Commuter/adventure steel frame for San Jose

This is geometrically a copy of a Marin frame-I don't remember the model but it was a really unique frame and this customer wanted an updated version that would take 27.5 tires. It has fittings for a rear rack and a top-tube mounted bag. I am hoping that it will be assembled on time for a ride near Tucson planned by the customer. Sounds like a real adventure that this one will possibly be going on.
 

Big tire gravel/CX going to Colorado

This one is unique in that it has the same chain stays I use on 29er frames. This boosts the clearance so that 700x50 mm tires will fit. The different stays are also super strong for the demanding terrain of where it will wind up. 

 

Steel flat bar all road frame for a local

I guess October is 'all-road steel frame month'.....looks that way by the last few posts. Last month  I had three 29'ers in a row. Anyway, this one will take 700x50 tires and it has slightly smaller diameter tubes than normal- a customer request. The top tube is nearly level-also a request.

The frame weight is 4 lbs. 6 oz. 

 

Unique steel all-road frame with unicrown steel fork

By unique I am referring to the internal generator wire routing front and rear and the light road unicrown fork. With the light fork and smaller diameter frame tubes this one should have a pretty smooth ride.

The fame has the UDH and will be set up with Sram wireless. I had to put an extra bend in the blades for rotor clearance. 

 

Really tall all-road steel frame and fork for a local

This customer is really, really tall - so this frame had to be one of the largest frames of the year. 

This is really a road bike but it has capacity for 700x40 tires so there is the possibility of mixed terrain use. I used a 42 mm diameter down tube from Velospec to make this frame less twisty under load. 

The fork is built with a heavier steerer and Tange disc specific fork blades. It should feel stable and strong under hard braking. 
 

Flat bar gravel 7005 frame

 This one is for my wife- she has not asked for a bike in many years but here is my version of what she wanted : A flat bar bike that can do mixed terrain to replace her 1998 CX bike. Now she will have disc brakes, 1X gearing and probably a much lighter bike all around. This one will be set up with Shimano XT mechanical shifting and some Shimano carbon GRX wheels. The frame weighs 3 lb. 6 oz. and I'm hoping to try to set it up with light stuff to make it easier to hang up in the garage. Unlike her older bike, this one won't have a rear rack but it will have the same fit and flat pedals. Another aspect is that this frame can take up to 700x50 tires. I'm not sure if she will ever use tires that big but at least she has the option. 

Steel commuter 650 for Texas

A customer sent me a frame to duplicate -at least as much as I could considering that his original frame was 26" wheel and this new one would be 27-1/2" wheel. I think I really captured the spirit of the old bike with the classic MTB geometry from the '90's . I used some older dropouts and some NOS tubing to make it a frame that is not typical of what I or any current builder would do,at least not in 2026.

I hope that the owner likes what I put together for him. He has had a few bikes over the years but his old beater commuter was his favorite and he is only retiring it as it is cracking and pretty much fully worn out. 

 

Bro-Tour in-route ....new model

 

Yes-I'm making these now- if you want all your brake lines hidden on one of my bikes it can now happen. This one is going to Washington state to a team rider . He wanted the team color but also wanted some sparkle- it has that in a big way. This 'space dust' sparkle clear coat has to be seen in person to see the depth- it is amazing. The frame and Enve fork are joined by a King Aeroset-3 in polished gold to match the seatpost clamp. The max tire size on this model is 700x32

Steel road frame , fork and stem for Ohio

Not often that I build stems and this one has the last of my Paragon stem parts. This blue has to be one of my all time favorite colors and the photos do not fully capture the richness. With mechanical shifting and rim brakes, this really harkens back to the '90's when I built many frames like this. I kind of miss those days when there weren't so many new component and frame specs coming down the pike every year. Sure, things like disc brakes and tubeless tires have revolutionized riding but still, simplicity has a beauty all its own. This frameset is a testament to that.

 

Steel 29er for San Fransisco, Calif.

This month is MTB month -I have three in a row to build, this being the first. This one will take 2.4" tires and has the newer UDH dropout. It is built to take a beating with a Velospec down tube and my new-ish wishbone seat stays. It also has one of my last Paragon head tubes. When they are gone, they might not be fully gone and First Hand frame building is seeking to ressurect many of Paragon's pieces. For now,I'll say that I don't know if I'll ever see these again but hope to.

 

Steel big tire CX for Colorado

 This one is made to take up to 700x50 tires. It will be mated to an Enve G-series fork. The chain stays are Columbus MTB bend - a little heavier duty than my stock Zona chain stay and a tighter bend to fit around those big tires. This one should be able to handle some rough terrain, as I am sure it will where it is going.

29er for Switzerland

This frame will be mated to a rigid fork. The customer asked for down tube routing- not standard for me but custom frames are custom and my job is to do what is requested. This one is meant to be light and lively and it should be that way with slightly smaller diameter tubing than what I usually use for a frame like this. I hope that the recipient is happy with what I have built for them- This one is really a custom order in all respects.
 

I'm leading a ride tomorrow.

 Yes- this is very late notice but I am leading a ride that leaves from the Missing Spoke bike shop in Santa Cruz tomorrow at 10:00 AM. It will be a leasurely 25 mile ride up the new bike path to Davenport and a new park just past the town. Anyone is welcome- might be a bit of dirt here and there.

Bro-tour rim brake ? - yes, it exists

Here's one for the books- modern look, old style rim brakes and mechanical drive train. The Bro-Tour will replace the 'SL' in my aluminum road frame offerings. Of course, this does not mean that I won't be able to build the SL, it just means that this model will replace it on the website eventually. All of the earlier ones I have built have been for disc brakes but this rider felt that he didn't really need them. I hope he likes what I built for him. It is very light at barely 3 lbs. for the frame. 
 

All-road steel frame going to Truckee, Calif.

If you are on our CX team and you win a national title, I build you a free frame of your choice. Caroline Dezendorf won the single speed class in the nationals last year so this is her choice- a steel all-road frame with an Enve all-road fork. She already has a fleet of CX bikes so this one should fill a role that the other bikes don't.
 

Really huge all-road 7005 frame for St. Louis, MO.

 This is a super tall one. I built a rim brake version for this customer some years ago and he decided he wanted room for bigger tires and some disc brakes. This frame is wedded to an Enve all-road fork so the bike will take 700x38 tires. I hope that it makes the rider happy. This one is going to Big Shark bikes in St. Louis .

WCCX frame going to Asheville, NC

This one, along with all the parts is going UPS to Asheville , NC this morning. I hope that the rider really enjoys his first foray into a modern CX bike.