Archive for the ‘Bike Building’ Category

So much is going on at the shop right now! I think I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again—busy is good. Too busy, though—not as good. I think I’m riding that line these days. The sun is shining, the weather is hot and I’m holding a torch instead of cruising down a winding road in the woods. Oh well. But THIS is what I have to show for it. The latest bike is a single speed for Brian K (his second Circle A!). He went with the Paul Components rear dropouts with the adjusters and the monostay. This bike is clean, folks. Elegant fillet brazed construction with the understated gloss black. You have to look closely to appreciate the details on this one.

 
 
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My brother’s birthday was a while back and I had given him my old Circle A flatland BMX frame (one of only 6!). Unfortunately, he rides with back brakes (not that common in the flatland world nowadays) so I had to braze on some u-brake mounts and cable stops. I gave it a new paint job and it’s almost like he has a new bike. Old men on little bikes—Hooray!

 
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This Lemond Maillot Jaune came into the shop with some serious rust pitting on the Reynolds 853 steel portion. It wasn’t too deep, so after a light sandblasting and heavy primer/wet sand/primer, it was looking pretty good. The paint is a dark blue pearl with a silver base underneath. Painted on logos, bands, and panels and he’s ready to get back on the road.

 

Other paint work coming through the shop include this Zanconato brought in by the one and only Mike Zanconato. One of the nicest framebuilders in New England (no joke). Light blue with gray panels and white detailing. Those seat tube and down tube logos are painted on as well.

 

And this Riordon built by Ben Riordon out of Newburyport, MA. Chartreuse with classic seat tube stripes and a bold red panel on the downtube made for a very striking and unique paint scheme.

 

Another fork I made in the past month or two was for a Surly Cross Check owned by our friend Benno. The bike was being re-purposed as a porteur style bike so to get the geometry to what he desired, he needed a new fork with 70mm(!) of rake. I brazed spoke heads on the inside of the fork leg as a wire guide from the dynamo hub.

 

This fork off of an Abel Borne was sent to us because the crown race was milled too far and the front dropouts were chewed up beyond repair. The original dropouts were gas welded in so the ends needed to be cut off and the blades re-slotted. A set of Ritchey dropouts were chosen as a replacement and then heavily carved to mimic the original shape. I then built up the crown race with silver brazing alloy and re-machined it.

  
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I built this tiny rack and a fork for our friend Ryan who had acquired this tan Tournesol. He had a specific design for the rack in mind and I tried to get it to what he was envisioning. The Tournesol fork was designed to be a very shallow 41mm of rake and I did this on our bender which applies most of the rake at the fork end. The rack and fork were painted to match the frame and the rest is history.

 

And finally, some pictures of completed bikes. This is a Raleigh that I had repainted a bit ago, Bobby Earle’s IF that was re-re-painted, and Steve’s single speed that I built last month hanging out at the beach. I’m so jealous!

  

It has been some time since I’ve built a single speed so Steve’s bike was a fun project for me. This one is going to a former Rhode Islander now residing in southern California. It went there as a complete bike and I’ll have those pictures next posting. It’s built out of Dedacciai Zero Uno tubing with a white/celeste green paint scheme. The quote on the top tube is pretty awesome. Clearly Steve means business.

 
 
 
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Steve’s (another Steve) 1973 Raleigh Record Ace came into the shop with the Raleigh Racing USA paint scheme. Originally this bike would have been a white main frame with a yellow head tube and stripes on the seat tube. Someone in Iowa had already done some modifications and had it repainted and repaired. The original Record Ace fork was replaced with another Raleigh fork. The original Stronglight components had been replaced with Campagnolo as well. The frame was definitely worth keeping on the road so Steve had me paint it in the color scheme that he got it with but with a black head tube. The Reynolds 531 and Carlton decals that came on the 1973 RRA are on there for accurate ID but the other decals are very much Raleigh USA style. Complete bike pics to follow.

 
 
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I’ve become very familiar with Bobby Earle’s IF MTB frame. Originally I modified it to run 650B wheels and cantilever brakes. This time around I put on a disc brake mount, added a brace between the stays, and removed the canti posts. The bike got a straight white paint job and it being built up with some of the nicest components out there!

 

And it’s hard to stay out of the paint booth in these parts. Here are a couple of Bowen’s that I finished up a bit ago. One full paint job and one touch up.

 
 

Coming up next is Brian’s (not me) single speed with monostay, more restorations, more paint, more repairs, and hopefully more riding for me.

This is Henry’s second frame from me! He’s the only other person out there with a Circle A BMX frame and a road frame. Definitely a well-rounded rider. I first met Henry in New York at a flatland jam. Super nice guy from the west coast. He went the ornate lugged route with the Richard Sachs Newvex series lugs, crown, and bottom bracket. The paint is a red candy over a red-tinted silver. Defnitely has another dimension in the sun.

 
 
 
 
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What happens when you drive into a parking garage with your bike on the roof. Nothing good. Except the opportunity to get a “new” bike. We can rebuild it. We have the technology. This bike has a new down tube and rear seat stays, and a new paint job. And now it’s back on the road and heading south from Philly to Florida!

 
 

Spring time means fun bike time! A bunch of us did a full moon ride down the bike path to Bristol. We had lights but didn’t really need them. Moon shadows abound! Another group did a little ride around the Little Compton area. We ended up on some trails heading down to Simmons pond. It just the start of a wonderful riding year.

 

Holy crap, spring is here! We’ve actually been able to open the big shop door on two separate occasions. The cats are running about and we’re breathing fresh(ish) air. This is the perfect time to be getting a bike and Gillian is one of those lucky people. Her road bike is decked out with the latest Shimano 105 triple group. The paint scheme was based on a series of tiles that are in the Hoyt-Schermerhorn subway station in Brooklyn. Very positive colors but not too bright. She’ll be riding off on this one soon!

 
 
 
 
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Also just leaving the shop is Bob’s SR. It was brought in for a 650B conversion, paint, and other alterations. I met Bob briefly at last year’s D2R2 where he was riding this bike. Great guy and I couldn’t have been happier working with him. The paint on this bike was based off of a silk shirt that he wears on rides. He’ll now be as coordinated as ever on this machine!

 
 
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Ted’s Peter Mooney recently came into the shop for a repaint and a new front rack. Lots of lug masking to get the subtle contrast but it looks fantastic right down to the gold lining on the head lugs and smooth brass fillets on the rack. It’s back at Legend Bicycle over on Brook Street where Jack is giving it the royal treatment.

 
 
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I made this fork and tiny rear rack for a Tournesol and painted them to match for our friend Ryan. The rear rack design is as simple as it gets; It’s just for clasping down a jacket or small bag (note the stainless bits for the straps). I did some minor alterations to the crown as requested to get some nice simple lines to complement the frame. Check it out.

 

Lastly, I recently acquired a Parlee Z4 frameset. This is going to be my first time on a carbon bike. I wasn’t too into the panel graphics that were on there originally so I painted it a sparkly blue with some solid logos with silver outlines. As far as carbon bikes go, this is a good looking frame. My heart is still with steel though!

 

Dan’s new light tourer was almost immediately built up after it left the shop. It’s people like Dan who make me happy. I love seeing the excitement and anticipation of the rider as I hand over their frame. It’s very satisfying. This bike is going to be used for short trips and light touring. Just a handlebar bag and a saddlebag and he’ll be ready for some adventures. The frame is fillet brazed and constructed from Columbus Zona. The seat stays are capped and faded into the seat cluster to keep with the smooth joint theme. The first ride report was a very positive one but the New England weather needs to warm up just a bit more for this bike to get some serious miles.

 
 
 
 
 
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This Mercian came to the shop with the intention of it being a road training bike. The owner, Jon, wanted some braze-ons added and a Campagnolo Chorus gruppo with a carbon fork. The frame came in with its original paint which seemed rather dated when the bike was outfitted with so much carbon. So to make a steel bike and carbon components go better together, he decided to refinish the bike in a matte white with the clover details in red with black outlines. After a long wait on decals, the bike was finally done. Jon came and picked up the bike last week and was blown away. So much so that he nearly got in an accident on the way home because of his ogling it in the rear view mirror! Check out the final product.

 
 
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Next up is Gillian’s road frameset, more paint, and more racks!

I hope Mike enjoys riding this bike as much as I enjoyed building it. I’m always trying to use the customer’s input to visualize what they’re seeing in their mind and helping them get to that vision though components, paint, construction details, etc. This is a case where both of our visions came to fruition. This is Mike’s second Circle A and a big change from his cross bike that I built almost exactly one year ago. This is reminiscent of the cruisers of the 60′s and 70′s but with modern, lightweight components. The new Dia-Compe 610 centerpull brakes with their CNC’d aluminum arms are modern looking up close but resemble the classic Mafac brakes of times past. The same goes for the Campagnolo inspired IRD aluminum crankset and Mavic single speed wheelset. Many of the components on this bike were purchased from the Velo-Orange line that is fulfilling the needs of classically inspired cyclists everywhere. The complete bike with leather saddle, rack, and fenders weighs in at 23 pounds. And with a 46-18 around town gearing, Mike should have no problem getting this one up to speed.

 
 
 
 
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This Richard Sachs repaint was rusted and weather beaten when it first came in the shop. EVERYTHING was seized on there. Especially the bottom bracket and rear dropout alignment screws which were eventually drilled out and then re-tapped. There were even markings on the chainstays from someone bolting a Greenfield kickstand on there! Well, this one has been saved. New paint and love have brought this one back to life.

 
 
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This next frame was brought to the shop by our friend Billy who said it was built by Dave Hartranft of Lincoln, MA. If anybody has any information on him, I’d like to learn more. This frame needed a seat stay replacement in a bad way. There were no vent holes near the rear dropouts and the unconventional fastback attachment at the seat cluster allowed for a lot of water to get in there and it rotted out. I mitered a new stay in the same fashion and now it’s good to go again.

 

It has been a while since I’ve written anything here and realized that I haven’t mentioned the Bilenky junkyard cyclocross race that happened last month. It’s a non-competitive (for most) cyclocross race through the junkyard that’s in back of their shop in Philly. It was a damn good time and recommend it to any cyclists within driving distance.

 
 

In other news, we’ve been experimenting with matte clearcoats and got to test it out finally on a bike. This fillet brazed Icarus was requested to have a matte finish. So here it is! It isn’t something that I’m personally a fan of because it will get dirty fast. Maybe for a sunny day rider it’s perfect but as soon as it gets mucky out, you’d better hop on the beater.

 
 

And something special is coming together at the shop right now. I know everything we make or paint is special but this is my first foray into drillium! I was inspired by the rear dropout of the Hartranft that was at the shop and of course the stylings of Peter Weigle. And anyone else whose drilled out a dropout for that matter. These dropouts are going on a fillet brazed frameset for our new friend Dan. More about that one soon!

This chocolate brown with gold and cream accents, fleur-de-lis lugged cyclocross frame is already in the hands of Adam St. Germain who won’t get to race it until next season! So sad but definitely something to look forward to. There aren’t a ton of oversized lug options out there right now but there must be something in the air as I’ve already used two for the past two frames (see my last post). Check out this fanciness.

 
 
 
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Back in the late 70s and early 80s, Jay Downing built frames out of his garage here in Providence. Word on the street is that he made about 50 frames. I have seen only two and this was one of them. Chee-Heng had this built in December of 1980 and painted it himself as Jay gave it to him raw. It looked to have a combination of Super Vitus and Reynolds tubing and was surprisingly light! It was definitely in need of a new paint job. Chee redesigned the logos and I painted them on. The finished product is a totally classy custom frame from an obscure Providence framebuilder!

 
 

Also in the shop was a modification and repaint to an Independent Fabrication. He wanted the bike to accept 650B mountain wheels and cantilever brakes so I moved the posts and modified the cantilever brake bridge. He gave me the specs on the color and the minimal graphics and then I went to town.

 
 

I also built a couple of stems recently, a quill one for the IF repaint and a threadless oversize one for a Rygin.

 

Next on the agenda is Mike’s “Handsome Gentleman’s Bike”!

I say modern classic because of the combination of carbon, swoopy seat stays, and paint scheme but classic round tube, horizontal top tube, lugged style. This frame was made for a rad guy named Brian B. from Alabama. It’s a road frame made from Columbus Life tubing. The paint was inspired by a bike that former Circle A builder Emily made. Very labor intensive but such a unique finished product. Can’t wait to see this one built up!

 
 
 
 
 

Also leaving the shop are a newly painted Terraferma and Trek. I’ve spent a lot of time in the paint booth the past few weeks so my next post will be mostly about paint work.

 

And more stems are being produced as well. This one is going on a Gaulzetti Issimo that I built earlier this year. More stems in production right now as well.

And that Team Raleigh I repainted a while back came back to the shop all built up and looking magnificent. Mike did a great job with the build and has rekindled his love for this bike.

The word Steengat on the top tube refers to the Koppenberg climb that used to be part of the Tour of Flanders until 1987 (when someone was almost run over on the cobbles). This frameset is Brent’s second Circle A and much more specific in purpose than his first road bike. This bike is designed to be used with SRAM’s mountain bike XX group (hence the adjusting barrel on the seat stay). It will have gearing as small as a 26-28 for climbing New England’s steepest peaks. Mount Monadnock, Mount Greylock, mysterious Dudleytown, CT, and the always challenging Mount Washington toll road have or will soon be conquered by Brent. He keeps track of all the steepest hills he rides in New England (we all need a hobby!). His website documenting these rides (and this bike) is www.brentacol.com. One last adorable note is that this frameset was painted to match his son’s little push bike we painted a couple of months back.

 
 
 
 
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The final touches on the recently built tandem are complete. I built a set of racks and one of the owners, Jay, painted them (and the fenders) so we could display this beautiful machine at the Philly Bike Expo.

 

I also finished up some paint work prior to the bike expo for Johnny Coast out of Brooklyn (pic stolen from John Watson’s blog), Tommy Nash out of Baltimore, and Providence’s Dornbox Bikes. It was nice to meet these guys face to face (again) in Philly.

  

I like having deadlines. Even if I rarely meet them, they help keep me moving along. This bike’s deadline was this weekend’s Providence Cyclocross Festival happening in Providence’s lovely Roger Williams Park. And I met it! I finished the bike on Friday morning and I baked the clearcoat for several hours before Alex started the build. Alex is an accomplished mechanic up at Boston’s Bikes Not Bombs and races on their team. He got the Chris King hubs at 8 o’clock last night and was lacing wheels and finishing the details into the wee hours. I wasn’t sure if he was going to have it ready for his 8AM race this morning but when I got to the park, he was busting around the course on it! Color me impressed. Speaking of color, Alex came up with the scheme which sort of made me nervous as paint jobs this intricate normally take several days. I managed to get the paint completed in two VERY long days. Both the frame and fork are fillet brazed on this one. I don’t normally do fillet brazed unicrown forks but it’s a nice change of pace once in a while. They’re just so smooth and strong. Check it out.

 
 
 
 
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This 68cm Nishiki came into the shop with a very 80s, pink and white paint job. The owner wasn’t too into it, so he had us strip it and do an Irish inspired kelly green complete with clover on the seat tube. We put a bunch of braze-ons for racks on there and now he’s ready to go on a nice long tour.

 
 

And I recently painted a couple bikes for Philadelphia frame builder and all around nice guy, Brendan McGrath. Sort of a unique scheme with most of the rear triangle a blood red. I like it a lot and it gives me ideas on what I can do on some future Circle As!