Try and Try again..

I had to make a lot of these...

To get one like this.

But I can repeat it. So that's a good thing. Can't wait to miter this and build the mainframe. This will be the seat tube. Stoked.

SILVER

As in brazing. Steel is very different from silver/gold (I was a goldsmith for a number of years before I went back to school for an industrial design degree.) So I'm finding I'm re-learning what I already know in terms of silver brazing/soldering with steel. Always great to learn new things, to refine your process and perfect your craft. With time, I'm confident I can leave no room for cleanup. I was taught that each step in your process should be held to the highest degree of quality. Every file stroke matters. Each time you perform a task, its in relation to the finished product so less work means more time and a more efficient craft. Each part matters-and this is not just in the design, but in the process of fabrication as well. The end result is not only a reflection of the time you spent but also the time you saved by perfecting your process.

LPS 3

I wrangled a Bridgeport J-Head a year ago and have been slowly getting it prepped. But in the meantime, its in storage so I've been rustproofing all the dials, handles etc. to protect it against moisture and corrosion. Enter LPS 3.. Spray on, wipe clean, let dry. Apparently you can let the part out in open sea spray for 2+ years and it won't corrode. We'll see as it tends to get some high moisture content in my shop. I hope to change that with a bunch of planned long term renovations. Pictured are some dials and goodies prepped and ready for LPS3-ification. Gotta love US Made Steel. Only way to go.

RIDE NOTES

Been doing a lot of riding locally as there is just so much right here under my nose. Found some trails but was informed that there were indeed much more-just well hidden from the common folk.. So I was given a tour this past week and man, what a ride!! The trails were beautiful, classic New England singletrack. This section here rolls through a descent inside a stand of managed Red Pine. I was white eyes and white teeth the whole way through-the whole ride I should say too. Simple rolling singletrack, great climbs with plenty of rocks, roots and tech. Some really nice sections and the locals have definitely been at it and building these very well. I'm stoked to have met some fine riders to have shown me around. Funny part is they often pop out in peoples driveways or backyards only to go back into the woods. So goes it in Live Free or Die Land. People are pretty supportive of bicycles around these neck of the woods which is great.

GETTING CLOSER..

Home for the week from the shop. Starting to look like bicycles..

Welded up..

Seatstays mitered and ready to be tacked..

Little DT/HT tack..

So these were a long time coming. Phil Wasson over at SUPER RAT MACHINE put the pedal to the metal with the nails on these puppies and machined them up from my cad files. STOKED. They came out beautifully, and I just can't wait to build up the more refined version of the 29er I've been working on. Actually it will be how i originally intended it to be, but given the time frame and funds I had at the time, some exceptions had to be made. But with some patience and time, (which i have..) things will come together nicely. These allow you to run gears or singlespeed setup without any extra parts or sliding bits. I really like the simplicity of traditional horizontal dropouts, and the ability to switch back and forth sometimes can be a challenge, especially when the switch often involves specialty parts, or other add-ons. The main goal was to design something that used existing parts in a traditional fashion. The pretty cool part for me as a designer is not only doing the design work, but getting to build from start to finish what i design. Can't describe how rewarding this can be. The best part is that first ride when you throw a leg over and start to put the bike through its paces. A lot of information and feedback is gained from this experience. Not only are you getting to realize your design, you're also getting vital feedback on each and every ride on how the design is handling different terrain, conditions and circumstances first hand and comparing that with how you intended the platform to ride and perform in these circumstances. This feedback is taken directly back to the drawing board and put into action. Another aspect that I love is during the production process; actually figuring out how to build the frame. So not only is the design beign informed from the eventual ride feedback, but the design is also influenced by the methods put into practice as I fabricate the ride as well. The ride is now fully realized when it is being influenced by all aspects of the design and fabrication process.

Stoked on these next two builds: 29er dirt road ramblers. Basically mountain bikes.. but setup to do primarily dirt roads. There's just so mach dirt around here that these make a lot of sense. That and i prefer dirt to pavement, so its that much better.