Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Big tire road bike for SF.

 With the brakes installed it all makes more sense. The brazed-on version of these Paul's Racer Medium brakes have a lot of power and they are made here in Nor-Cal.


Thursday, June 21, 2012

Disc brake 'cross frame for New Hampshire

 Yes, those are stainless dropouts. I normally don't use the stainless front dropouts but I got a request for them and it really is a nice touch. This frame will be good for load carrying as it has all the braze ons for front and rear racks as well as full fenders. The S&S couplers will be great for flying without having to pay top dollar for a boxed up bike.
 The new Ritchey stem has an interesting handlebar clamp and three bolts to secure the stem to the steerer-something I haven't seen until now.
The larger 19 mm seat stays will be nice and stiff to hold up to the forces of the disc brake as well as the additional load of full touring gear.

Cross bike for Sacramento built up

 This is a solid build: Dura Ace hubs , 36 spoke rear wheel, Ultegra/CX-70 group. The idea is durability-this isn' a race bike but an all-around ride anywhere steel 'cross bike. There's room for fenders and larger than race-size tires.
 These Shimano cantilevers offer a really excellent feel at a low price. I'm impressed with how easy they were to set up.
There's a set of the new XT trail pedals. I have a set of the XTR version on my 29er and like the larger platform.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

'Cross frame for New Jersey

 This frame is nearly all Reynolds-853 in the front and 725 in the rear. I offered the customer this upgrade and I think it is worth the extra money. The tubing is really nice to work with and the frame weight came in at 4 lb. 1 oz., light for a steel 'cross frame in this size.


Sunday, June 17, 2012

Tall travel road frame

 You can't get a frame taller than this into an S&S stock travel case......I've checked. This rider is 6'3" so the frame has to be this big. Before the couplers went in the weight was only 4 lb. 6 oz. , surprising as I did not try to go light on the tubes.
 The seat stays are s-bend 19 mm Dedaccai, a good way to stifen up the rear end of a large steel road frame. The seat tube is an oversize external butted offering from Nova.....another good feature for a 240 lb. rider.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Adventure touring road bike with disc brakes

 This frame is technically not done as it is still in need of some custom lettering and a clear coat.
 There's no telling where this frame will get ridden as the travels of the owner can be to very remote places.
The tubes are made to endure lots of miles and lots of cargo. It isn't a color that I have seen on one of my bikes until now.....very minty.

'Cross frame and fork for Sacramento

 This one is a nice solid ride, made to take a beating in the Sierra foothills. The paint is the same as my own 'Dumpstervaagen' big tire road bike. This has to be my favorite yellow.
 The s-bend stays will accommodate a pretty large tire and a wide fender.
The fork is my most popular edition, the heavier bladed oval unicrown.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Mass-start track frame for 650 wheels

 Here's the fully painted, prepped and ready frame awaiting it's owner-the twelve-year-old girl from S-Cal. She will be racing in the district championships this weekend if the bike gets assembled today.
 This is my second set of prototype Ahrens dropouts with bronze faces.
The frame is capped off with some pink accents-a King headset and a seat collar .

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Single speed aluminum road frame for Colorado

 This Easton 7005 frame is light and stiff. I see a perfect urban commuter or winter training role for this frame.
 The top tube is pretty level, a nod to traditional road bike aesthetic.
The dropouts will hve stainless faces bolted on after the clearcoat is applied.

Single speed 29er built up

 Tubeless tires, mostly USA components-this is a pretty nice ride. The old-school flat stem and bar are a nod to this rider's MTB racing years in the early '90's.

Yes, that is a Paul Component seatpost-a fairly recent addition to his catalog.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

'Cross race frame for Mt. Vernon, N.Y.

 This frame will get the crap beaten out of it in some fierce racing this fall. I have agreed to build a frame in co-operation with Mad Alchemy and some other sponsors. I hope the rider likes how the frame performs.
 This is a straight-up 7005 aluminum workhorse, the same thing I build for our own team-just a different color. The little gussett on the chainstay is for long term durability as it protects a highly stressed area of the frame.

Single speed 29er for Placerville Ca.

 This frame will get a super nice buildup which I will photograph tomorrow. No expense was spared on the components.
 The customer opted for the Jen Green sterling headbadge - unusual on an aluminum frame but when the bike is all together it will fit right in.
All the  machined parts are from Mike Ahrens, pretty much the go-to guy for aluminum framebuilding hardware of this type. The two tone paint was inspired by some team bikes I built a few years ago.

Friday, June 1, 2012

Big tire road bike

 This bike will take the Paul's 'Racer medium' braze-on center pull brakes. They have serious stopping power and are made in Calif.
 This isn't a dainty feather-light frame.....it is made from some stout True Temper OX tubes to take the beating of urban and fire road riding.
 The brake boss placement is really high for the racer brakes so no other brake will be usable on this frame and fork. It should not be a problem as these brakes are built to last a really long time and all the small parts are available separately form the manufacturer-a real plus.