hope trials on mtx33.
36h, dishless.

you can run 1/2×6/7.dt comps.

even spoke tension.

cannondaleking, that looks proper, last place I worked at had metal bench tops, I went for wood in my shop.
Those barrels look ace, be great as a grinder stand, or a vise stand.
where do I get one?
did you paint the shoreline?

you could do a Lucio Fontana on it.
it’s possible to sand it back, but it’s really, incredibly hard to do at all well.

scapegoat, must do that as well, or even better, make a drawer with wheels on it to store stuff underneath.

contact cement, but start off from the nose. the rest is easy.

just need to put it high enough so you don’t hit your head.it’s over the bike stand in any case, so I can’t walk under it in any case.
FOr now it’s working, I like trying things out.
some screws have both cross and flat, they’re handy. but I just tend to buy cross screws.

also when you’ve nearly died, and not. it’s great. that and feeling fresh sheets getting into bed after having had a shower, after a good ride.

The right material for the right job.

A chain is still steel.

A cassette is still steel.

A pedal axle is still steel.

There’s still steel in the most carbonized bicycle.

There’s new steels that are being developed and [they’re] playing with

Steel is what nails are made out of,

what barbed wire fences are made out of,

it’s train tracks.

It’s the industry,

it’s the most honest material.

Steel is a material that has got a personality.

Steel is the only material you can have with it’s inner core soft and the outer layer case hardened.

Tough.

There’s no other material like it.

The things you can do and the alloying, the joining, the forming, the refabricating, the changing of it.

There’s nothing like it.

There’s nothing that’s going to replace it.

That’s why I’m commited to steel.

Tom Ritchey.

Because the tubing choice for a small builder is excellent, whereas for titanium, or alluminium alloy it’s pretty poor.

it’s easy to modify, repair, and lasts.

material strength means you can (but don’t have to) use small dia tubes.
This means that you can fit people really well, because tubing diameter is part of bike fitting.

I prefer leather, the thinner it is, the easier it is.

being my own boss.

Legolam, if you can manage to pop into the shop we can have a look at the maps. I’ve done those places on the road bike more than the mtb, but Ill do my best.
Nobeerinthefridge,thanks, it’s a framebuilding bike shop, opened on monday. I’ll put some pictures up as soon as I’ve finished sorting out the last few things. (no beer,no fridge either, but I can sort tea or coffee).
Come in and say hello if you’re passing through.

That goes for everyone, you got a bike problem, want some advice, I’ll do my best.

Exactly, bikes are meant for riding.
there’s a bit of show going on, and that’s fine.
we’re all proud of our bikes, and rightfully so, they’re gorgeous elegant machines.

But the main thing, is that they be fit for purpose.

And what’s fit for purpose changes, because we’re all a bit different.

I’m a bit late, but here’s my 2p.
A custom bike can be lots of things, it can be a pretty paintjob, it can be a solution for a hard to fit person, it can be about being different.
I think it’s all those things, but it’s about the rider, about who you are, how much you weigh, how fit you are, where and how you ride. What you want.
I think it’s not just about the building a frame, though it’s important.
It’s about understanding, listening.
About angles, weight distribution and pedaling style.

Translating that into a bike.

We’re all unique individuals, so we all have slightly different needs and wants.

Enough words,

here’s my latest, on one of my local climbs.

As much as love bikes, as vehicles, objects, craft, I think they’re tools, for riding.

A custom bike should be a better tool.
It can cost more, or less, but it’s not the point, the point is to ride.

The real cost of a bike, any bike, is the time we spend riding it.

For me as a builder, the real point of a custom bike is a better riding experience.

You can see more[/url]

gotcha, good idea. might be an idea to have it removable, so it’s easier to load, unload.

Crogthomas,
I have one of those benders, it works ok, though I find the 12mm and up tubing a bit of a struggle.
What did you do to stiffen it up?
I’ve found old pulley wheels to work really well for bending, though you do need a fair few.

I made the first rack using canti brake bridges, I had nothing to get small radius bends, so I made do
it worked really well and looked neat, allowing me to join three different tubes, brazing everything together could have been easier, I think the only way to make racks viable as a bespoke item is to make them rational and simple to build, the key is tubing selection and weight placement.

Stainless is a little bit less elastic than cromo. Maybe it would be easier to find equipment for brazing steel rather than stainless, on tour.
But if a rack is built and designed for what it’s going to do, it won’t fail.

Not done many stainless racks so far, though plenty of stainless frames, they’ve been fine.

All paint comes off in the end, bed liner works well, though not the prettiest.
powder+clear works well.

STATO
rando bags can be diyed, they’re simpler as they’re supported.

I made some klickfix bags in about ten mins with the kit they sell, four holes and a screwdriver and you have a bag for their mount.

Garage-dweller.
The idea was to have something that would easily take either a longish lateral load as well as a normal bundle/rucksack type load.
with just one toestrap you can cinch a shortish beach umbrella and foldable rush mat for the beach in a really solid way.

That’s what the bike was for, sort of a fastish beach cruiser thing.
bit OTT, maybe, but they’re nice once in a while.

Also the fact a circle is the shortest perimeter you can get for a given area size. so it’s lighter, basically.
I was trying to get the most rack per weight. it’s 8mm tubing with 0.5mm walls, lightweight but tested it and up to 8kg is fine.

plus I like the shape.

Might make a custom bag for that, like a japanese lunchbox, would look nice, and probl even more OTT.

off topic, K-stan looks amazing,nice pics.

nice one Matt, you got close up pics of the clamp?
reminds me about the very first luggage thing I made, with an old stem, clamped to a seatpost, to make one of those beam ones. about 8 years ago.
On a mtb I really like framebags lately, but that’s for another thread.
Crogthomas, how do you bend the tubing?
I’ve got a few methods, but none give me all the solutions.

Looks good, I used mild steel on my first rack,

I then decided that powdercoating was ok, but not ideal, not too fond of chroming, so I went stainless.
It’s a bit harder to braze, and more expensive, but it does solve the paint/rust problem once and for all.
The hard bit on the star/mercedes/cnd/czech rack was the centre, once that was sorted, tight miters and a bit of care means it’s not too hard. just keep it clean, use the right flux and silver and don’t heat it too much.
The hardest bit was hand number.

I was holding the torch with one hand, and the needle nose pliers with another to keep the tab on.
So I held the rod with my teeth to braze it.
It’s not normal procedure, I’ll make a jig for that in the future, but I wanted to finish it.

I quite like making racks, it’s like mini framebuilding.

Headtube, 44mm, integrated cable rub protector in stainless.

Seatstay cluster,
http://revanchebikeco.wordpress.com/2014/08/01/before-paint-650b-hardtail/
More pics soon.

neilwheel, here’s a few more, More to come.

obligatory, lay your tubing out somewhere and take a picture of it, shot.

brazing.

filing.

Internal dropper routing, done the proper way, ie, brass tube goes up a few inches, not just a hole.

Collaborating with Mudhugger. Mudguard attachment is direct and specific.
Cleaner, easier to fit and remove. Won’t damage paint.Stainless.

Stevied, thanks, I honestly didn’t know.
🙂

the 661 subgear is pretty good, the chest is soft, not a hardshell, it’s a baselayer and
It doesn’t have a backprotector.
The elbow and shoulder padding is great, I’ve not tested the chest bit as much.
Comfortable too, but a bit annoying to take off.I used to wear it on very long rides,worn in hot temperatures, cold temperatures, and it’s always comfortable.
http://sixsixone.com/bike/first-layer-bike-2/sub-gear
I have the old version, looking at the pics, the new one has more chest protection.

inches

the BB is the hardest part to file and sand, get something like 5-6 of air hose over a screwdriver, then use that under the sandpaper.

http://www.bikemag.com/blog/friday-five-hardtail/

This one’s gone.


this one’s at the painters.
top right, if you’re wondering.

building some wtb i23 kom for my 29er, I?ll get some picts sorted. Never had any real problems with wtb rims, dinged a bit, but nothing major.
I’d get the beefier i25 team ones for your use though.

with vinyl stickers it’s hard to coat properly, they’re too thick.
so you either risk having the clear running or undercovering.

you can print out the stickers as water slides on a home printer, then apply, then clear coat.
or do a masking job and paint them on.

Don’t throw it yet. try this

you’ll need
one zip tie, longish toe strap and 5minutes.
more details[/url]

used a mrp mini on the direct mount 28t ring.
never ever dropped a chain on a Ht
would be willing to let it go

mtq-true, it’s what I had on hand: the difference in weight is for steel frames using that method.

http://revanchebikeco.wordpress.com/2014/05/31/the-weight-debate-chains-or-belts/

as you can see, the splitter adds 100g.

chiefgrooveguru, nice! 650b specific trails.

I remember doing a pumptrack I did every day on my 26″ on a friend’s bmx, it was completely different.
mmh..that’s a good test setting…

In an ideal world wheel size would be proportional to frame size.

Just like kids bikes.

got this on Fb, just now.

well, the romans conquered most of yurp with sandals and socks…
surprisingly comfortable, tbh.

What you all need is a direct mount mudhugger.

Stainless fittings mean no paint to wear off, no corrosion issues and makes taking them off or on pretty easy.

not using all those, btw.

read all about it.[/url]

the thing about rechroming, is that you have to de-chrome first.

ask on retrobike, they’ve got this stuff sorted.

Chroming isn’t actually that good for a frame, wrote a few words on it, here[/url]

Brooks-england is owned by an italian company, selle san marco, selle royal, one of them.

Best decals are the water transfers that go under the clearcoat.

I do my powdercoated frames that way.

stickers without a clear over them peel and look tatty after a bit, but vinyl stickers are too thick to go under the clearc.

more words on the subject[/url]