Tuesday, May 31, 2022

7005 CX frame going to the midwest

This one has a level top tube and will be fitted with a steel fork that I will build next week. The formula is kind of retro but the frame and fork will have flat mount disc brakes so it will have up to date stopping power. 
The frame weighs 3 lb. 10 oz. and has my old-style machined head tube that is relieved on the inside and outside. It is an additional step that I no longer have to do when I use the tapered integrated style head tubes so I got to re-live a machine operation I used to do on every frame up until about 5 years ago.

 This one is the last in a batch of 14 aluminum frames. Not many of them made it to the blog but later I'll put up a photo of all of them together before they get sent out for heat treatment. It's an impressive pile of frames.

Saturday, May 21, 2022

Steel gravel frame for Ontario , Canada.

The owner of this frame is currently in Calif. but he's relocating to Canada later this summer. Where he will be living there will be endless miles of gravel roads so this is what he chose to bring north.
The frame is mated to a Whiskey # 9 carbon fork that has been painted to match the frame.

 

Steel all-road frame

This copper color has become popular in the last couple of years. It all started when I built two frames for the handbuilt bike show in Sacramento in 2018. The tandem and the MTB frame I built were in a very similar color that is no longer available. This copper is as close as it gets in powdercoat.
This frame is a bit different in that it has an integrated style head tube, very much the same as what I use on my aluminum frames but almost never on steel- but I am starting to use this head tube more often.
The Enve 500 rake G-series fork required a long wait, maybe 5-6 months but it did show up and I had it painted to match. Hopefully soon this frame will be on the road with the new owner next month.
 

7005 criterium frame

This one is a rare one for me- an actual criterium frame. Not meant to be supple and ridden all day, this one is stiff and steep and made for sprinting and hard cornering , the stuff in Nor-Cal racing that really punishes bikes and riders. 
Not a super light frame, this is all about speed and quick handling.

 

WCCX frame going to Del Mar, Calif.

With a painted to match Whiskey # 9 carbon fork, this one really has the look of a team frame.
The owner of this one is an avid racer as is his daughter, who also has one of these frames. 
When I went to the nationals in Illinois last December I was surprised not only to see them but to see the Daughter on the podium !  
 

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

SSCX frame in 7005 aluminum

I have been building frames for this racer for nearly 10 seasons and this is his latest single speed for the upcoming season. I am trying to get a jump on all the race frames I have to build before the season starts in September. I think I have about 23 total to do, maybe 7 have been completed so far. Hopefully by the end of this month I'll be more than half way through them. 
This one has the Ahrens sliding dropouts with Paragon inserts. There are other ways to make a single speed setup but this way has been proven in many big races so I am happy to go this route for this particular rider. 

 

7005 aluminum frame batch continues

My computer had issues this week but it looks like I got things sorted out so I can continue documenting the shop and building progress. I am in the thick of a 12 frame aluminum batch, mostly pre-season CX race frames - some of them for team members . This one is a WCCX frame for a bay area racer who is not on the team.
This one is for a 6' rider and weighs 3 lbs. 6 oz.  , about 1 lb. less than a light steel version of the same thing. The aluminum is quite a bit stiffer for all the accelerations needed out of every corner of a typical CX course. The thicker tube walls are harder to dent as well.

 

Saturday, May 7, 2022

Team CX frame going to the Pacific northwest

Seems like I will have a lot of these team CX and WCCX frames going up to the land of mud.



 

Wednesday, May 4, 2022

1963 Raleigh Gran Sport for sale

I'm thinning the collection and this bike is something I have had for at least 20 years. I didn't really get it rolling until last week as I wanted to take it and some other stuff to the Eroica California to sell at the swap. Well, the bike didn't sell so now I will put it up here and on my Facebook page. I bought this all those years ago because I knew someone who had one and it was a really great riding bike. This one is all original except for the wheels which have been upgraded to something really nice.
Here are the numbers: Seat tube 580 c/t/c. Top tube 560 c/t/c. 170 cranks. 10 cm stem. 447 chain stay !
Equipment : Campagnolo Gran Sport der's and shifters. Campagnolo record hubs. GB Courier brakes and levers. GB Maes bars- these are really cool. 
Theres a light mount on the fork and yes, I have the original lantern. If you are looking for a smooth riding old classic that is not a racing bike but more like a rando-tour bike, here it is. There's even a license from 1964 on the back of the seat tube. I didn't do the full restoration to it as I wanted it to retain the original look. I'm asking $ 450. 



 

Steel all road frame for Pacific Northwest

This one will get a wireless Sram 2x group. The frame weight is 4 lb. 9 oz.