Bowen Bicycles

New Amigo Jerseys

2011-05-08T16:09:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of my buddies. We spend every Sunday together and a week during the summer. We've have gotten to know each other quite well and have a great time together. This was only about half the riders for the day. We finally had a perfect spring day that was perfect for cycling. We came back to Dennis' place where we enjoyed some great food and enjoyed each others company. I love these people!

Gary's Sport Touring Machine

2011-05-08T15:56:00.000-07:00

I always like to show completed bicycles. You've seen this one at various times in the blog. Finally here is the finished product with what appears to be the happy owner. Gary was alot of fun to work with on this project. He was interested in all the details and enjoyed researching everything from the components to the paint.
It was fun when Gary would stop by the shop and take some pics of the build as it went along and we would shoot the %&*# for a while.
He chose a Sram drive chain with a lot of Nitto parts thrown in. Mavic Open Pro's with Ultegra hubs.
Thanks Gary and I'm sure you will have many years of enjoyment.

5/7/11

2011-05-08T15:46:00.001-07:00

This isn't the best picture but it shows the seat stays are done. Now it's on to the little bits and pieces next week and a bit of clean-up than it's off to my friends at Circle A Cycles!

5/1/11

2011-05-08T15:36:00.000-07:00

This is a close-up of Jan's fork blade. It's a nice little detail.

This is Jan's bike as of 5/1/11. Looks more like a bike all the time. We're expecting to get it to paint by the end of the month.

Getting very busy

2011-04-13T18:25:00.000-07:00

Hey All, I was so busy at the shop this past weekend I just about forgot to take pictures. At the end of the day I took this pic of Jan's front triangle that just went into the jig.

a> I always get very excited when the plan starts coming together and the tubes start taking the shape of a bicycle. I thought as long as I was here I would introduce you to some of my Amigos.

The Amigos are a local bike group that was started by 3 guys that lived in Unionville. They would meet at one guys house every Sunday morning and go for a ride together. Well the group has grown to more than 60 people. On a good day we have about 2 dozen riders. I hooked up with the group about 5 years ago and have not looked back. We ride every Sunday, socialize together and for the last 4 years have gone on cycling vacations together. We have gone as far away as Ireland and as close as New Hampshire.

We went out as usual this past Sunday and I brought a camera with me. Due to the weather only about a half dozen people showed up but we still had a good time. Here are a couple of pics.

The picture above was taken blind over my shoulder. I was amazed that I got them in the frame.

Great weekend in the shop

2011-03-27T18:18:00.000-07:00

Hey Groovers

My friend Jan and I had a great weekend in the shop. I have been working on Leslie's bike and Jan has been making himself a randonneuring bike with a little assistance from me. Here are a few pics.

This is Leslie's frame and fork. They need some clean up which I will be doing this coming weekend. I have a clear picture of this in my mind and am excited to get it to the point when I can take a picture of the finished bike for you. <
This is Jan. See Jan file. This is my fork jig that I made a couple of years ago. I had just finished brazing Jan's fork and he is cleaning up my mess. Way to go Jan! And finally this is another pic of Jan's fork mounted to his 650b wheel which he got through me from Velo Orange. Jan was my first customer to purchase great Velo Orange products through me. If you haven't been to their site yet go now! www.Velo-Orange.com

Velo Orange Dealer

2011-03-17T01:37:00.000-07:00

Hey All,
I'm proud to announce that I am now a Velo Orange dealer. Check out their web site at www.velo-orange.com They carry some unique items for your bike and you can now get them through me and I can install it on your ride. If you have any questions you can contact me at 860-836-9765.

Talk with you soon,

Dwight

Leslie's mock up

2011-03-13T03:48:00.000-07:00

At the end of the day I took a little bit of time and assembled a few bit's and pieces onto Leslie's frame to see how it looks. Here are the results! What do you think?

I'm still planning on brazing one more set of seat stays that will run from the top tube back around the rear dropouts.

By the way. Look at those front forks! They are the first pair made on my new fork bender. Are they beautiful or what? They give the bike a real classic look. Don't you think?

Stay tuned for more of the saga.

Great time in the shop

2011-03-13T03:21:00.000-07:00

This week sure has flown by. You look back and wonder where has the time gone?

Well I've continued on with my sub assemblies. So here are a few pics.

I started assembling everything in the jig last weekend and doing a little tacking.

Quite a bit of time this past week has been used to set up a new fork bender that a friend made for me in his wood shop. He made the wooden part of it and I made the steel part that holds it and the arm that pulls the blade. Here it is in action!

Starting an all new bike!

2011-02-27T14:24:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't posted for a while. I started a new bike 3 weeks ago.

It all started when a gentleman called me a while back and wanted to have a bike built for his wife as an anniversary gift. So we chatted for a while and it all sounded pretty straight forward until he mentioned that he thought she would like a girls bike. A "Girls" bike? Are you sure? He was.

Now I have never built a girls bike before but I would do some research and should be able to come up with some lugs somewhere. Well...No such luck. Then it got exciting. I knew I would have to make my own lugs and it would would be a whole new experience. So I ordered some chromoly tubing and started by turning it on my new "old" lathe.

I started cutting tubes and brazing my sub assemblies. First the seat tube to the bottom bracket.

Next I brazed the down tube to the head tube.

This was pretty much a days work. Stay tuned for the next installment.

Dwight

Erin's Forks

2011-01-08T15:18:00.000-08:00

In the picture above I'm starting out by knotching a fork blade that the dropout will insert into. The slot needs to be a few thousandths larger than the dropout.

Next I sandblast the forks inside and out to prep them for brazing.

Here I've brazed the dropout in with silver braze.

Next I spend some time cleaning it up. Sanding and filing.

And finally I assemble it into the fixture to braze the fork blades to the crown.

2010-12-30T15:14:00.000-08:00

I've been busy at the shop most of this week. The above picture shoes the stainless steel rear drop outs that I'm using on Erin's track bike. They are silver brazed onto the chain stays but not yet to the seat stays. I will give them a high polish when finished and leave them unpainted.
Looking like a bike. The front triangle is complete and I just finished brazing up the chain stays. I've formed the seat stays and slotted them to fit the rear drop outs.
Another view.
This is Maarten (Mar-teen). He is staying with us for a few days. Great buddy!

Vacation!!!!

2010-12-23T13:43:00.000-08:00

While most people look forward to vacation so they can relax I look forward to spending more time in my shop. Since this is still a part time venture for me I look forward to the occasions when I can put a block of time into bike building. This is Erin's Track bike. I had ordered parts a while ago and designed the bike but was not happy with the way the parts were fitting. So I ordered some more parts and started over again.

The track dropouts (above) are stainless steel and I'll put a nice polish on them. The pictures you see here are of the work I did today. The bike is going to come out real nice and I'm looking forward to Erin racing it. I will keep the blog up this week and keep everyone apprised of the build.

Above is the seat post lug. I used this type of lug once before. Makes for a very pretty bike.

Stay tuned!

div>

29er nearing completion

2010-12-12T04:58:00.001-08:00

Here are the latest pics. of Margie's 29er. I made some changes to it since the last pic. I had posted. I did not like the way the seat stays had come out so I cut them off and mounted some new ones. Then I added the small brace between the seat tube and the top tube. The seat stays are brazed to both the seat tube and that small brace. This bike should be rock solid on the trail!

In the background of the pics. you can see part of my shop. A homemade sandblast cabinet, my lathe and my mill/drill machine. I love this shop. It's small, so it's easy to heat and when I mis-place my tools it doesn't take too long to find them.

Soon I will be getting back to Erin's track bike. I just got some new parts for that build as well.
Talk with you soon.

FOR SALE: 57CM BOWEN CLASSIC

2010-11-27T18:18:00.000-08:00

Hey All, This is my first spec. bike. It's a 57cm Bowen Classic. I intend to make a limited run of 6 of these in various sizes. It is set-up as follows:
10 Speed Ultegra Drivetrain
105 Shifters
Mavic CXP 22 rims w/Formula hubs
Ritchey Classic Handlebars/stem, 100mm/seat post
Brooks Saddle
Cane Creek Headset
Continental tires
Currently the handlebars are level with the saddle but they can be lowered to rider preference.
Contact me at bowenbicycles@sbcglobal.net or call me at 860-836-9765

2010-11-27T18:11:00.000-08:00

Hey All,
This was my days work today. cleaning up my brazing and assembling the rear triangle. It's not quite finished but it's darn close. I built this 29er for Margie and I'm hoping she'll want to race it this next season. To the right in the picture is the 57cm road bike I just completed. I'll show some pics. in the next blog of that bike.

Bye for now.

Running late

2010-11-18T16:04:00.000-08:00

Sorry this is a bit late. I've been busy building up another bike and just haven't had the chance to post. At any rate this is the beginning of brazing Margie's 29er. (Look out Fabian) The front triangle is spot on and I'm looking forward to continuing it this Friday.

Also this weekend I will be working on Erin's track bike and will get some photos on this blog.

Talk with you later!

Photo Shoot

2010-11-12T18:01:00.000-08:00

Well, here I am. My friend Alan Grant from Digital Creations came over and brought all of his gear. (It may not have been all but it was a heck of a lot!) He puts into his photography what I put into my bikes. We spent about 5 hours taking pictures of me doing different things so you all could see me and what I do. In the picture above I am mitering a tube. I know some of you are thinking wait....I thought your bikes were handcrafted? To that I say, they are. A machine is nothing more than a tool. I could be doing this with a file but the miter may not be as precise. So what I have done is mixed a wee bit of technology with old world craftsmanship. (I bet you didn't know I spoke Irish) I should mention that almost all the tooling and jigs that I use I built. I milled, ground, bored and turned almost everything.

In this next picture I'm starting to braze Erin's track frame. I'm using a lugged bottom bracket and brazing in the seat tube using silver braze. To me this is where it all comes together. As you join the tubes it starts looking like a bike. It's always a great feeling when a plan comes together! Well, that's enough for now. I don't want to get you too excited! Come back tomorrow. I should have some more pics of Margie's 29er.

Noeleens beauty!

2010-11-07T12:33:00.000-08:00

Finally got around to getting some pictures of a bike I had built for a wonderful woman named Noeleen. One of the things that drives me as I build a bike is to think about how the new owner will use their bike. Noeleen was no exception. Her husband had told me that he would love for Noeleen to ride with him. So I pictured the two of them off on adventures. Noeleen also has some girlfriends that she enjoys to ride with and has already put quite a few miles on her steed.

Noeleen had gone to Benidorm bikes for a comprehensive fit by non other than Jan Tanner. After Jan was done she gave me all of her information and I was able to build a frame that fits Noeleen like a glove. Benidorm did a great job outfitting the rest of the bike with an Ultegra drivetrain and Bontrager stem, seatpost and handlebars.

This bike is outfitted with White Industries hubs laced to open pro rims by Mavic which were all professionally built by Bruce Miller of Berlin Bicycles.

Do you think Noeleen likes pink?

Sweet

2010-11-07T02:40:00.000-08:00

How sweet is this? I picked this up a couple of weeks ago. It's an old Atlas metal working lathe. It's perfect for what I need. It came with all kinds of tooling that I need go through and organize. I used it today on Erin's new Track Bike that I mentioned in the last blog.

Speaking of Erin's track bike ...today I brazed the seatpost to the bottom bracket and mitered most of the tubes as seen below.

I also fitted most of the lugs. Doesn't sound or look like much but it is all very time consuming.

Also this morning I had a photographer come by and he did a photo shoot of what goes on in my shop. I will be posting those pics on my website as well as here. You will actually see some quality photos instead of just my snapshots.

Well that's it for now, see you later!

In the Beginning

2010-11-05T14:49:00.000-07:00

The weekend is here again and the fun begins! I spent this afternoon cleaning up the Bottom Bracket casting and starting the lugs.
Normally I start a bike and see it through to completion before I start another one. I'm waiting for the brass rod and flux I ordered from Henry James to arrive so I can braze up the 29er that's in my shop. It hasn't arrived yet so I'm starting the track bike that I'm building for Erin. I'm looking forward to getting this bike in Erin's hands so she can ride like the wind.

I just finished ordering all the parts for the blue bike that I posted here a few weeks ago. It is a 57cm bike that came out BEAUTIFUL! After I build it up I will be offering it for sale. It will be a good opportunity for someone to get a handcrafted bicycle at a good price. I'm outfitting it with a Brooks saddle and a Shimano drive train with Ritchey seat post,stem and handlebars all in high polish.

Tomorrow a photographer is coming over to the shop to take some pics. of me doing my thing. Fortunately he has talent with a camera so you won't always have to put up with my poor pics.

Talk with you soon.

Exciting Times!!!

2010-11-02T17:48:00.000-07:00

The last couple of weeks have been very busy in the shop. I bought a Lathe a couple of weeks ago. It's probably older than I am but it's in great shape and it came with lots of accessories.

As I mentioned in the last blog I've built a sweet road bike that I am setting up and will offer it for sale before Christmas. Parts are starting to trickle in. Brooks saddle, Shimano Ultegra drivetrain and classic high polish Ritchey bars,stem and seatpost. This bike is 57mm and I will be building a limited run of six other bikes like it. (In different sizes) It's a good chance to get a quality handmade bike at a reduced price.

I finally finished mitering all of the tubes on my first 29er. I will be fillet brazing this frame. It will be time consuming but I'm looking forward to the finished product and will keep you apprised.

The top right pic. is going to be a very exciting build for me. Although I have made some single speed bikes in the past, this is going to be raced on a track. I'm building this bike for a woman named Erin. Although she's not new to racing (MTB) I understand that she will be new to track racing. This has tubing that has all been chosen for Erin and will have Stainless Horizontal track dropouts by Paragon. Nothing but the best! Very Cool

A couple more parts have come in for that beautiful Sport Touring bike that I built for Gary. His bike will be outfitted with Nitto parts, Mavic wheels and a Sram drivetrain.

Limited Issue

2010-10-07T16:36:00.000-07:00

Here's a frame and fork that I just got back from my friends at Circle A. Great paint job guys! I'm going to be building this bike up and offering it as a limited issue. Just 6 of these beauties will be available. Be the first to order yours!

2010-10-07T16:29:00.000-07:00

Here's a few pics of my latest build. It's a 29er! This is my first Mountain bike project. I've decided on the fork and ordered the drivetrain. I have to find some nice light wheels and tires. Any ideas?

A few more pics

2010-09-22T15:38:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to include a few more pics of Gary's frame.

Finally, a new camera!

2010-09-22T15:25:00.000-07:00

So, it seems like it's been eons since I last posted. As the title says I finally went out and bought a new camera. I've had a couple of new frames that have been back from paint for a while now. I'm going to start with the pics from Gary's bike. He decided to paint it a metallic green with a cream head tube and a cream panel on the seat tube. My friends Brian and Chris at Circle A did a bang up job with the paint. Gary has stopped over to check it out and we're now in the process of buying the components for this beauty. It's been a pleasure working with Gary on this project and I'll be sure to take some pics with my new camera when the build is complete.

Tour of the Litchfield Hills

2010-08-01T13:07:00.000-07:00

Hey All,

Vacation is over and I'm back in the shop. It's about time huh? I've just started my first mountain bike. A 29er single speed. I'm going to have to buy some new tools for the larger size tubing. I finished designing it yesterday and laid the tubes out on the bench to get it in my mind. I'm looking forward to start cutting and mitering.

My camera broke a couple of weeks ago. I'll have to get it fixed I suppose or buy a new one. These posts are lacking without pictures.

db

Been away awhile

2010-07-27T18:38:00.000-07:00

Hey All,
Sorry that I've not posted anything in a bit. I was away on vacation for a couple of weeks then went with my better half to Mt. Snow VT to watch her race MTB.
I spent a week in the White Mountains of New Hampshire with a lot of friends and we did a lot of Cycling. Towards the end of our stay we did the Tin Mountain Century. A very beautiful ride around Mount Washington.
While I was in New Hampshire some loser hacked into my email and stole all of my contacts and past emails. They then changed my password and set up another mail acct. and had my mail forwarded to them. What scumbags. Now that I've vented......
Just before I left for New Hampshire I visited my friends at Circle A cycle in Providence RI. I dropped off 2 frames and forks for them to work their magic on. As soon as I get them back I will post them. One of these I'm going to set up and offer it for sale on my website. I'll keep you posted. Stay tuned because I will be starting a new frame soon. I will have to go and get a new camera though as mine just crapped the bed.

See you soon,

db

Last couple of details!

2010-06-18T19:07:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of the last pics of Gary's bike in the raw. I took these right after I brazed them in place. Feel the heat? The top pic is the pump boss located just below the top head tube lug. The next pic is of the chainstay bridge with a boss for mounting a fender. After a little bit of filing and a bit of sanding this beauty will be ready to go to my friends at Circle A Cycles where the guys will work their magic. Stay tuned for pics of this bike after paint and the start of the next Bowen Bicycle.

Getting Excited

2010-05-22T15:04:00.000-07:00

That's right! Even I get excited. When I start a bike and I have a box of tubes. I've always been good at being able to see things that aren't there. No, not like I'm hallucinating. I can build something and see in my mind what it will look like when I'm done. This is very handy when you're a fabricator. However, there is no replacement for the real thing.

So in the following pictures you see the real thing starting to take shape.

I spent the day today putting almost all of the bits and pieces on.It was a nice day outside and I kept staring out the window watching the world go by. However when I'm this close to the end of the build it makes me want to work longer to see the finished product.

I just love a classic bicycle. There is nothing quite like it to me.
Gary F stopped in for a few today and took some pics. of his soon to be bicycle. Here is one of them.

Marketing Marketing Marketing

2010-05-21T12:15:00.000-07:00

Hey All,

I'm splitting my time today between my shop and here on my computer. A friend of mine from Circle A Cycle (Brian) sent me a link that he found with a partial picture of my booth at NAHBS in Richmond VA. Check it out http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyld=126885724

Two more things. If you need your bike repainted, bring it to Circle A Cycle in Providence RI
They do a great job at a fair price.
If Circle A is not close enough for you, you can bring it to me and on my next trip I'll deliver it.

Also when you check out the pics at the above link and find a picture of one of my bikes. That's my good friend War'n. His actual name is Warren but we all call him War'n. (Try saying War'n. It's kind of folksy, don't ya think?) He came to Virginia with me and was a huge help. We had a great time together that weekend.

Well that's it for now. I'll be back tomorrow with some new pics of Gary's build.

Saturday 5/15/10 Six years and counting!

2010-05-16T17:05:00.000-07:00

Hey All,

I had a great day in the shop today and even a better one in the evening. It started as usual at 8am. I needed to do all of the little things that make a frame a bike. Fitted and brazed on the brake bridge. As you can see there is a small boss which is threaded in the center for mounting a fender. Gary doesn't plan on using it right away but it will be there for the future.

Next I brazed on the shifter bosses. These will be used as cable guides because Gary is planning on using STI shifters at this point.

Next was the small braze-on that mounts to the bottom of the chain stay for the cable that runs to the rear derailleur. Sorry for the blurry picture. I also spent time on the rear drop outs making sure there is adequate room for the cassette.

So I bet you're wondering what do you mean by 6 years and counting? Simple. I've been married to my wife for 6 years. Without her support this endeavor never would have gotten off the ground. So...We went out for a nice dinner to celebrate at our favorite restaurant.

By the way....Today is Sunday. I had a great ride with my Amigos today. There were about 20 of us in all. It's so much fun being at the back of a pace line going through the winding roads of western CT. What a site!
db

PS Soon I'll be ordering a tube set to make my first MTB. It will be a 29er single speed. I'm pumped!

Friday 5/14/10

2010-05-14T14:39:00.000-07:00

As usual I spent the afternoon in the shop today. It was tough because it is a perfect day for a ride. The one negative thing I have run into about building bikes is that it takes up a lot of my spare time and there is so much riding to do and so little time to do it in.

At any rate as you can see by the above pics I worked on the rear dropouts as well as the Seat cluster.

These dropouts are going to be beautiful because they are stainless steel and I will polish the face of them and they will not get painted. That way as the wheel is put on and taken off over the years the paint will not get chipped. This is a great feature and well worth the small extra expense.

Tomorrow I hope to braze on the seat stay bridge and perhaps the chain stay bridge.

Tomorrow is also my wedding anniversary. I'll most likely cut my work day a bit short.

Finally looking like a bike!

2010-05-08T18:25:00.000-07:00

Well, Friday and Saturday have come and gone. I feel pretty accomplished with the frame this weekend. Friday I got the chainstays brazed in and cleaned up the inside of the bottom bracket.
Saturday I started work at 8. The first thing I did was chase the BB threads and faced the BB once again. Actually the first thing I did was pick up a cup of decaf. Then I reamed and faced both sides of the head tube. Next I moved on to the seat stays. Unfortunately even though I remembered to bring the camera to the shop I forgot to take pictures as I went. Hopefully I'll get better about this. I wish I could afford to hire a photographer to come in and follow me around and document everything. Boy, would he be bored! Gary stopped in today and was nice enough to take a few pics of his bike and email them to me.
In the pics above you see an almost completed bike. Next you see me brazing up one of the seatstays and the bottom pic shows how the seat stay was fit. I wanted the pics in a different order but they came out this way. Better luck next time. Fortunately I am better with a torch than I am with a computer.
Next week I will start finishing off some of the details. I'll be sure to get some close ups then.... I hope.

When it Rains it Pours II

2010-05-02T18:19:00.000-07:00

When it rains it pours

2010-05-02T17:59:00.001-07:00

So the parts coming from England appeared to be lost forever. April 21 I called Nova Framebuilders supply in CA. They now carry the same parts so I re-ordered them and asked them to over night them via the USPS. These parts also were lost in the mail. I tracked them for 4 days and there was no change. I called Nova again to re-order and they checked the tracking and they showed someone signed for them that morning who's name I didn't recognize. Well I came home from work this past Friday and the parts were at the door. I don't know who to thank. Later that same day the parts from England arrived. When it rains it pours. I spent Friday afternoon and Saturday working on Gary's bike. You can see the progress through the pics.

2010-04-17T17:41:00.000-07:00

Some days are more productive than others. My parts that I'm waiting for from England still have not arrived. They told me they sent them by air mail. I think they must have been put on a freighter first. One that has to stop in China perhaps. I spent Friday afternoon cleaning up the chain stays and prepping the seat stays. Saturday morning I finished up the forks. Until the parts show up I'm high and dry.

I decided at that point to come home and work on the design for a 29er single speed. This will be my first foray into the world of Mountain bikes. I need to go out and buy the forks or at least get the dimensions so I can bring them into the design. I imagine that there will be quite a few things that I will have to research to get the first bike right. I'm looking forward to the challenge!

You may have noticed there are no pics. That's because I went to the shop without the camera again. I have to get into the habit of bringing the camera. I'll try to stop tomorrow and take a couple of pics and post them. What's a blog without pictures? A blah?

Busy Day

2010-04-10T18:01:00.000-07:00

My day started at 5 am. I won't bore you with the details. I went to Granby bike for a ride with Paul Mikkelson. He is a local man raising money for the American Heart Association. I had contacted my Amigos and asked them to come out and support Paul's ride. I also asked them to ride their Bowen Bicycles if they had one. Marketing-Marketing-Marketing!

They offered several different rides for people at different levels.

50 Mile

25 Mile

20 Mile Rail Trail

10 Mile Rail Trail

Since I'm riding tomorrow I chose the 25 mile ride. I rode with a nice guy named Bob and our own Noeleen. Noeleen has made marked improvements on the bike.

The rest of the Amigos rode the 50 mile ride.

After the ride I went back to the shop and worked on Gary's forks. Gary stopped by later in the afternoon and took some pics. One of the picks from the last blog was compliments of Gary and the one above is as well.

While I was out doing this stuff my wife Margie was busy with her first day at the races at the Hop Brook Dam in Middlebury CT. She had a good day coming in 2nd in her class and catagory.

Pass the Fork please

2010-04-09T03:38:00.000-07:00

A fork is a fork is a fork. No! The fork is an integral part of any bike design. It is a big part in how a bike handles. The fork for a touring bike is far different than the fork for a race bike. Other factors to consider:

What size wheels will be mounted to the bike?

Will there be fenders?

What style and size brakes will be used?

Threaded or threadless headset?

Will there be a rack mounted to the fork and if so what kind?

In this case Gary wants to run 700x28's with the possibility of mounting fenders.

What a day!

2010-04-03T14:31:00.000-07:00

Being Easter weekend and all I wasn't sure if I was going to get my usual Sunday ride in. So a few of my Amigos and I went over to the Granby bike shop and went for a ride that they have every Saturday morning. Nice bunch of people and I took my usual place at the back of the pack for the most part. It was a hilly ride that went up into Granville MA. Many times I wasn't familiar with the roads but it was a very pretty ride. We were near some reservoir at some point.

In terms of the build I've decided to back up a bit. Over the last few years I have been working with a number of people that supply frame parts to builders like myself. I've used just about everyone that I've found online. And I'm sure like others I have come to enjoy working with certain components and the people that supply them.

First of all there are the lugs. The lugs that are chosen define what the final product will look like. To date my favorite lugs are the ones that Richard Sachs sells to pro builders. What is a pro builder? Simple. Someone who has an actual business and carries full liability insurance including product liability insurance. Richards lugs range from simple to ornate. I like the more ornate lugs.

Gary F. chose Nuovo Richie Series lugs. You can see the detail of the lugs in the last blog segment. Some clients like Gary like to make choices. Others just say "Whatever you want to do Dwight" I like both.

As you can see in the picture above, I got Gary's front triangle in the jig. I brazed up the rear dropouts to the chainstays and put those in the jig as well.

More about bits and pieces later.

Great day at the shop

2010-04-02T15:09:00.000-07:00

Well it's Friday. I spent the afternoon working on Gary's frame. The down tube is brazed to the head tube and I removed the cast in threaded bosses. The seat tube is brazed into the bottom bracket and the top tube is mitered.

I need to learn how to use this blog thing better. I want to add some more photos and move them around. I can get multiple photos in but I can't seem to move them. It's a good thing I don't need this knowledge to build a nice bike. I however do need this knowledge to market a nice bike. Looking forward to getting back into the shop tomorrow.

Tonight Margie is off to meet her new team mates for Route 66 race series. She's racing with the Bikers Edge team. I believe she's the only woman. Time will tell.

Talk with you tomorrow!

In the Beginning

2010-03-31T03:39:00.000-07:00

I came home from the 2010 North American Hand built Bike Show and a Gentleman that I had been talking with locally (Gary F) decided to pull the trigger on a new Sport Tourer.

As many of you know Touring bikes are my passion. Steel is the absolute best material for a touring bike. It gives a comfortable ride and most people that tour aren't concerned about a few extra ounces. (since they are piling on 20 to 40 extra pounds in the way of a tent,sleeping bag and cookware.) What they are looking for is a stable ride. That's where I can deliver.

The beauty of a Sport Tourer is it can be loaded for a credit card tour or the racks can come off for a quick ride on Sunday morning with your friends.

So in the next few weeks I will be making some entries of this bike as it is being built complete with pictures. The picture to the right are the various tubes that I will use to build Gary's bike as well as the lugs, the crown and the bottom bracket. So stay tuned and see Gary's new bike as it is born!

I Love Sundays

2010-03-28T15:11:00.000-07:00

It's 6pm and I'm exhausted as usual. We had our group ride today out of my house. Well I should say "Our" house. Who's "Our"? My wife Margie and me. Sunday is ride day for us. I go out for a road ride with my "Amigos" and Margie goes mountain biking. Now it would be nice if Margie went road riding with me or I went MTBing with her. But I don't belong on a Mountain bike, at least not at the speeds she rides. I tried mountain biking for a while, but I just kept going over my handlebars and landing in a heap with the bike on top of me. Now as I mentioned before I'm over 50 years old and it just hurts too much.

Margie on the other hand belongs on a mountain bike. It has become a part of who she is. She races in the Route 66 series and is busy getting ready for this seasons racing. I spent a bit of time this afternoon designing a 29er single speed for her. I'm looking forward to getting it completed and watching her ride it.

Getting back to my ride this morning...Everyone met at my "Our" home at 8am and we headed northwest into the hills. It's very nice riding through there with the exception of riding through a few snow flakes. We had a good turn out for a chilly day. About 15 of us in all. Today I rode the bike above with a few changes. I put on a set of road tires, installed a compact crank with a different saddle and seat post.

I found this group about 4 years ago. There were about a dozen riders and they always did the same ride. Today I'm in charge of the email list and I have 60 riders that I email every week. We ride from a different location every week generally taking turns "hosting" the ride.

I am by far the weak link in terms of strength in this group. They are forever waiting for me. I'm trying to change that this summer starting with dropping 25 lbs. that I really don't need. I'm down 10 with 15 to go! For the past 3 years we have all gone on a biking vacation together. This year we are going to the White Mountains of New Hampshire. As always I'm looking forward to spending time with my friends.

I am Bowen Bicycles

2010-03-22T16:48:00.000-07:00

So... This is it. I'm a blogger? No, I am a blogger! Actually I am a custom bicycle frame builder located in the state of Connecticut. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a business like this off the ground. I work day in and day out and no one knows I exist except for the local bike group. I've been doing this for 3 years now. My bikes are showing up one at a time out on the roads of this state. And don't get me wrong, I'm having a lot of fun building bikes. I'm not having fun however trying to market them in the traditional ways. That's why I decided to blog. It's going to take me a while to decide just what I should and shouldn't say. I imagine I'll give you a look inside my small shop. It will take me some time to get comfortable with this. I don't consider myself a writer by any stretch of the imagination. Here we are just starting Spring. It's about time, don't you think? I don't know about you but I enjoy the area where I live and most of all I enjoy my friends and family. I don't like winter so much but it makes me appreciate the warmer weather.