Steel gravel frame going to Colorado

What sets this frame apart from most recent steel frames I build are the following: Post mount brake, down tube der. routing and a Paragon Machine works integrated head tube.

Another departure from the norm is the use of Reynolds 853 tubes. These are more expensive so the price of the frame is higher. The 853 tubes are very good and probably worth the extra $$$ for some. Frames I build with 853 have always gotten rave reviews for ride quality- me, I'm not sure I could tell the difference but then I have not personally owned an 853 frame in over 40 years. Maybe my next one will have those tubes......

 

Road trip : Enve builder roundup and Grodeo gravel ride

Changing things up from last year where I didn't do much traveling for bike events , this year I mapped out a few happenings that I decided to check out. I flew to Salt Lake City and on to Ogden, Utah - first for the Enve builder roundup- a small show that featured around 20 builders. In the past I have sent a bike but have not been in person. This time , with the added incentive of the Grodeo gravel ride I made the trip and I'm quite happy I did. The show was small and had a relaxed atmosphere- a fair amount of people showed up for the viewing and also for an earlier ride. There was also an early morning builder ride with the Enve staff and some locals. I thought that it would be a nice casual meander through the city but it turned into a lung testing sprint up some urban single track- at least for sea level dwellers such as myself. Painful as it might have been at times, it was the right prep for the Grodeo that was to happen the next day.

The Grodeo is not a race but it is a real test , being 92 miles and about 8,300' of climbing. Much of the riding is in the 6,000-7,000' elevation range so the few days I had spent out there before the event , along with the two rides I had taken did a good job of getting the initial shock of riding at elevation out of the way. 

These photos don't really come close to capturing the beauty of the high country outside of Ogden- you'll have to see it in person if you want to behold it the way I did. This ride had some of the most dramatic and beautiful scenery I have ever seen on a bike ride. 

Riders were warned that the route's signage might not be that complete and it was recommended that people download the route on their Wahoo or Garmin. I have neither so I just followed other riders that seemed to know where they were going. This worked until I followed a couple of riders down a hill for about a mile. They stopped and flagged me down to tell me that not only was I off course , I was following two of the many people who were bailing on the ride early. Not wanting to do this , I turned around and rode back until I saw more riders. This was the first of two times I rode off course.

There were three pretty big climbs and the last one turned into a hike-a-bike for most of us. This last climb came at nearly 80 miles and 8,000' of climbing. At the top of this last section I stopped at the last of the aid stations to get a cold drink and some food. I asked some of the other very shattered riders how to get to the final single track section but they all shrugged. Here's where I left the course for good. I saw two riders exit the aid station and ride down a paved hill.......this sound familiar ? By the time I had descended about 1,000' I had the thought that I was no longer on course. To ride back up the steep grade was unthinkable to me at that point so I just waited until a few more riders showed up. We all rode back to the finish-missing the last single track but pretty much only about 2 miles of the total distance. I can say that I would have done a bit better if I had lower gears for the latter part of the ride. I also would have fared better if I had a Garmin with the route on it. That said, I think that it was a great ride and the Enve people really went out of their way to show everyone a good time and a really testing bike ride. 

Here's the show bike at the end of the Grodeo, along with the happy owner who was nice enough to take the bike to Utah and let me use it for the show- not only that but he brought my bike back to Santa Cruz so that I didn't have to fly with it. We both survived and I will say that this journey was really worth it. Thanks to Enve for the invite to the show and for putting on a great event. I hope to come back next year, at least if I have the legs for it !
 

Rim brake 7005 CX going to Santa Monica, Calif.

This cute little CX frame is going to my home town, or at least the place I spent a lot of my childhood.

The frame is paired with a painted to match Ritchey fork. I think this frame is barely 3 lbs. so it should build up very light.

 

Steel 29er going to Bend, Oregon

This is the shape of my newest style of 29er cross country frame. The steel tubes are mostly from Dedacciai . I am nearly out of rear wishbone seat stays but I have designed some new ones and hope to have them soon. The ones on this bike are no longer being produced as the supplier has gone out of business after over 40 years of selling frame building supplies- proving that nothing lasts forever.

 

Steel gravel bike for a local

Yes, it has wheels that don't match. Yes, it has a gold headset when it should be something else. I am lending this customer some parts so that he can ride this bike at the Enve Grodeo next week . Long story on the component mish mash but these days getting everything ready in a hurry does not always go as planned.

The bike will also be on display at the Enve builder roundup. Normally I don't post photos of a show bike before the event but since there are no embargoed parts on this bike I wanted - after a very long and stressful assembly- to show this one before it leaves the shop tomorrow morning. I will also be at the show and on the Grodeo ride, or at least a portion of it. This trip was all a last minute thing- mostly driven by the thought of getting to see all the other builders in one place. I have not been at a show in 4 years so I figured that I should be at this one. The show is on the 23rd....that' next week in Ogden, Utah. Check it out if you can.

 

Steel road frame and fork for Woodside, Calif.

There's quite a long story with this bike. The customer had a Peugeot PA-10 that he bought new 50 years ago and always liked how it rode. He wanted to recapture the essence of the old bike but update the components. This is the result of his vision and a pretty lengthy quest on his parts to find this eclectic group of bicycle components.

First of all, the bike is nearly all Dura Ace Di II but with a twist- mechanical caliper brakes. Ever heard of this ? Me neither .......my first experience with it. Unlike the hydraulic Di II levers, these are not wireless. They are incredibly light, though- light enough to make the bike feel more nimble than a disc brake version of the same group.

The other unusual request was to literally use the old frame and fork as a template to build this new frame and fork- the small radius bend of the fork blade is as close as I could get to the original Peugeot fork. I did ride the Peugeot before I built this frame and I liked it a lot. It was very easy to ride with no hands at a slow speed. The design is lower trail than most modern frames. Other components of note- Phil Wood headset and front hub. The wheels were well built- some of the straightest I have ever seen. Bars are titanium and the seat post is a Thomson titanium......did not know that Thomson made a ti post....

There's also a Selle Anatomica saddle and MKS flat pedals- no cleats for this rider. He does do some serious rides so the pedals are not because he's just riding around the block- the pedals are what he uses and they work well for him. I just rode the bike today for the first time and yes, it does mirror the old Peugeot pretty well. It does not feel exactly like the old bike but it does not feel like a modern road bike. It feels like a classic late '60's early '70's road bike and is something I don't think is being built much any more so it was a real interesting project for me. I hope the customer is satisfied with what I built. This is not a feather weight bike at 22 lb. 8 oz. but it is very much the weight of a top-level racing bike from 50 years ago. 
 

BTRB in steel going to CT.

BTRB means big tire road bike. I used to build lots of these around 15 years ago. Maybe they are making a comeback. 

The beauty of a bike like this (I have one , too) is the simplicity and the versatility .......you can ride nearly every kind of surface with it as long as it does not get too rocky.

The frame and fork are made for long reach 47-57 mm caliper brakes.
 

Steel gravel frame for a Swiss customer

The customer asked for a single M6 boss on the top of the top tube- even sent me a photo of what they wanted so I did exactly that. My guess is that some sort of small bag is secured to the frame with the bolt. Most bags like this would use two bolts but this one only uses one....

 

WCCX frame going to Reno

If this frame seems to change color from one photo to the next, it does. This powdercoat is a color-shifting finish that is something relatively new to me. 

The painter did a great job matching the fork. Jen Green made a repro of an earlier custom badge at the request of this customer.  I think the look will be very dramatic in the sunlight of this frame and fork. Unfortunately , the day I photographed this frame it was cloudy and dark so I took the photo indoors. 

 

Head to Portland in late August for this show

 The Made show might be the largest gathering of custom frame builders ever. What am I bringing ? Can't tell you- actually, I have not fully decided. Whatever it is it will be showy.

Steel rim brake road frame- part of the Ultimundo package

This frame will be going to Asheville, N.C.  It is a mix of Columbus and True Temper , much like all that came before it in the last decade.

 

Rim brake 7005 CX with Ritchey carbon fork

Here's a flashback to a time about a dozen years ago-at least in effect. This kind of frame is making a comeback this year as I have had a number of orders for them as of late.

This one will be going north where there's real rain and serious mud . The one semi-modern feature is the dropper post routing- unusual for a bike like this but that's what custom is all about.