Archive for the ‘Everything Else’ Category

This is the second cross bike I’ve built for Adam St. Germain but it’s the fourth Circle A I’ve built for him. He also has one of the few Circle A BMX frames and a pretty fancy road bike. For this one, I wanted to make it as light as possible. I ended up going with Dedacciai’s Zero tube set. Because this is a cross bike and it’s going to be put through the motions, I put a small gusset at the down tube seat tube junction. I suggested a seat mast with some unique internal cable routing and Adam let me have my way. So here’s the final product but I unfortunately neglected to think about one thing…

 
 
 
 
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A week or two after he got the bike, at the NBX Grand Prix of Cyclocross right here in Rhode Island on December 4th, the seat mast bent. I was devastated. I totally felt like I let Adam down by building a bike with such a thin seat tube and doing the internal routing at the rear. He sent me a txt with the image and my heart sunk. I had to fix it. NOW.

 

So Adam dropped the bike off at the shop on the Monday after and I had it back to him at the week’s end for the Ice Weasels race in Wrentham, MA on the 10th. The repair consisted of me carefully straightening the mast and reshaping it with tubing blocks. To strengthen that joint, I bonded a section of slotted aluminum post into the seat tube. It essentially has a seatpost in there now, which I will recommend to all future customers who inquire about a seat mast. I repainted the affected area and it was ready to ride again. Just last week, he raced it at the Nationals in Madison and got 32nd. Attaboy! We’re very proud of him here at Circle A. Here are a couple shots of the bike after the repair.

 

My longtime friend Lee FINALLY got his bike together. Definitely a fun commuter/light touring ride. Hope you’re having fun, Lee!

 

And it was a long time ago (I think back in October) but we had our 10th year anniversary. A lot of friends and local builders came by to help us celebrate. We’d like to thank everyone who has supported us over the years and will continue to build for the unforeseeable future. Here are some shots of that beautiful day.

 
 

Next up is a travel bike with a couple of firsts for Circle A…

This bike was originally going to be called a “Grocery Getter” but the rack is more conducive to just doing a milk run to the corner store. I feel that “City Bike” is a more apt title. The 1×10 Shimano Ultegra drivetrain keeps things simple. The Sugino 75 crankset was paired with a 42 tooth chainring to make the hills a little more bearable. The rack on the front was based on specific dimensions (it’s 7″ wide x 10″ long) and got a bit of inspiration from one recently done by Capricorn Bicycles. It’ll be great with a larger handlebar bag. The moustache bars bring me back to my days of working at Union Cycle in Attleboro, Massachusetts and selling the Bridgestone XO-1. Good times. The paint is a custom gray/green mix with a very faint pearl coat. And there are red and silver details throughout. It is understated to say the least. Hope you like it as much as I do, Dan!

 
 
 
 
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In other news, we went to the Philadelphia Bike Expo again this year. The weather was less than stellar with a freak snow storm but the turnout was still great. Bina and the rest of the Bilenky crew did a great job of putting this one together. Circle A Cycles shared a big “Providence Booth” with Chapman Cycles and Dharma Cycles. Here are some shots from that weekend.

 
 
 
 

Cyclocross season is well underway and Genisis just got her bike together a bit ago. This is one of the smallest cross bikes I’ve made in a long time. The frame might be smaller but it’s the same amount of work as the larger ones. The paint on this one had much inspiration from the black Rapha Continental bike with pink and silver details from a couple of years ago. The fork was from ENVE and painted to match. I painted some small pink and silver details on the fork tips and seat stays to match the details on the head tube and in the seat cluster. It was also a way to hone my paint registration skills. Check it out.

 
 
 
 
 
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This Hollands came in with some significant rust damage to the top tube cable guides as well as a large dent. The cable guides were removed and replaced with cable stops, the dent was rolled out and filled, and the decals were procured to get this bike back to it’s original state, albeit with a different color.

 
 
 

Sean brought this Croll to us for paint. It came in stripped so clean it looked like it was just welded. He also provided us with the Croll decals and the PPG paint in the same system we use. Definitely an accommodating customer!

 
 

This customer came in with a specific vision or recreating a paint job that was once on this bike. The lugs were red and there was a distinct series of cogs on the seat tube. I was able to recreate the cog design and got nice clean lines on the lugs and fork crown.

 
 

I graduated from UMass Dartmouth about 14 years ago with a degree in mechanical engineering. I haven’t kept in touch with a lot of people who were in my graduating class but I’m glad to have reconnected with my friend Mike. I remember him being into mountain biking back in the 90s and wanting to build bikes. Well, he built his first frame recently and it came out great! I hope he has the bug and wants to build some more.

 
 

Two great people tied the knot recently as well. Congratulations Adam and Ali! You guys rule. The wedding was beautiful and I wish you the best of luck in the future. Adam, your cross bike is coming up soon!

 

There was a hurricane along the east coast recently too. We had a bunch of tree limbs down but nothing too serious. The shop came out damage free which was a relief. Some were not so lucky though.

Lastly, our friend Ryan brought us a cake! Why? Well, he’s just a nice guy and he likes what we do. We like you too, Ryan.

Next up is Dan’s grocery getter, some pics from the Circle A Cycles 10 year anniversary party, Joseph’s cross bike, and more!

The latest project out of my fixture is a lugged stainless frame for Trevor. This was my first time working with this particular brand of stainless steel and have to say that I was pleased. One of the complaints I’ve heard from other builders was in regards to the tubes’ dimensional accuracy. I had none of these problems and with good tolerances built a very strong frame. Trevor went with an ENVE 2.0 fork painted to match.

 
 
 
 

I’m still making freewheels from time to time. This one went over to the UK. If you have a project that needs a freewheel with a tooth count greater than 22. Give me a holler.

Also, a bunch of us Providence folk went over to Deerfield, MA for the D2R2 last month. It’s becoming a new tradition of packing a couple of vehicles with people and bikes, sleeping in a bumpy field, and then waking up to a very difficult but beautiful ride. Plenty of Circle As were there in attendance. This year seemed a bit harder but maybe I was just a bit out of shape. Anyway click on the big pic of Jim to see some video of us agonizing up one of the climbs. Fun stuff? Yes!

 
 

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.

 

One of our customers who’s having his vintage Richard Sachs frameset refinished came by to take some pictures of the shop for a school project and he gladly shared his shots with us and I, in turn, will share with you. Thanks Greg!

 
 
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I’ll be sharing pics of that Sachs when it’s done as well as the frame in progress currently dubbed “Mike’s Handsome Gentleman’s bike.” Check back soon.

John’s single speed left the shop late last week and was on the road by the weekend. It was aching to get dirty on these dry, dusty Rhode Island roads. He put 75 miles on it in one day which blows my mind for a single speed (more like a two speed with the White Industries double freewheel). This sharp bike is primarily white with gray panels and blue accents for the logos and cutouts in the Richard Sachs lugs and fork crown. He went with Paul Components cantilever brakes which will give him more than adequate stopping power as he contends with some of the worst drivers in the country.

 
 
 
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I also built a fork and quill stem for our friend Ricardo. This was sort of a collaboration as he did the polishing of the stainless and created the stencils for the fleurs de lis. It’s was a long time in the making but it’s finally done.

 

We always have tons of pictures of frames, forks, racks, stems, and whatever else we make or paint here. While we’re doing all of that, we want to make sure that the bike and components come to fruition as a whole. Maybe it’s a Brooks saddle or sweet Campagnolo Super Record gruppo that is the glue that brings the whole thing together. Here are a couple of shots of some of our most recent builds in their complete form. I’ll try to get more together for future blogs so you can get ideas on what is best for your Circle A.

 
 

And finally, tandems take time. Lots and lots of time. I’m in the middle of fillet brazing my first for our friends Jay and Josie who are getting married later this month. Deadlines! Here are a couple of shots of the build in progress. I managed to modify our current tube mitering setup to easily do the complex cuts on the top and lateral tandem tubes. More updates to come soon. Back to work now.

  

The latest restoration here at the shop was on this 1976 Team Raleigh frame. It came in with a busted fork so I built another with Reynolds 531 blades, Campagnolo fork tips, and a Cinelli crown. This bike apparently has quite the pedigree after the owner did his research on it. This is what he found out:

“According to people who know these things, the bike appears to have belonged to Jan Van Katwijk of the Dutch TI Raleigh/McGregor professional cycling team in 1976. This is evidenced by his initials in the bikes serial number (JK176 which indicates that this was the first frame built for Jan Van Katwijk in 1976). In 1976 Jan rode in both the Tour de France and the Tour of Spain. I haven’t been able to confirm if he rode this exact bike in either event but it’s probable because he was only with the team for a year. Jan’s brother Piet Van Katwijk also rode for the team and must have been a better rider as he was with them for six years. I bought the bike from Mike’s Cyclery in Boca Raton, FL in the early 80′s and was unaware of its history until I researched it for the restoration.”

 
 

In other news, I had moved last year to a location that was about 7 miles away from the shop. Before the move I had been doing my 3 mile commute on a single speed as that was fine. But for the past year I’ve been riding either my race bike or my cross bike and finally decided to build up a light touring/commuter bike for myself complete with front rack (soon) and fenders. This multifunction bike also survived the D2R2 this past weekend as there’s room for cyclocross tires on there. I was looking for mustard in the color and I got it. A mix of our yellow and gold came out with this classy number. Some subtle logos, a pearl coat over the whole thing, and a little yellow tint in the clear gave it some extra detail as well.

 
 
 
 
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This road frame and fork(s) is ready for some high speed club rides or road races. Full True Temper OX Platinum tube set and seat mast will keep the weight of this bike well below 17 pounds…and having the Edge carbon fork on there won’t hurt either.

 
 
 
 
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In non-bike building news, a bunch of Providence locals travelled over to Deerfield, MA for the 2010 D2R2. This was my first time doing it and it was one of the most fun rides I’ve ever done on a bicycle. Maybe it was the weather or the great group of riders or all the steel bikes or a combination of everything but I can’t recommend it enough. There were a lot of hills and our group did the 100k version. Maybe next year we’ll get brave and do the 180k.

  

Our kitty turns one year old this month too. Since she’s joined the Circle A team, morale has been up and productivity down (kidding). She’s the best thing that’s happened to the shop…aside from the Bridgeport. Here’s to many more years of her walking precariously onto bike stands while we try to file your lugs.

 

I’ve finally finished the second Reynolds 953 frame this year for our friend Nathan. I don’t anticipate doing a lot of these frames based on the availability of the tubing but it’s a nice change of pace once in a while. The advantages of using stainless is not super light weight if it’s going to be lugged (which is how I do it) but rather the option of leaving the frame raw. Nathan chose to leave a significant portion of the frame exposed. I have to say that I never thought I would have ever painted flames but I’m very happy with how this came out. It’s all oversize thin wall tubing which is conducive to distortion when brazing. This is mostly crucial when brazing the seat cluster together so little to no seat tube reaming will have to happen. All went well and Nathan should have the rest of his Edge components this week to complete the build. I’ll make sure I get some complete bike shots when all is said and done.

 
 
 
 
 
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Speaking of completed stainless bikes, Mark stopped by the shop the other week to show us the amazing components he used to complement his orange 953 frame. What a head turner!

One of the other projects I was working on recently was a rack designed by our friend Benno who Chris built a bike for earlier this year. This rack is designed to go with the fork that Chris created. It’s made for light touring with a handlebar bag and small Ortlieb front panniers. It’s a unique design and after I was done complaining about all the complex angles, was really stoked on it. I plan on building a light touring/commuter bike for myself later this year and am now contemplating this rack design (with Benno’s permission). The stability of the fender is amazing! There are three contact points not including the struts. This one has yet to be plated because he’s doing some field testing with it first.

 

And finally, I will be married by the end of this week! Rings and cupcake stands are being brazed up and all the loose ends are coming together. I’d like to thank all my customers who have been patient and understanding during this busy time. Come July, I’ll be working at full steam once again. In the meantime, here’s a shot of me and Chris playing around at my bachelor party ride. Good times and great adventures to come!

This frameset will be making its way over to Japan very soon! Things to note about this frameset are the subtle “dark white” main color with white seat tube and head tube, polished stainless lugs/fork crown, and a custom stainless cutout of his son’s name on the top tube. What a tribute! It’s made from Columbus Spirit for lugs tubing, Richard Sachs lugs, Henry James bottom bracket shell, and Henry James front and rear stainless dropouts. Another way it’s unique is in the way it’s going to be a 10 speed in the literal sense. No front derailleur braze-on and a shifter boss on the drive-side only. Classy!

 
 
 
 
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And we had our annual open house this past weekend with summer-like weather! Lots of people showed up and checked out the shop even though we gave them next to no notice. Sorry. We’ll try to be more on the ball next year.