Sweet

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

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!!!

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

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!

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

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

Finally, a new camera!

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.