Chris’s cross frame, another stem, and the Cox Classic
Sunday, June 29th, 2008
The front end of Chris’s lugged cross frame is in the jig and ready for brazing. He’s a tall fellow so this one’s going to be big. I carved a couple of cutouts on the bottom bracket shell to match the Richard Sachs lugs. I’m liking the way it looks like a hungry baby bird (or is it just me?). Here’s the status as of now.
I finished a little fillet brazed stem for Steph’s bike this week as well. I’m not really psyched on the tiny stainless bolts I put on there so I’ll probably switch those out.
Rick built up his flatland frame which is hot. Well, as hot as a brown bike can look.
And finally, our good friend, former roommate, and future Circle A rider, Adam St. Germain, got 4th in the men’s 2/3 race in this year’s Cox Classic in downtown Providence. This year the race tortured the riders by partially sending them up Waterman and then down Angell. It didn’t seem to phase Adam (or Gabe Lloyd who got 6th). Nice job guys! Hannah was on site selling cupcakes made from scratch. And everyone else just laid around in the grass. Myself included.
Socks and sweater paint
Tuesday, June 24th, 2008
Rick’s flatland frame is done and painted a unique palette of brown, pink, tan, and white. I’m a big fan of the argyle and painting it wasn’t as hellish as I was expecting. Still it was a full day and a bunch of basecoats. It’s being assembled and hopefully he’ll be riding it later today. More pics of the completed build to come.
Chris’s lugged cross bike is up next! It’s currently just a box of tubes but it’s going to be so much more. Sparks will be flying later today.
Here’s something I don’t build everyday
Tuesday, June 17th, 2008
The latest news in Circle A Cycles-land is that Steph is figuring out parts for her cross bike and Rick is getting a very rare flatland BMX frame. There are only 4 others out there. The amount of work that goes into one of these tiny frames is on par with a fillet brazed road bike - just fewer braze-ons. We put our heart into every frame no matter how small. Here’s the progress so far. Paint starts tomorrow and it’s going to be crazy. No joke. Stay tuned.
Cross racer or escape vehicle?
Tuesday, June 10th, 2008
Steph’s bike is polished, painted, and finished. This update is overdue but I’ve been updating the slideshow all along. This is a single speed cross frame with dropouts from Paragon Machine Works and rack mounts for touring. She described this as her cross frame but also as her escape vehicle if she decides to go on a long tour (hence the derailleur hanger). I worked with our mutual friend and auto paint master, Jay Nutini, on the finish. I’m very happy with the way it came out.
Last weekend we had a fundraiser for the Circle A Cycles MS 150 team (the MS 150 is June 21 and 22). We were giving bicycle tune-ups to people who donated to the cause. Here are a couple of shots from the event courtesy of Hilary. If you would like to help us reach our goal and support the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, show your support here. Thanks.

