Bike show in Santa Cruz

 Well, I could have posted this earlier but hey- better late than never. Today at 1:00 in the afternoon a small gathering of builders will be happening and new bikes with Chris King components will be on display. This is open to the public and there's no charge for admission. Food will be from Chris Cosentino, a former bike racer and really incredible chef. Check it out if you can- this is a rare treat to have a bike show here in Santa Cruz. Nor Cal - West Side !

Steel gravel bike for Emeryville, Calif.

This one was already in process before I put the lid on full builds. I do have a few more that I will really make every effort to finish but after those I'll not be able to offer full builds, just frames- maybe forks. 

This one is going to an old friend with whom I used to work at the Bicycle Center here in Santa Cruz in 1978. This guy was around when I built my first frame and he even got the bug to build a frame but never was able to complete it. Nobody had a shop or the right tools- I borrowed stuff and got some assistance from another employee of the shop who had built some frames, otherwise I don't think I could have completed mine either.

The parts on this bike come from too many sources to mention but everything works in harmony- WTB carbon rims, Industry 9 hubs, mostly Shimano GRX with a Praxis Carbon Zayante crankset. The bike has a Whiskey fork and handlebar. Not all the parts are brand new as I used what I could get. This build was so much work it really wore me down like no other build in recent memory. I'll spare you all the details but I have learned my lesson- until the supply chain gets somewhat more like normal I'll have to leave the full builds to the shops. I like to offer stuff like builds including wheels like the ones I built here but for the remainder of 2022 I won't be able to make it happen. I'm really lucky that I was able to finish this one, even with the totally random parts pick. 
 

No more complete builds for 2020

 Hello, folks. Sorry to say but the scarcity of parts and the inability of my suppliers to deliver forces me to curtail any full bicycle builds. I will still build frames but cannot build wheels or full bikes. I am also having issues getting certain carbon forks right now but that might be remedied in the coming weeks. Perhaps in 2023 things will be different but for now the full

builds are not possible.

Aluminum 650 single speed MTB frame for a local

This one has Ahrens sliding dropouts with Paragon inserts. The frame will be equipped with a Fox fork and dropper post. Both the rear brake and dropper post have internal routing. 

The seat stay yoke is also from Ahrens. 

 

7005 gravel 650 frame going to Montana

This one is pretty light , low and long. It should be nice and stable at high speeds. 

 

Steel gravel frame going to Canada

This one has a few unusual features. It has a steel fork that is tapered and has internal routing for a front light powered by a generator hub. It also has rack and fender mounts.

Another feature is the oversized seat tube for a 31.6 mm dropper post with internal routing. The frame also has rack and fender mounts. 

The customer sent an aluminum stem to be painted to match the frame. This one is a Ritchey.

 The whole package is finished off with a copper Jen Green headbadge.

Steel rim brake 650 gravel frame and fork going to Kansas

Here's another level top tube frame with steel fork but this time its a 650. This one is built for long reach TRP brake calipers and should take a 650x45 tire. The geometry is similar to the 40th anniversary touring frame I built for the last NAHBS in Sacramento. 

Since there's no big hills where this bike will be ridden there wouldn't be much to gain from having diac brakes. Also, the customer has wheels and parts to build up the bike already so this way he does not have to shell out a bunch of cash to build his new gravel bike. With room for 45 tires, this bike should handle the long gravel stretches in Eastern Kansas well but still be pretty quick on the pavement. 

There's a lot of nods to tradition with the level top tube, crowned fork and road cable routing. I think I have a lot of the same parts in my spares so you never know- I might build something like this up as well- first I have to sell a few bikes to make room !