Thursday, November 29, 2012

Belt-drive 650 MTB frame....so there !

Yes, this is a belt-drive slider dropout 650 wheel mountain bike frame that will sport a Shimano Alfine 11 drivetrain. Have I made many of these ? Actually this is the first one. It has a curved top tube for increased standover room. The rider is 5'3 1/2" so this was the thing to do.The bike will be fitted with a 120 mm fork.
All of the interesting hardware is from Paragon Machine works: The head tube, BB and dropouts. The post mount on the rear is a fairly new feature.

7005 29er for Flagstaff, AZ.

 this may be aluminum but it isn't dainty. The rocks around Flagstaff are merciless so I put a bit of extra beef into this frame. It also has the very first tapered head tube that I have used in a 29er. This allows for a nice low cross country bar position with a 100 mm fork.


Saturday, November 24, 2012

1973 Motobecane team champion

 I got this at a charity auction years ago because I always wanted one. These were really fine bikes back in the day. This one is much too big for me so it is going to a good friend of mine. The bike has been hanging in my shop for a number of years.....I don't remember which number.

 Not the black anodized Campagnolo record seatpost that has been modified to accept the larger aluminum rails of this Ideale cutaway saddle.
The ends of the stays are finished off much nicer than other French pro production bikes of the day.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Road frame with seatmast in steel

Pretty self explanitory.....level top tube and hidden by the vise a BB-30. This one is ready to ship.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Fitness guru's frame ready to build up

 I'll be assembling this bike today with a Shimano Ultegra/CX-70 build. The wheels will be RS-80, a nice light wheel that can take abuse without costing too much. The Grifo file tread clinchers will make for a nice soft ride.
 This frame is part of the last fall batch-10 frames that I completed in the last three weeks. I'm super happy to have these all built and am looking forward to cleaning my shop and concentrating on the remainder of the cyclocross season. I also have about 18 steel frames I have to get started on as well......

The last three team frames for the season...almost.

 This single speed  CX frame is for the current district mens champion Alex Work.
 This one is for Sea Otter womens silver medalist Ellen Sherrill
This one is for powerhouse sprinter Natasha Perry. I still have a couple at the painter.....it has been a busy fall season.

Monday, November 12, 2012

Team bike with Bruce Gordon rock 'n road tires

 No, these 700x43 tires are not supposed to fit on this bike. No, I'm not going to tell you what I did to make them fit. What I will tell you is that I can build a nearly identical bike that will handily accommodate these tires like this bike appears to be doing.
Supposedly there's a ride coming up Saturday in Point Reyes station ( see Bruce Gordon's blog) and all of us might be riding on these big tires. I'm looking forward to it.

Friday, November 9, 2012

Used MTB for sale

 I'm selling this 26"wheel aluminum hardtail for a longtime customer as he's now getting a 29er. The frame is about 5 years old and is all US made Easton elite 7005 tubing . The equipment is a fox F-80 RLC shock, Mavic Crossmax wheels and the rest is all XTR, most of it new. The price is $ 1,250. The bike has XTR V-brakes now but disc brakes can be fitted on both the frame and fork.
 There's really no scratches on the bike-it is in really fantastic condition. New this bike would be about $ 4,600 now with this equipment. Call me at the shop at 831-429-8010 for more details.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Gray like the winter skies

 This rider in Boston asked for a color that matched the cloudy sky just before a snowfall....err, something like that. I did my best to pick the closest shade-hopefully the pick was right.

The steel road frame and fork will have to negotiate the pot-holed streets of Boston so I used some not-so-dainty tubes for the build. It isn't really heavy, just stout and made to last. The fork has serious room fo mud and slush should the bike be used in a real winter-not like the winter we are having here-90 degrees yesterday.....

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Al Carbon frame for a local

 I used to make lots of these frames-aluminum front triangle and chainstays with a carbon seatstay wishbone. The combo works to give a really racy frame a smoother ride. I have used this style of frame for most of the all-day rides I have done in the last ten years. I think the larger companies bailed on this style of frame because of the amount of labor involved . The carbon stay will be bonded in after the frame is heat treated and powdercoated.


Friday, November 2, 2012

S/S 29er......a bit larger than the last one.

 No, this isn't the same one I put up a few days ago, although the features are nearly the same.
 This rider is 5'10" with a bit longer legs than average. The rear stays are a bit wider to accept a 2.2" tire
I'm almost done with my batch of 10 aluminum frames as this is number eight. Week after next I'm back on steel for a month or two.

Reverse image

 This is the alter ego of a white scandium 'cross frame I posted a couple of weeks ago. This is steel and it will be going to the same customer. This will be the year round go-to training bike while the white version will be the dedicated race bike.
 This frame might be for general use but it would also be a fine race machine as it shares identical geometry as the scandium version and is small enough that there's only a minimal weight penalty.
I have a frame very similar to this in the shop that was ridden in the '2000 worlds back when most of the race bikes at all levels were steel. I'll post a photo of this battered warrior next.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Small 7005 aluminum 29er single speed

I don't think I can make one of these with a shorter seat tube or rear end than what you see here. The tire is literally touching the seat tube with the sliders all the way forward. Of course, one would never run the wheel that far forward as the chain would need to be tensioned.
 The 44 MM I.D. heat tube will not only accommodate the tapered steerer fork but it will reduce the headset stack by 15 mm-good for this 5 ' 6 " rider.
The Ahrens design sliders and yoke are a nice feature for me to have access to. The frame as you see it is 3 lb. 14 oz. and is really stout-made to last a long time.