WCCX frame going to Bellingham, Wa.

This is part of the past pre-season aluminum batch that I am finishing up in the next two weeks if all goes well. This one is # 6 of a total of 10. The bike will be set up with Sram wireless- that's why there are no cable guides for the der's.

A frame like this typically weighs about 3 lb. 8 oz. , around a pound less than a similar size steel frame. The road feel is different as well- more stiffness for hard sprints and less chance of a speed wobble.

 

WCCX frame going to San Diego, Calif.

This is # 5 in a batch I started a couple of weeks ago. It will be set up with mechanical shifting and a 2X drive train, just like the pros in Europe. Yes, the front der. is not dead on the world cup circuit-it is the preferred configuration currently.

I'll have to pause this batch as I am having new flat mounts and dropouts machined-my good friend Mike Ahrens has been nice enough to hand over the whole process to me. Rock Lobster will now be the exclusive supplier ( And maybe user) of this 7005 frame building hardware. 

 

Steel CX frame for bay area local

I built a rim brake version for this same customer over 20 years ago. Now he's looking for bigger tires and disc brakes and he shall have it.

As the years have gone by he also needs a bit more height in the cockpit so this longer head tube should do the job.

 

Special steel mountain cruiser with fork "Mechanic's bike # 2"

Well , most custom bicycle frames could easily be considered 'special' but there are a few that I feel are something not in my usual catalog and require more thought and time- this frame and fork are just that. 

Back around 2007 I built a frame and fork much like this for our then team mechanic Ryan Bontrager. He was looking to get a 650 wheel MTB frame that looked like a pre-war Schwinn-I did the best I could at the time. The bike got stolen a few years later and has never been recovered. 

Maybe a year ago Ryan asked me about getting anoter bike from me- not a copy of the mechanic's bike that I had built years before but after a number of months and many differen ideas Ryan decided that he wanted a replacement of his old bike that I had made but with some improvements. I hope that this one really does the job.

The fork on the earlier bike was a bit too flexy so I built this one with some disc brake specific Tange fork blades. The frame has the look of the original but the geometry has changed- shorter chain stays and a slacker head angle should make this one behave better in the dirt. With luck he will be riding this as a complete bike in a few weeks , depending on how long the paint process will take. Ryan has been a good friend and has done me innumerable favors over the years and this frame is my attempt to pay some of that back. 

 

Team WCCX frame

Future of this frame has been changing monthly but I think I have a plan now. I have an upcoming show in Portland near the end of August and I believe that this frame will be up there as a built bike. I can't show the full build before the show as that is supposedly against the show rules......and the bike would be old news if I put it on social media before the show......I'm going to unveil it in Portland at the Made show and not before.

A supplier with whom I am partnering with for the show therw me a bit of a curve-I had intended to use a steel frame and had already built one for the exhibit. Well, that was not really going to work for the supplier so now it will be a team WCCX frame......you'll have to go to the show to know why the change happened and what it entails. I was very lucky to have this frame on hand to use for the show-I unwittingly saved myself from having to build another frame in a huge hurry for a show-this would get in the way of building frames for you folks out there in the world.... I would not feel good about that.

 

Light 7005 road frame for SF

Yes, this is a light one- maybe a hair under three lbs. This one is going to a team rider who also does some road racing. 

This has a mix of Dedacciai and Easton tubes , one of the last 38 mm down tubes in my stash....maybe the very last one , actually. It has taken me 22 years to go through several boxes of these tubes and it closes an era for me of using US made aluminum. 

 

Steel boost MTB frame for Florida

I built this one to be light and quick. The frame is under 6 lbs. and does not have the usual wishbone seat stay as it would add a bit of weight. The added stiffness of the wishbone would not be needed as this frame is going to Florida, not Colorado- no big mountain passes, just lots of fast twisty trails and fire roads.

The head tube is adorned with a Jen Green sterling head badge .

 

New model....sorta.

I built a 24" wheel version of something like this about 30 years ago for someone in Florida. I have no idea what happened to the frame but it has been in the back of my mind since then. 

Yesterday the stars aligned for me to build another one- this time a 27.5" wheel version. Who would order something like this ? Nobody yet- this is bound for the "Made" show in Portland in late August. Technically , I'm not supposed to put up photos of show bikes but this is just the frame- the build won't happen until July. Until then it will remain a mystery as to how I'm going to outfit it. It will be for sale at the show-hopefully I won't have to bring it back to Santa Cruz.....I don't have any open bike hooks !

Oh, yeah.....model is called the "Lifestyer" , in other words- a bike that really does not need to exist and for many people would serve no purpose........but for the right person it will check a few really obscure boxes. I hope that person goes to the show........