Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Big tire 'cross frame in the field

This frame is pretty small but it can hold some really big tires. Right now there are some 700x43 Bruce Gordon Rock 'n Road tires on the bike......classic square-block tread and tan sidewalls......made to shred.

Friday, October 26, 2012

7005 road frame

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 I can't tell you where this frame is going but I will say that if it gets a good reception, a lot more people will see it than the folks that see it here.
 This is a very light frame 2 lb. 9 oz. as you see it. I used the lighter chainstays ( my very last pair ) and some N.O.S. U.S. made Easton tubes that are in some cases more than 10 years old. This is my best light aluminum tubeset that I can offer and I will run out in a matter of months. Fortunately I have been finding some good new stuff available but in my opinion it will never quite be as good as the original Easton.

There's the symbol on the downtube of the best aluminum ever-soon to be extinct.

Pez cycling article on Rock Lobster

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=10909&status=True&catname=Latest%20News

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Aluminum 'cross frame with panels

This frame was painted by Allan Neymark. The fork was repainted and decalled to match. Allan's site is linked on this blog if you want to see more of his work.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Team style 'cross frame

 This frame will be for a fitness guru.....I think I could use some of his wisdom ! Maybe he'll appreciate the kind of frame I built here. This is just like the team frames in every way except I got some new seat tubes and chainstays that I actually like better than what I have been using for the last year.
 Before the bosses and guides went on the weight was 2 lbs. 15 oz so it is probably right at 3 lbs. as you see it. The rider is just under 5'7" so it isn't a very large frame-hence the lower weight.

Friday, October 19, 2012

Ska Lobster !?

 This paint scheme was inspired by the ska revival and bands like the Specials and the English Beat .
 The owner of this frame will also have a steel version in black that will be the reverse image of what you see here......kind of the yin and yang of Ska-Lobster if you will.
The checkers are not decals but are actually painted on by Allan Neymark the local painter who does all of the wet  ( non-powdercoat ) paint work on my bikes.

Team 7005 cyclocorss frame

 We have one Frenchman on the team and this will be his new race frame.
 This should be a light and stiff ride well suited for Nor-Cal cyclocross where it does not rain nearly enough for the sport.

Friday, October 12, 2012

Another one ?!

 This one actually belongs to the district single speed 'cross champion. He won the title on my bike-now he won't have to borrow a bike to defend his title. He managed to ride to 7th place at the nationals in single speed....from the back row. My guess is that he will have a better starting position this year and might be able to take advantage of not having to ride through the bulk of the field.
 This one is just like the previous one except for some slightly beefier chainstays .
These aluminum rear stays come unbent so I have to re-shape them by hand. Each pair of stays is unique, which is a poetic way of saying that my bending can be quite random. As long as the brake posts are at the proper width and there's enough tire room there's not that much that can go wrong.....at least that's today's story and I'm sticking to it.  Oh, yeah....it is 3 lbs. 4 oz.

Team single speed 'cross

 It is my hope that the rider of this frame gets some district and national podiums in the single speed cyclocross class. This edition is the ultra simple version a straightforward racing machine.
 The head tube and BB are your basic stuff as sponsor provided fork and crankset must fit. The fork will be an Easton EC-70 and the crankset will be gold anodized from Paul  Components . This bike will have a nice build with shop built wheels with the gold hubs, also from Paul's.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Steel frame with big tubes and a seat mast

 I have only built a few like this but I am anxious to get it painted and to the customer to hear the ride report.
 The front triangle is all True Temper OX with a 38 mm downtube , 35 mm seat and top tube.
The rear triangle is all columbus -I think it is called 'Life' but I'm not 100% sure.......it is the best stuff I had. I did a little re-work on te seatstay bends to get the stays close enough for a brake bridge to fit. The frame has BB-30 and takes the Ritchey seat tube topper. I might have to build one of these for the shop as a demo to see how it rides.

" Big orange "

 I put up photos of this one before paint-I thought it would be nice to show the "Merckx" style orange and navy paint scheme. This is a massive 'cross frame and I hope it does the job for this tall rider.


Thursday, October 4, 2012

Steel 29er for a local.

 This frame is 5 lbs. on the nose. The rider is pretty tall and lanky. Like me , he's not into big fat tires but will run 2.0 or smaller tires.
 I decided to set him up with a tapered steerer setup to be current and ultra durable. He's still riding the Bridgestone that he bought nearly 30 years ago. This should be really different.......

 I wanted to show some closeups of the welding. I'm proud of this one.......makes me wish I had a better camera.

Monday, October 1, 2012

Steel road frame for Boston

This frame will also be paired with a fork that should be completed tomorrow. The future owner told me that the streets of Boston are not bike friendly and full of chuckholes. My hope is that the tubeset I used ( a mixture of True Temper OX and Columbus ) will be up to the task. I did not weigh the frame  but it feels pretty light.
 The 34.8 MM diameter downtube is stout- the gussett is just insurance against buckling .
I put the bends in the seat stays myself.......makes for a unique look.