A re-issue of my roots

Back in 1978 I started out as a hobby frame builder, mostly out of wanting to know what went into a bicycle frame- kind of the last frontier for a bike mechanic. The first 6-7 frames were named after the street I lived on - Routier. The next frames were given a different name as I was no longer living on Routier st. I gave these frames my last name - Sadoff. There were probably less than 20 of these frames made. The frames were all road frames of lugged construction as that was all I knew how to build.
 

About a year and a half ago I got the idea to re-issue this brand and style of frame. One of my old customers had a frame on order and allowed the old name to be put on his frame-I even had decals made as painting the logo on by hand was too variable and I was way out of practice. Before I made that customer's frame I built this one- the prototype , so to speak. Funny to call it that as the materials and construction are in the style of over 40 years ago. Well, here's the result of my labors-it is a Columbus SL frame with Henry James cast lugs and Shimano dropouts. I had built this frame about a year ago but only finished assembling the bike yesterday. I used whatever old parts I had up in the loft that would work well and be somewhat modern without being the latest. The build is Campagnolo 10 speed for the most part but there's other stuff on there that is pretty random. The bike rides nicely-hoping that I can take it on a real ride later today.  These frames may not be on the website but I will build one for anyone who orders one.

I don't have any pricing yet but I'm sure I could come up with a quote. This one is my size but I might not keep it as I have way too many bikes-and some of them are 40 year old versions of what you see here.

The shop may be closed......

But that does not mean that I am not there. My goal by Jan. 1st is to finish lingering repairs and assemble two bikes. Here's the first-a Carlton International that I bought on Ebay as a frame and fork when I was recovering from my broken leg last year. It took me awhile to get to building it but here it finally is. The build is not really dead-on period-correct and purists might take me to task. I say this: If not for me this would have never been a rideable bike again as the previous owner never got around to building it and I'll bet the owner before that had robbed it of all its parts. 
 

I really had to get resourceful to make this bike roll. The BB is a Phil Wood with 26 TPI rings so that I didn't have to use the old BB that was made for cottered cranks. While cottered cranks might be proper for this bike , they are in most cases terrible. It is rare to get a set that don't loosen up with hard riding. I think that the frame does not really deserve some of the finer parts on it but I used what I had and I also wanted it not to be a heavy ungainly ride. It moves along pretty well. 

So why a Carlton ? When I was 13 my very first road bike was a Carlton Super Course. It was not that great but it was my first real bike so I had a bit of nostalgic jonesing when I saw this one for sale. I made a low offer on it and it was accepted. What will I do with it ? Not really sure but if I am to sell it, I'll be sure and take it on a long ride before I do. I put a lot of work into it and it would be a shame not to experience the ride of a bike very similar to the first bike that gave me the freedom to really escape my home and find the limits of my endurance. 

Shop will be closed until Jan. 1st.

Yes, the shop may be closed but that does not mean that I won't be there. I have some repairs and odd projects that have been laying dormant through much of the last 4-6 months. I will use this time to complete these and other things in the shop that have been overlooked, such as removing a bit of clutter and getting things in a better state of order. That said, this has been the second busiest year of my career and I'll use that as an excuse to justify how some things in the shop might have gotten a little more disorderly in the year of 2024. What will 2025 bring ? So far it is looking to be much the same as this year but my plans are to take a bit more time to do things extra-curricular. In 2024 I built 94 frames , or at least that's the count as of Dec. 24th- it is likely to go up by one or two before the end of the year. I think in 2025 a goal of maybe 75-80 frames is more sensible , given that I will be turning 70 in September. There's only so much one can push oneself at my age. 

Happy holidays everyone and thanks for all of you taking time to see what's up in the shop all these years.
 

Steel frame and fork

 Not totally sure what to call this one except that it should handle a lot of different conditions. It really is kind of a big-tire road frame and fork. The frame and fork are built pretty light as this one will not be carrying a lot of weight. The setup will take 700x45 tires and will be set up with a 2X mechanical group with flat mount disc brakes.

Tig SL 29er frame

I like the lines of the rear stays and bridges. The curves really flowed on this one. I still have yet to build the tapered steel fork for it but I wanted to put this one on the blog as it is likely the last customer frame of 2024. I have built 94 frames this year so far-I think that is enough !
 

The Mako Shark rolls

 A customer in Nebraska asked for an SL road frame but painted like a Corvette Mako Shark. He even had a metal shark to be applied to the top tube. It is an interesting build as the parts that were available were from three Shimano groups. Yes, this is a road bike but it needed to be mechanical shifting with disc brakes-not that easy of a combo to get these days. That said, the GRX 820 levers and derailleurs do the job when coupled with an Ultegra road crankset. The wheels are Shimano RS-710 , probably the best deal Shimano has on carbon tubless wheels. This bike is around  $ 5,500.00 as shown- it's a hell of a lot of bike for that money. Who would have thought that custom would ever be a 'price point' bike. 

Haven't seen this one in a long time

About 1980 I was a hobbyist frame builder and a guy I worked with was a cat-1 racer doing cyclocross. He was open to me building him a frame to race on so I did. I really didn't know how to build a proper 'cross bike so the first one was a failure. This is the second one-much different than the first and only a bit more successful. The big difference is that this one is still rideable while the first one would up in the recycling pile and never was ridden again. The first frame was too steep and twitchy so I made this one long and slack. It was pretty good in the mud but still a primitive effort. It did get ridden and it has withstood several owners and over 40 years.
 

I'm not 100% sure what number frame this one is but I'll guess in is one of the first 15 frames I have built. I spray painted it in my driveway and it still seems to have not been re-painted.

I was so discouraged after my first two 'cross bike attempts that I did not build another one for about 5-6 years. I think I have a pretty good grasp of what it takes to build a 'cross frame now. Failing on those first two was all I needed to get inspired to eventually become fluent in 'cross bike geometry and riding characteristics. 

I'm really happy that this bike found a new owner who really cherishes it. 

Touring-big tire-all-road go anywhere steel frame and fork

This customer is a veteran of the infamous 'Jobst" rides of the '80's and '90s and before , where folks would meet up in Palo Alto at Jobst Brandt's house and spend all day riding mixed terrain on road bikes with tubular tires. This bike should make that kind of riding a bit less daredevil and also have more load carrying features. The fork has braze-ons for the rack that the customer brought by. He also had me braze on a pump clip 'Peter Johnson' style for his custom painted Silca pump. There's some real throwback features such as Shimano SF dropouts that were culled from a framebuilder's stash-these dropouts have been out of production for maybe 20+ years. It was a cool build with the paint a nod to the Eddy Merckx frames of 30 years ago. I hope that the owner likes the way it rides. 
 

Rim brake road frame and fork

 This one has a Columbus 'Life' tube set for the most part. The frame is less than 4 lbs. which is pretty light for one like this. 

The fork is a style I have been building since the late '90's - straight blade crowned fork with just enough room for a 700x30 tire, maybe a 700x32 Gravel King. Should be a nice, fun ride.

7005 CX/Gravel frame going to New Paltz, NY.

This one will have all sorts of stuff on it that was painted to match. The seat post,bars and bottle cages are all seafoam green now-I'll want to see what this build winds up looking like. 
 

SSCX/Geared frame in steel with rocker dropouts

This one is going to Tennessee. The rocker dropouts allow the use of a single cog or freewheel or even an internally geared hub such a s a Rohloff or a Shimano Alfine. It's like having two bikes.

 

Touring / gravel frame in steel

 This one will be set up with GRX 12 speed Di II. It has the 'Ultimundo' tube set in all the places where I could use it so it is not a very heavy frame. It will be mated to an Enve G-series fork and a King headset.