big tire road bike tour .....no camping-motels and wineries. Three nights in central Calif. in search of the best taqueria and most remote through roads. If the roads don't go through, the shop might be closed for an expended time !This will be my first bike tour in 14 years........too busy welding as of late.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Travel road frame for Florida

This rider likes a pretty low handlebar position....about 10-11 cm of drop from the top of the seat to the center of the handlebar.....too much for me but then, I'm old. 
 This is a pretty standard road race geometry with a nimble front end but not too manic. It should steer pretty quickly but still hold a nice line at speed in a hard turn. The front triangle is True Temper and the stays are Columbus.

Steel 'cross frame for the Czech republic

 The front triangle of this frame is True Temper OX and the rear stays are Reynolds 725. This is a pretty stout tubeset and the frame tips the scale at 4 lb. 3 oz. Not super heavy but still over 4 lbs. This is what the customer requested, essentially to go for durability rather than lower weight.
 I gave the frame a little more tire room as I'm sure that the mud in eastern Europe is serious stuff.
The level top tube makes this look like traditional and should please some traditionalists out there. I had fun building it.

Monday, May 6, 2013

29er Single speed for New Hampshire

 This frame has rocker dropouts and a splitter for belt drive. It also has the 44 mm Paragon Head tube that is really gaining popularity . To top it off the customer requested the Jen Green sterling head badge. These are also gaining in popularity.
 There was a bit of a challenge creating adequate tire room while making space for low Q-factor cranks. I think I made it only by a few mm's but that is all you need. The decals are small and understated, another customer request. It's got a nice look, a little out of the ordinary for one of my frames.

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Visitors from Switzerland

There's a shop in Switzerland called Cycleworks and they carry my frames. These folks were here to pick up a fillet brazed fork and some t-shirts and socks and a few water bottles. Nice to have visitors from so far away.

Tall 'cross frame and fork for L.A.

 Tall frame you say ? At over 6'4" this is a pretty tall rider. There's a lot of utility to this one with front and rear fender eyelets and fender mounts on the bridges. This would be a great bike for someone who only has one bike for everything. This is the Team tig S.L. model which will take the Bruce Gordon 700x 43 Rock 'n Road tires.
 The frame weighs in at 4 lb. 8 oz., not bad for something made to take a tall rider over some rough terrain.
With the exception of the seat tube, this frame is all True Temper OX.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

L.A. steel road bike built up

This is an Ultegra build with nothing carbon except the fork. The wheelset is the shimano RS-80, an Ultegra level model that shares the same rim as the Dura Ace C-24 wheel. As you see it, the whole thing weighs 18 lb. 14 oz. and this is not a small bike ! The tubeset is a mix of True Temper OX and Dedaccai, not a heavy set but definitely not as light as S-3. I'm really amazed at how light a steel bike can be without spending $ 5,000....or even $ 4,000 !

Traditional crowned fork for a Medici touring frame

This fork is designed to take long reach brakes and up to a 32 c tire. The original fork has 57 mm of rake and makes for really sketchy descending. This one has 45 mm rake and should carve like a champ. The crown is the Pacenti  'Mitsugi' model, a replica of a type found on late '70's Masi frames.