True Fabrication Bicycles

Shop Update

2011-11-03T05:43:00.000-07:00

This week we have completed one frame and are close to completing a second. Eric's bent downtube 29er is ready to go to paint. Here are some shots of it:

The other frame that is almost complete is Jay's cross bike. The frame is built and what is left is installing all the braze-ons. We are really pleased how the mono-stay rear end came out. Here are some shots of it:

Texas Custom Bicycle Show #4

2011-10-13T12:53:00.000-07:00

Please do stop by and chat with us this weekend at TCBS #4 - Saturday and Sunday 10-5pm at the Convention Center. We will have our Oregon Manifest bike, several recent customer bikes, and my bike with full CTR gear in our booth.

Oregon Manifest, Part I: Thank You!

2011-09-28T13:54:00.000-07:00

*note: the following contains an insane amount of links to other sites. It took me such a long time to compile them all, so please take a chance and 'click'. . . I promise that they'll be a better waste of time than talking dogs or celebrity meltdowns (note also that those things do not, in my estimation, deserve a link.)

Yep. . . Part I. I could have said "one" or "1," but I'm going to try to keep it as classy as Roman Numerals imply for the sole purpose of matching the event to which this post owes its existence.

A huge thanks goes out to Shannon and Jocelyn for putting on this event. Of all the bicycle shows that happen throughout the year, I truly feel that this one has the greatest ability to change the way cyclists and non-cyclist view the bicycle.

Shannon is the (one of the?) person (people?) behind Super Relax Concept, whose jerseys I saw in an old old old issue of Velonews back when I thought I could be good at racing bicycles. It took me a year or two of searching the internet to figure out the people who had them made so that I could beg to get on their next order. I did and after receiving them I was told they would never ever again open up to people outside of Portland; I'm glad to know they have since changed their policy. Their motto (among others that can easily be taken from their kit): "Look Good. Be nice. Keep Dreamin'."

We met Jocelyn during NAHBS 2011 which was held in Austin. I think I had emailed her a few times asking about the event, the last was answered by her in person in our booth. It was then that I was sold on going to the event. I may regret the amount of time it took to finish our submission (tackling a bunch of "firsts" is a lot more time intensive than I ever imagined) but I do not regret going. My short conversation with Jocelyn was the deciding factor to sign up. Thank you.

To Rob Tsunehiro (on the right) who let me borrow his wife's road bike while I was in Portland. His generosity helped me save a great deal of money in shipping and handling fees by not having to bring a third bike to get around the city. Thanks, and congrats on your well deserved second place finish! (WIN!)

To the Judge who, unknown to me, gave a "shout out" to our bike before the ribbon recipients were announced. Shane of Brooklyness has video he'll send me once I get a chance to write him, but until then I'm suspecting it was Bill Strickland, editor at large for Bicycling and a really handsome, tough-looking man (he looks like he could be an uncommonly refined turn-of-the-century Dutch stevedore, no?), but that's just a guess based on the reaction to our bike he posted on his blog.

To Greg and Rachel at F3 Designs right here in ATX. I know them from a circle I travel in and asked them to build Katie and I bikepacking bags a while ago. When it came time to decide how the OM bike would carry gear I asked if they could make a racktop/backpack as well as panniers that would look more like their work and less like everything else on the market. An good amount of sailcoth, rubber, and coated nylon later and I had what I needed to carry the requisite items for the 51 mile shakedown-ride. They also make these awesome hats that a) enable me to comfortable tuck all my hair underneath my helmet, and b) keep the sweat off of my face. Bamboo jersey cycling hats. . . who knew?

To Aldo over at Delta Millworks (ATX!!) for making two awesome decks out of Texas Walnut over the Labor Day weekend. They look as amazing as they weigh (which is a lot when you're riding uphill).

To the people who took their time to document the event and post on flickr. I've been viewing a lot from Taylor Sizemore (one of the entrants), Dylan Van Weelden (responsible for the photo above) from Chris King, Jonathan Maus from bikeportland.org, and Anthony Cobb (a student entrant from The Art Institute of Portland) for me to link to. Thanks for covering my ass, otherwise I wouldn't have anything to show.

A GIANT THANKS goes out to Kellie, Pat, Riley and Oliver R. for letting Katie and I crash in their basement for the entirety of our stay. When we weren't out doing the bike thing, we were comfortable in a warm and inviting house, hanging out with friends. Thank you so much!

And my final thanks goes to the city of Portland for making me feel pretty frickin' awesome. What other city in the U.S. could draw a crowd like this to what is basically a one-night museum exhibit on transportation bicycles? Truly inspirational. And thanks for not yelling at me for all the times I forgot to signal my turns. . .

more to come. . .

Shop update

2011-09-27T07:52:00.000-07:00

While, this past weekend Mo was having a blast with our bike at the Oregon Manifest in Portland (I can't wait for his update from the event). I wanted to update ya'll on what we have been up to in the shop. First we had John's bike come back from powder and it really came out great. John got the full TF experience with a custom fork and stem:

I have also been working on Eric's small 29er which is going to be a unique design for us having a bent down tube for fork clearance. So I have got the front triangle mitered, tacked and welded up. Here are some shots of the progress:

I also wanted to say I have been working a write up on the CTR race which I finished in 9 days 10 hours 16 mins and hope to have it in the blog soon. It was an amazing personal experience for me that has been hard to put in words. Here is a link to a video that another rider put together which I hope gives you a window into what some of the sections of the ride were like:

http://vimeo.com/28779413

Heading to Portland. . .

2011-09-20T07:23:00.000-07:00

It's Tuesday, and that means TF will be in Portland in a mere two days. KD will be with me as I present TF's submission to the Oregon Manifest Constructor's Design Challenge. Clark and I have lost enough bodily fluids to make an industrial kitchen unsanitary when making this bike, and while I've been more mad than pleased during its creation, I couldn't be happier with the final product.

I must say that I am a little more than a tiny bit worried about what exactly will be required of me at this event. As I type this, KD is looking over the presentation criteria (yeah, like a, uh, legit presentation that will, umm, be evaluated by judges and, uh, stuff). There will be receptions, and swag, and builder's only events. With so much going on and at such a high production level, it makes a person reevaluate their strict "two showers a week" policy. And maybe I should shave. . . or wear a tie. . . nah, ties never look good with stained white undershirts. . .

Anyway, it is with great pleasure that I present a sneak peak. . . ah hell. It's two days away! The rest of the pictures can be found here. . . ENJOY!

AntonioGG- TF Gravel Grinder

2011-08-29T08:29:00.000-07:00

I know this is a crappy camera phone pic but its all I've got for now. AntonioGG's gravel grinder is complete. I know the pics don't do it justice but this bike is awesome. We still need to get in the carbon disc fork for it. But this will be his do-all machine: commuter, dirt-road rider, and could mix it up on the weekend road rides or WC trail laps. My bike is done in the same vein but his is much nicer! I'll better pics soon.

CTR Tracking Link

2011-07-29T12:56:00.000-07:00

Here is the link to the CTR tracking page:

http://trackleaders.com/ctr

Sit back and watch my blue dot move as I pedal away in the mountains.

Update and Gear List

2011-07-28T08:55:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened in the last week, both in the shop and here in Colorado. Although I have my camera with me here in Colorado, my camera cable is back in Austin, so sorry for the lack of pics.

In the shop, the Saturday before I left we got a new mill, an older Van Norman #12 Milling machine and moved it into place. (Thanks for the help Brad!!) Mo has been busy working on the Oregon Manifest bike and I believe that it will be going to powder coat soon.

In Colorado here, I have been getting out on the bike each day and getting use to altitude. Believe it or not on Tuesday I got caught in a big thunderstorm ( yes actual rain!!) and my gear held up well. I think I mentioned in an earlier post that I would put up a gear list of what I am taking on the CTR Race, well here is it all but the food:

Bike

Frameset - True Fabrication 29" Hardtail and Rigid Fork
Drivetrain - Shimano XT
Brakes - Hope Mono
Cockpit - Titec Ti Bar, Ritchey Stem, ESI Chunky Grips, Cane Creek Bar Ends
Seat - Selle Italia Turbomatic 2 , Moots Ti post
Wheel System - Stan's Flows and Hubs
Tires - Ardent 2.4 (Front), WeirWolf 2.55 (Back)

Load Carrying

F3 Designs Framebag ( Thanks Greg and Rachel the bags work great!!!)
F3 Designs Seatbag
F3 Designs Barbag
Fuel Belt - Small Feedbag
Sea to Summit - Ultra light backpack (For carrying extra food after Buena Vista)

Clothing

Waterproof/Breathable Jacket - O2 Rainjacket
Waterproof Pants - Marmot Precip
Shorts w/Chamois - Vermarc / Assos Bibs (one pair of each)
Jersey - Castelli Squadra old Cycle 360
Base Layer Top - Defeet undershirt long / short
Long Sleeve Top   - LAF Winter Jersey
Knee Warmers - Defeet Wool
Arm Warmers - Defeet arm-skins
Off Bike Shorts - Mesh track shorts
Off Bike Tights - REI Poly Tights
Riding Cap - F3 Designs TF -Cap
Warm Cap - Pearl Izumi Barrier Hat
Over Glove - Manzella Windstopper
Vest - Castelli Windstopper
Full finger riding gloves - Pearl Izumi X-light Gel
Sunglasses - Oakley Racing Jackets Perscription
Helmet -Giro Althelon
Shoes - Pearl Izumi Enduro
Socks -Swiftwick 7, Swiftwick wool 7, SL3S Compression

Gear

Headlamp - Princeton Tec Apex Pro
Light on Front Bag - Princeton Tec Quad (2)
Tailight - Planet Bike Super Flash
Batteries for lights   Energizer Lithium AAA, CR123
GPS - Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx
Batteries for GPS - Energizer Lithium AA
Shelter   - Nemo GOGO XL Bivy, Bivy Stakes, Pump, Extra spoke for Bivy swallowtail
Sleeping bag - Mountain Hardware UltraLamina 32 Large
Sleeping Pad - Theromrest Air Core Small
Ear plugs - Simple Rubber (orange for visibility)
Multitool - Leatherman
Bike Multi-tool   - Lezyne 20
Tire Lever - Quick Stick
Tire Pump - Lezyne Mini
Tire Innertube - 29x2.1 (2)
Tube patch kit - Glue Type & Super Patch
Tire boot - Cut Piece of Tire with bead removed
Chain Lube - Finish Line Wax
Power Link - Sram 9 Speed (2)
Assortment of Zip Ties (QTY - 7) mix of smaller and larger
Large sewing needle
Heavy duty nylon thread   - Small spool
Rope - Multi-Purpose Thin Nylon Cord (15')
Band-Aids - 2 butterfly style, 2 'standard' size
Swabs and ointment- Alcohol wipes, Antibiotic ointment
Sports Tape (3 meters wrapped around pump)
Duct Tape (3 meters wrapped around pump)
Water Treatment   - Sawyer 4L Purifier System - Dirty bag and filter
Toothbrush / Toothpaste
Clean Wipes - Cottonelle Wipes (2) 10 Packs
Sunscreen (SPF 50+) - Neutrogena Sport
Lip balm (SPF 15+)- Neutrogena lip therapy
Chamois Cream - Chamois Butt'r 10 Mini Packs
Towel - MSR medium camp towel
Bug Spray - Off - Mini pack of 2 towelettes
Wallet and Contents - Ziplock - ID, Health Insurance Card, Debit/Credit Card(s), Cash, Calling Card
Camera - Canon Powershot SD980 IS (with batteries and ziploc bag)
Map - CTR Databook with Detours marked

Water Storage Capacity - 5L and larger bottle

MSR 4L "clean" water bag hooked to camelback tube
Water bottle 28 oz carry in jersey pocket
Platypus 1L Bladder - spare for quick treatment with tablets

Emergency Supplies

Mountain House - 1 - Freeze Dried Meal (500 Calories)
Hand warmers - 1 pack of 2 expose to air warmers
Aqua Mira Water treatment tablets - 12 pack
Mini Bic Lighter
Mini Compass / Thermometer
Whistle

I don't have a weight on all of it and I know it is not the lightest, but I think it will keep me safe and get me to the finish. I have been training with it all on the bike for the last few months, so I know what to expect riding and hiking with it uphill. Well, as soon as I have my tracking link I will post it up, that's all for now.

Scott Henry heads to Superweek!

2011-07-17T20:36:00.001-07:00

Here is Scott bike all boxed up and ready to go1

Scott Henry flew out to Illinois today to spend 4 days racing Superweek. http://www.internationalcycling.com/?q=schedule For those of you who don't know, Superweek is 17 days straight of pro road racing in Wisconsin and Illinois.

He will be racing his TF road bike with State Wheels carbon wheels. I spoke to Scott before he left and he was debating which bike to bring to race. He said he decided to go with the TF over the BMC because he felt so comfortable on it. Scott mentioned that when racing for 4 days in a row at this level aboard a bike that was made specifically for *him* was the deciding factor. He said it fits him perfectly and it handles so well, even though the BMC would be a tad lighter and a little stiffer.

Evanston Grand Prix in Illinois

Getting Close to Go Time - CTR

2011-07-13T07:06:00.000-07:00

July 24 is the date I fly to Denver and then a week in Denver before I start one of the biggest adventures I will ever do. After over ten years of traveling to Colorado each summer to spend a week camping and riding my mountain bike, this year I am lining up to doing the Colorado Trail Race starting on August 1st. The race is a 460 mile self-supported event from Denver to Durango on the Colorado Trail. I have been training and acquiring gear for this race over the past year and I am really looking forward to the experience. I know being from Austin and not being able to train at altitude will limit my performance, but my main goal is overcoming all the challenges that I will encounter during the race ( i.e. altitude, lightning, exhaustion, hypothermia, etc...) and finishing it. Mo will be holding down the fort in the shop starting the 25th and I plan to be back mid-August. I will post up my gear list and tracking information, so you can follow my blue dot before I head out.

-Clark

More Frames

2011-06-30T05:22:00.000-07:00

Here are some shots of John's 29er. As soon as the fork is cleaned up, it is off to Spectrum along with a custom stem for a special powder coat:

A finally here is a teaser shot of the bike we are building for the Oregon Manifest contest in September. Mo will follow up with more details on the contest and our design:

Head Down Busy in the Shop

2011-06-28T19:49:00.000-07:00

We have been working hard in the shop on several bikes the past few weeks and here are a few shots of what we are working on. First a fork for John's 29er, it is our typical segmented fork set up to turn his 29er into a gravel grinder duty when needed:

Next up a pair of road bikes we have been building for Doc and his friend Pat. We went as light as we could on these road bikes, with solid ride that is built to last. Working on putting the braze-on on both of them this week and then off to paint.

More frame pics tomorrow.

TF road bike gets 4th in P12 Crit

2011-06-13T09:19:00.000-07:00

Check out this great video of the last kilometer leading up to the finish of this weekend's Houston Grand Crit. Scott Henry (blue/red kit) aboard his white TF road bike bridges up to the group of 5 leaders and then takes 4th in the sprint!

STEMS!!!

2011-05-30T07:55:00.001-07:00

Hey all. . .

- Happy Memorial Day. . . hope you have fun memorializing. . . .

- Summer has come to Austin. . . those who say "finally" either live in A/C or are insane. . . as for me, I say "Let's move to Saskatoon." Not only is it way cooler, but who can't get behind a city whose flag promotes "Commerce, Industry, [and] Education?"

- More time should be spent in the shop in the coming months, and we're already ahead of our personal timelines for certain projects. . . one of which is

- STEMS! Yep, as I mentioned awhile back we would be making stems, not just for fun, but for PROFIT!! That time has come, and all for the low low price of $150. That'll get you a custom length stem similar to the one pictured (1 1/8" steerer, 1 1/4" bar clamp, custom length and rise). All 4130 steel with the exception of the faceplate which is 6061 aluminum.

Powdercoats beside black and other deviations from the norm can be done, but there will be an up-charge (contact us for details). While I didn't weigh this one, I'm fairly certain it's on par with a Thomson, so you may be saving a few grams PLUS you can get it in that so hard to find 153.713229 length that you need to complement the 95mm headtube on your Golden Ratio bike. PLUS PLUS look at how good it looks just doing its job!!!

- June is National "Update your Business's Website Month" and in that vain we have recently hired someone to do just that. My eyes bleed eye blood whenever I check my email so we thought it best to find someone who knows what they're doing behind a keyboard. Look for us to let you know when it's actually done here on this blog as what we have now is so out of date I can't even laugh about it. (NOTE: it's worth a peek if you wanted to know what websites looked like during the Ford Administration, so for all you high schoolers wrapping up your term papers on "The History of the Internet," feel free to use our site as a primary source. . . just be sure to print out pictures on the dot matrix currently being used as your bathroom step stool).

Frames, Frames, Frames

2011-05-09T19:39:00.000-07:00

First off, I have to apologize for the quiet blog though April, I had thought I had lost my camera and after looking all over for it, it eventually turned up in Cody's car. We have been busy with bike an here are several images of what we have been working on. First up Antonio's Gravel Grinder, back from paint and now prepped to be built up:

Next up a hard tail 29er that is going to Tennessee, can't wait to see the paint job that is going on this one. It is going to be the personal ride for the painter of the Rat Rod and Bill's Cherry Blossom bike:

And finally a bikepacking 29er for John S. So far we have it built up to the point of seat stays which will be going on this week and then of course braces and braze-ons. We are using the new paragon rocker dropouts on this one and we are really please with them:

Next up back to some Titanium work this weekend and then on to a couple road bikes.

Back from Paint

2011-05-02T06:42:00.000-07:00

Look what has finally arrived back from paint! This TF gravel grinder is going to be really nice. Of course its for a customer but its not unlike how I'd do one for myself: disc only, room for very fat CX tire, stiff bb, mounts for a salsa minimalist, 3 bottle mounts, etc..

Thanks Dirt Rag

2011-03-31T07:50:00.000-07:00

Go out and pick up the latest copy of Dirt Rag. TF and Bill's single speed are featured in the article on builders from NAHBS with some great photos.

Congrats to TF women's rider

2011-03-27T15:01:00.000-07:00

I wanted to take a moment to comment on Claire's passed 2 wins. Twice now, she's won the Open Women's Pro Class in the TX State Series on her custom TF hardtail!

We finished this frame for her many months ago. However, she delayed in getting a build kit for it. So I took a build kit from a HH demo bike and built up her TF so that she'd have no more excuses. Then she goes out and wins her 1st race aboard it with SLX cranks, Magura Louis brakes, and other chunky components. Not too mention this old outdated steel material for a frame! ;)

Sarcasm aside, she's been riding very well this season and we appreciate her flying our colors at the races. Keep it up Claire.

Mary Ann's 29er Part 2

2011-03-19T15:18:00.000-07:00

Fed Ex crunched Mary Ann's first frame in shipping and although we were able to straighten it to the point it was ride able, we built her a replacement frame. All that is left on it is cleaning up the dropouts, braze-ons, and braces. It should be ready to go to powder coat next week Here is a couple shots of it's current state:

Branching out. . .

2011-03-18T17:11:00.000-07:00

Or maybe stemming out. . . not sure if that makes sense, but my desire to be punny makes me want to at least try it. Anyway, as you may or may not be able to tell from the title, TF is on the cusp of expanding their offerings. Our hope is that in the near future we will be able to offer stems to help round out the custom bicycle experience. Here's a shot of the setup:

It'll be a 1" quill stem, 90º, 25.4ø stem clamp and 120mm in length. The stem is going on lugged Trek re-furb that we may or may not be putting more braze-ons on (that's a weirdly constructed sentence, no?). And in case you didn't see it well enough in the first picture, this should let you know where the stem will eventually end up.

There's way more to tell about life in the shop as of late, but it wouldn't make any sense without pictures (which I have yet to download from my camera). What would make sense to tell you (and is probably best without pictures. . . maybe) is that we have recently signed on to compete in the Oregon Manifest Contructor's Design Challenge in Portland, OR this September. I would be doing the event a disservice by trying to explain it here, so please check out the link (as well as this one, the personal blog of the brain behind the event and the Super Relax Concept) and just know that we are more than excited to be involved in this event. More on all that (and pics of the finished stem) next week, I promise.

Travis's New SS

2011-03-09T08:40:00.000-08:00

Anyone here want to see Travis' bike before he does? Trust me, he loves it when I do this! ;)

Once again, Travis gives me some general direction and then turns me loose to create what I'd like for him. The previous time was the design scheme on his TF "Neopolitan" geared bike. This time it's his SS. He requested something white and "ghostly", and to be honest, I think I got there by accident. I asked my sticker maker to put white stickers on top of the lightest color grey backing he had. Problem was that his lightest grey, was a dark grey. When we got the sticker kit in our hands it looked waaay too dark. I blindly convinced Travis to let us put them on and we'd try it again later. Well, I picked up the frame from the TF shop this morning and BINGO! I think we ended up with nearly exactly what he was after. This photo does not do it justice. The white color of the frame has a strong metallic component that causes the white to me tinted "off-white". The grey came out much lighter on the frame than in our hands. Overall its a very ghostly mono-chromatic scheme. Now lets just see him try to keep it clean! Yeah right.....

True Fab Roadie in race form!

2011-03-04T19:59:00.000-08:00

Check out this pic from Scott Henry of his TF roadie the night before the Lago Vista race!

That weight is with GPS, Pedals & cages!

Not too bad!

Give'm hell tomorrow Scott!

-CJB

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you

2011-03-01T05:58:00.000-08:00

Thanks everyone for coming by our booth. We really had a great time at NAHBS in Austin and hope you did too.

We also want to thank: David, at NuVinci for the partnership to build Katie's city bike with the N360 CVT hub, Ian and Jorge from the Statesmen for the article and video, James at Cyclingnews for the article and pics, and Bill for the creative vision for his single speed.

We are really excited about building more frames in 2011 and came home from the show with a sweet new toy of our own, which I can't wait to get building on:

Thanks again ya'll and see you in Sacramento in 2012.

True Fab photo shoot this weekend

2011-02-20T20:49:00.000-08:00

This passed weekend we got the TF tribe together for a photo shoot. This is the first time we've done this and it went well. We got some great photos to be used on the soon-to-be-updated website. It also had the unexpected outcome of being a mini-reunion of sorts. People brought their bikes, their children, and everyone was all smiles. Below are some highlights from the shoot.

Two Weeks Out

2011-02-14T11:01:00.000-08:00

Till NAHBS in Austin and it is crunch time for us. A few bikes back from paint and it is time to build them up while getting all the booth stuff together. I think this year it is really going to be big, may even eclipse Portland-busy as it was in 08. We will be there this year in booth 1306 with a few new rides, t-shirts, hats and maybe a few goodies for all. Please stop by for a visit.

http://www.2011.handmadebicycleshow.com/

Ready For Powder

2011-02-08T05:49:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we wrapped up a tapered 29 fork for TB's single speed. Here's a shot of it.

Some Texas Quarters for the fork leg caps.

And a shot of the frame:

TB please harass Cody to get it to powder for you =)

Rear End and Braces

2011-01-22T17:45:00.000-08:00

This week we finally got the brace tubing in stock and spent some time working on a new style rear-end for Antonio's disc gravel grinder. Here are some shots of the rear end coming together: (that is a 40 mm Cross tire in the shots with plenty of clearance)

Three 29er single-speeds that we are working on, only one of the three left to braze in the braces and then it will be time to for clean up on all three.

FINALLY!!!

2011-01-09T20:24:00.000-08:00

Shown above is Antonio Torrini's hardtail 29er. This frame had a long embryonic period due to the fact that it spent 3 mos at 2 different painters! However, this frame came out very well done. He's been riding a Salsa Mamasita for a while and wanted to get on something custom, local and a bit more comfy. We made some slight tweaks to the Salsa geometry and away we went. Antonio left the paint scheme entirely in our hands and since he rides for the Hammerhead Bicycles racing team, and is a tight part of our riding circle, we decided to paint it "Team TF Colors". Antonio is a pretty light guy who rides smooth so we made some tweaks to the tubing selection and lightweight fab tricks and ended up with a frame that weighed in at 3.95 lbs that he can ride with confidence.

Antonio, I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for your patience.

-CJB

Winter Work 2010 and Beyond

2011-01-09T20:14:00.000-08:00

This post is essentially a follow up post to the one with the boxes-o-tubes. Mo and Clark spent about 2 weeks straight working on quite a few frames. Some are customer frames, some are make-goods, some are NAHBS 2011 frames. All in all it has been a ton of work. We are nearing the end but not quite complete yet.

The photos below show (L to R): Antonio GG's, Luke Yantis, Travis, Matt, and NAHBS Track Frame.

So far it looks like Antonio GG's will be the first one completed. Travis's will be next. We've hit a glitch in our ability to make our curvy rear end bracing (Travis's was last one to get it right). We are making some mods to our bender and tubing and then we will move fwd with Matt and Luke's frames.

Till next time,
CJB

Customer Feedback- "Less is More"

2010-12-27T22:04:00.000-08:00

When a customer receives their bike and then sends you this....you know you've done good!

____________________________________

[Email Title] Weak in the Knees

Dear Cody,
I am in love.
Truly,
Mary Ann

Back in shop and build, build, build

2010-12-05T14:54:00.000-08:00

I will post some trip pics in another blog post, but a quick summary cold, wet, frozen, and fun. We are back in the shop and just cranking though builds. Here are some snapshots from the current work:

Rear end is on the drop tube mixie

Custom fork for the mixie is coming along as well

The front triangle on Antonio G's Dirty Road Bike is all welded up

Close-up on the head tube welds

Next four builds, tubes selected and seat tubes welded

It will be a busy December but we are going to work hard to see if we can get as many built up as possible. Hope ya'll had a good turkey day.

Off to Arkansas

2010-11-24T05:37:00.001-08:00

We have made pretty good progress in the shop on several frames in November. I promise to post some photos of all in my next update. This morning Mo and I are headed to Arkansas for a four day bikepacking trip on the Ouachita and Womble trails. Thanks to Greg and Rachel at F3 designs for some sweet bags. Here is a photo of my setup.

Plenty of work in the shop to wrap October

2010-11-04T19:40:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay in posts to the blog, we have been busy in the shop and I have not got a chance to get some images in a while.

First up t-shirts, hot off the presses in two new colors army green and gray!!! Get them up at Hammerhead Bike shop for $15 or shoot us and email.

29er fork for Bill to finish out his Cherry Blossom ride. A little different then our usual forks with most all of the rake in the angle of the outer miter of the top segments. We just need to cut the tops of the legs, put on all the brazed-on parts, and add the disk tab.

Next bike we are working on is a special townie which is going to have a curved top tube. Here is some shots of it in the jig and of the seat tube sleeve on it:

We also started working with some titanium and are in the process of building up three frames to test out both building with it and how it rides. Here is the front triangle of a 29er in progress:

And Finally Mo added a third set of bottle braze-ons to his 29er frame and had it powder coated with a James Bond theme:

Texas Handmade Show

2010-10-15T05:45:00.000-07:00

We will be at the 3rd Annual Texas Handmade Bicycle Show this weekend in Austin:

http://texascustombicycleshow.ridedaltex.com/index.htm

Come on by and say hello.

Long Travel FS progress

2010-10-05T17:36:00.000-07:00

Wow, we may have succeeded in most everything that we hoped to accomplish! The bikes are getting closer and closer to being completed. We've got the frames completed, shock installed and have tested rear wheel clearance and more.

So far it looks like we are have met our travel goals. The 2 frames get 147 and 153mm of travel respectively. The good news is there is no tire contact interference with the ST when fitted with a decent 29er wheel. we thought we were going to have to run 650b rear setup in order to get full travel and THIS IS NOT THE CASE. Next up it looks like we've received a little bonus in the fact that we have clearance for at least a double from chainring setup. In our design we planned to run these as 1x9's but it seems that we may be able to weld on direct mount front D's. We ended up with a CS length of 440mm. Not as short as I had hoped for but probably short enough.

More to come as things continue to move forward.

Long Travel FS update

2010-10-03T12:56:00.001-07:00

For month's we've been working on this design. Its been mocked up in a CAD program and scrutinized heavily. Now the speculation is over and the fabrication has begun. There have been a few hurdles along the way but for the most part its coming along very well.

In general, our goal is to have a short-stay long-travel full suspension 29er. We want it built stout with slack angles and as much travel as practical. So far it looks like we will arrive at around 150mm of travel, 440 CS, 13.5" BB height. Our issues so far seem to be stand over height, ISCG mounts, front derailer and tire contact on the ST. Lets see how this things plays out.

Thursday, Adam (HH mechanic) and I are heading out to Angel Fire NM for the 12hr Red Bull "Final Decent" endurance DH race. Nothing like 12hrs of shuttle runs to test a new prototype design! ;)
http://www.hammerheadbikes.com/forum/index.php?topic=1980.0

Scott's Roadie is back from paint

2010-09-18T14:32:00.000-07:00

I just went and picked up Scott Henry's TF road bike from the painter. It turned out really nice. I tried to get an orange that wouldn't look like UT...and everyone agreed it didn't. However once the clear coat was added it changed the color of the Org. Now it looks a bit UT-ish. I do love the Org-White-Blue combo and its finished with a strong Orange Pearl clear that really shines in the sun. Now its back to the shop for final prep: HT badge, ream/face/chase, and frame saver.

Its Official: My TF is for sale

2010-09-12T16:47:00.001-07:00

This could prove to be a good test on how much traffic the TF bike blog actually gets. I've decided to part ways with my new TF bike. So if you are generally 6' to 6'1" and don't want to wait in line for a SS bike with Black Cat sliders....then this could be your chance.

I can't recall off hand all the geo spec's but its got a 24.5" ETT.

http://www.hammerheadbikes.com/forum/index.php?topic=2043.0

Weekly Update

2010-09-09T20:17:00.000-07:00

This week we got Antonio's frame all welded up and the rear disc brake tab welded on. Mo is going to start on the braze-ons and braces tomorrow and it should be ready for powder early next week.

Cody also has a special project for us actually two special projects for us. Here is a taste of the big tubes he has designed into the frame.

It is going to be stiff with lots of travel...

Look what was finished today!

2010-09-03T18:10:00.000-07:00

We've done quite a few theme bikes....Rat Rod, Prisoner Bike and now this Cherry Blossom theme. They are always alot of work and also alot of fun. Its great to see someone's vision come together in a custom bicycle. Here are a few teaser photos from what was completed this afternoon. Enjoy.

Progress on Antonio's 29er

2010-08-30T19:31:00.000-07:00

Although we had to wait for a tube to come in today to make progress on Antonio's frame, we were able to get the front triangle all mitered, in the jig, and then tacked up. Here are shot of it tacked up:

And a close up of the tacked seat tube sleeve. Adding this sleeve strenghten the seat tube top tube joint and makes the frame much easier to ream out for the seat post.

Frame prep and more

2010-08-26T20:02:00.000-07:00

This week we got several frames back from paint and powder for prep before they get built up. First off, Bill curved tube 29er:

Next is Clarie Team 29er:

And then David T's 29er which after a few years was getting a re-powder and paint:

We also got the road bike we were working on last week wrapped up and off to powder:

And finally started on Antonio's 29er:

A few Colorado pics

2010-08-19T06:11:00.001-07:00

Mo and I spent a week in Durango on the mountain bikes hitting all our favorite rides. Nothing like what a week in the mountains will do for you.

Back in the shop

2010-08-17T20:25:00.000-07:00

Mo and Clark are Back in the shop and started on a road bike. Here are some shots of the front triangle and the chain stays. I will get some photos up tomorrow of our trip to Colorado.

A tribute to last year's Durango trip

2010-08-11T20:26:00.000-07:00

Clark and Mo have been in Durango this entire week. They will be returning this weekend. Next up, I will be heading to Durango next Wed for about 4 days of riding. Below are some pics of where they are and where I'll be going. Last year was the 1st year that Clark and I were both on TF bikes. It had been 2 yrs since I last went...and when I was last there summer 06' I was riding my custom Waltworks 29er. My TF had yet to be finished.

I'm going to start with this photo which is my near all-time favorite. It a pic of my Rat Rod at the top of Blackhawk pass around 12k ft. It was a great day, with great friends and riding....its what we do all this for and its what these bikes were made to do.

This is a photo of Clark on the approach up to Blackhawk Pass. I had ridden ahead and then hiked out onto an outcropping to catch a pick of him riding underneath.

This is at Gudy's Rest at the end of the CO Trail. If you've been to Durango, you've prolly been to Gudy's Rest. It was day 1 and I think Mike may have been a bit shell shocked.

This was our last day of riding. We did Hotel Draw--->CO Trail--->Coral draw---Hermosa. It wasn't as big as it sounds. We had about 3.5 hrs of riding that day. It was just a nice exiting loop for the week. Fun times! Can't wait for next week.

Off to Ride

2010-08-05T12:59:00.000-07:00

We had a few frames come back from the painter this week and have worked to get them prepped for Cody to deliver, but Mo and I are headed to Colorado tomorrow for a week of riding the dirt. We will be back in the shop on the 17th.

Quick Update

2010-07-27T19:48:00.000-07:00

Mary Ann's frame is ready to go off to paint, I believe that she is working on a design with Cody. Matt's frame is almost there, all that is left is the brazing the top shock pivot, welding on the lower shock mount, the ISCG tab and then clean-up, but we hope to get that all wrapped up tomorrow. Here are some shots of it's current state tonight.

Antonio your up next, so please get in touch with Cody to finalize the design.

Another Good Week

2010-07-21T20:06:00.000-07:00

Mary Ann start thinking about a powder coat color. Mo was able to get the rear seat stay brace brazed on over the weekend and has made good progress this week cleaning up all the braze ons. We should be ready to send it to powder early next week.

On Matt's frame, I was able to get it all tacked up in the jig, check the alignment, and then get it all weld it up. That is one big head tube, but I don't think it looks too out of place with the size of the down tube and top tube on this frame.

This weekend we plan to lock in the upper pivot, add the bottom shock mount, add the curved seat tube support, and braze on all the braze ons including the ISCG plate.

A good week so far

2010-07-14T19:00:00.000-07:00

Well we made good progress on Mary Ann's bike this week, we got the seat stays mitered and welded on and then got all the braze-on brazed in place, so it is finally close to looking like a complete frame. We have to still to bend and miter a brace for the seatstays, then move on to clean up on all the brazing which does take a bit.

We also got Matt's top tube in the mail and have been able to get his new front triangle with the 44mm head tube all mitered up and ready to tack in the jig.

Weekend Update

2010-07-11T20:01:00.000-07:00

This week while we we waiting for some tubes to come in, I had some new cones made for our frame jig, so that it could accommodate Matt's 44mm headtube. I had to bore them out a little but they eventually fit well.

Mary Ann chose a set of Black Cat dropouts for her 29er frame. After Mo had brazed them to the chain stays. We mitered them at the bottom bracket and I welded them on. Mary Ann's frame is going together well. This week we will bend a pair of seat stays and put them on next.

Happy 4th

2010-07-04T19:50:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates lately, Mo was out last week in Chicago and my day job ate up my week. We got in some 44mm head tube stock to be able to build frame that can use the new tapered forks are our building a new front triangle for Matt who has at 5 inch travel 29er from us. Although we are still waiting on a top tube to come in, we have got everything else mitered and have put the pivots on the seat tube. That is one big tube!

Once the bottom pivot is welded on the seat tube, it needs to be bored out to 15 mm.

Here is a shot of the seat tube with the rear end on. The top pivot is mounted to a sleeve that we will braze in place once we have fit the top tube.

We also worked on Mary Ann's 29er over the weekend and were able to get her front triangle mitered, tacked, and then welded up. Here is a shot of it tacked in the jig.

And then a couple shots of the welded front triangle.

With it being a smallish frame 29er and it designed for a 100 mm travel fork, we are going to add a gusset to the frame to strengthen all that head tube below the down tube. Mo is going to work on cutting the gusset tomorrow.

Last up, Mo has been working on his fillet brazing and has built a stem for his road bike. All we have to do is to cut the slots and then get it to powder.

What could that be??

2010-06-23T19:56:00.001-07:00

Just got his tube in the mail, what could it be??

Thanks Walt!!

Four for Powder

2010-06-20T19:33:00.000-07:00

We got Scott's road frame wrapped up over the weekend and three other frames we have been working on are ready to got to powder this week. Cody is working on a special team paint scheme for these and I can't wait to get them back from powder and then paint.

Hello. . . I'm Mo, and this is my bike

2010-06-16T20:38:00.000-07:00

As followers of this blog have probably noticed, not very many posts are done by people not named "Clark." While this introduction is not necessarily a wind of change, it is, at the very least, to let readers know that there are other people who comprise True Fabrication bicycles. I am one of them. I think now is the time people would usually go into their majors in college or whether they liked long beach walks or river tubing, but I'll just let you you take a guess as to what I enjoy. . . anyway. . .

I haven't been a member of the team for very long, but in the short time that I've worked here I have been able to eek out a personal bike.

Nothing too special about this one, with it's normalish angles and parts spec, but for those who know any of the other TF guys you probably know that they like their top tubes sloping and wheelbases short; in that respect this bike is unique (while a classic-looking bike doesn't fly directly against their chosen aesthetic, it is a friendly jab. . . I just prefer the look of a straight top tube, which is getting harder and harder to find these days). Okay, more pics

One thing that may change for this bike is the fork. . . there's just not enough clearance for me. . . I'd like to be able to fit 28s, and that's not happening with this segmented/sleeved road fork (a first for TF!).

Some things need to be blacked-out (headtube badge, stem faceplate, front derailleur clamp), but overall I couldn't be happier with how the bike came out.

A classic-looking bike deserves classic-looking colors. For me: British Racing Green, Black, and Bronze. . .

Shop-wise Scott's bike just needs some cleanup after USPS dropped of some small parts we had been waiting for. He's getting a Team TF paint scheme along with some other bikes that have been waiting for a paint job. . . more to come.

Weekend Progress

2010-06-13T20:16:00.000-07:00

After a rough week personally for me, I was not able to work this weekend. Mo did get in the shop and braze on the chain stay bridge and the bottle bosses. We will get to the rear break bridge and cable stops next.

More progress on Scott's Road Frame

2010-06-08T20:36:00.000-07:00

On Monday night, I got the dropouts welded to the chain stays and then mitered the stays. Today, Mo put the front triangle in the jig and got the chain stays fitting nicely with the frame. Tonight, I welded on the chain stays and then check the frame for alignment. Next up the seat stays.

Scott's frame progress

2010-06-07T04:38:00.000-07:00

I was out of the shop most of the weekend attending a friend's wedding in Houston, but was able to make some progress on Scott's frame when I got back in town last night. I was able to get almost all of the front triangle welded up (only have inner seat tube/ down tube junction left to weld) and it is going together great.

Here is a shot of the head tube/ down tube weld

Progress on Scott's Road Frame

2010-06-02T21:16:00.000-07:00

Mo worked today and got all the tubes for the front triangle nicely mitered, including a sleeve for the top of the seat tube. I then welded the seat tube bottom bracket junction. We then set up the jig and fine tuned the miters a bit for a good fit. Here is shot of the frame after I tacked it together in the jig:

Here is a shot of the seat tube sleeve:

Bill's Done on to Scott's frame

2010-05-31T20:29:00.000-07:00

Finished up the clean up on Bill's over the weekend and I think it came out great. We should be able to ship it out this week for a special paint scheme that I know Bill is working on.

Up next will be Scott's road frame, which will have a slightly sloping top tube, a pear shaped down tube, a sleeved seat tube, and some new mini paragon Wright dropouts. I pulled all the tubes and prepped them for the build. Mo will start on mitering them tomorrow.

More Clean Up

2010-05-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

I spent most of the day today working on further clean up and shaping of the braces and dropouts on Bill's frame. I was able to get both the seat stay and chain stay braces completely shaped and sanded.

I was also able to get three of the four dropout joints cleaned up. These Black Cat dropout are a really nice setup, but do take a bit more clean up then our typical dropouts.

I also did get the cable guides to run under the top tube in the mail, but did not get a chance to braze them on yet. A little bit more cleanup work this week and the frame should be ready to go to paint. Up next after this frame is a road bike for Scott.

Still cleaning things up

2010-05-18T20:46:00.003-07:00

Still working on clean up on Bill's frame. Here is that side shot you requested Bill:

Clean it up

2010-05-16T18:50:00.000-07:00

Spent this weekend getting all the braze-ons and braces brazed-on Bill's frame. We used 56 silver for all of the braze-ons and Fillet braze-pro to braze in the braces. Except for the three cable guides under the top tube, which we are waiting on from Paragon, all are brazed in place. Now it is time for the clean up, in which we clean off all of the crusty flux, clean up the braze-ons and shape the braces. It is a lot of sandpaper, green scrubby pad, wire brush, and file work. Here are some shots of the clean up in progress.

Bill's frame moving along

2010-05-13T05:28:00.000-07:00

This week we were able to focus on getting the rear end of Bill's frame both mitered and then welded up. Here are some shots of the rear end.

We have braze-ons and braces to work on next for the frame. Bill if you checking this, please get in touch with Cody for a few questions on the braze-ons.

More Andrew road bike pics

2010-05-10T18:52:00.001-07:00

I know these pics are earlier in the build process but I really wanted to show the steel road fork.

Andrew's Road Bike Delivery

2010-05-09T19:07:00.000-07:00

After a good mountain bike ride on Saturday morning, Mo and I spent Saturday afternoon building up Andrew's road bike. Andrew went with a Campy Chorus 11 speed group which is really nice and a custom wheel set built by a friend of his up near Dallas. The bike went together well and Andrew and Anna drove in from College Station on Sunday afternoon to pick it up. Here are some images of it (sorry for the dark photos, it was a rainy Sunday):

With Mother's day this weekend, we did not make much more progress in the shop besides getting Andrew's bike built up. We make it up this week working on Bill's and then I believe start Mary Ann's 29er once the design is approved.

Quick update this week

2010-05-05T20:44:00.000-07:00

Although it took a bit longer then a traditional frame, we got the front triangle all mitered up and welded together this week. While I was welding the frame, Mo was able to braze the Black Cat dropouts on and miter the chain stays. Tonight we set it all back in the jig and tacked on the chain stays. We now have 2/3 of a frame.

Up next for Bill's frame is bending and mitering the seat stays. We also will be building up Andrew's road bike, which he will pick up this weekend.

Weekend Update

2010-05-02T21:15:00.000-07:00

Another busy week for all of us at our day jobs, but we made good progress this week on several things. First, our frame painter needed a good stand to hold bikes while he painted so, with some tubing, a couple items from Park, and a late model Chevy flywheel I put together a stand for him. Here is the flywheel base and height adjust:

The top with Park clamp arm and internal seat tube expanding frame holder.

Complete stand with Andrew's Road frame in it:

I hope it will work well for Taylor. Besides building the stand we were on to working on Bill's frame. Bill's getting a 29er with a new request for us, a curved top tube. If you remember the post from the previous week with Mo bending tubes with our roller bender, well that was our first attempt at bending tubes and we found that although it did bend the tube, it also flattened the tube because we were using rollers that were a little large in diameter. Well then we constructed that large wooden bending curve for our second attempt at bending the curves. Today we mounted that bending curve on a platform and got too bending. Here is the curve mounted on the platform with the strap in place.

Mo with the 1 1/8" .49 4130 tube packed with sand and ready to bend:

After Mo has put all his force into the tube, he is pleased with the smooth, sweet bend on the tube:

While Mo was working on the bending the tubes I was welding up Bill's bottom bracket and seat tube joint:

Here is a close up of the joint:

We then both focused our attention on getting the rest of Bill's tubes mitered and setup in the jig including that curved top tube. Cutting the miters on the top tube was interesting learning experience which took a bit more hand filing to fit then cutting in the mill. Here is a shot of Bill's frame with the tube set in the jig (We still have one more miter to do on the downtube)

With the curved tube in there, I think the frame is going to look great. Next up this week, is to finish that last miter and get Bill's tubes set in the jig for tacking.

Lots of photos in this post, lots of progress made. I will try to get back to more frequent updates this week, if my day job will coorporate.

Weekend Update

2010-04-25T19:49:00.000-07:00

Well this week was quiet as our 9 to 5 jobs got the best of us. Andrew's road frame is at the painter's, Mo's is at the powder coat, and Cody has been working with Bill and Mary on designs for our next two builds. Bill design calls for a curved top tube, so this week we worked on bending tubes. First, we gave a try with a cheep rolling tubing bender and although it was able to bend the tubes, it also ovalized the tube as was run through the rollers. We used the 1 1/2 inch rollers that came with the bender and I will really need to machine up some 1 1/8 inch rollers to prevent the tube from being flattened. Here is a shot of Mo rolling a bend into the tube.

I have also have another method for bending tubes that I want to try, so we picked up some 3/4 inch plywood and so far have been able to construct the wooded base curve to bend the tubes on. It is three layers thick, with a routed groove in the center for the tube to sit in and is based on a 24 inch radius circle. Here are some construction shots:

We still have to add a base plate to the curve, a strap to hold the tube in place and then we will give it a try. I have some straight gauge 4130 on the way and will take some photos of the bending process with it.

Big props to one of our customers, Jackson Smith, who started the Arizona Trail 300 on Friday on his True Fab 29er and is so far doing well in the race. Here is some links to track his progress:

http://www.topofusion.com/azt/race.php
http://trackleaders.com/aztr
http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=eaed8d9e148db62599f8ba34770f7bb0&topic=753.40

Keep on rolling there Jackson, we all are watching your spot tracker go!!

Weekend Update

2010-04-18T16:45:00.000-07:00

While Mo finished the clean up on his road frame, I worked on his fork. First I cut a sleeve for the steerer tube and tack it on.

Then I miter the steerer tube at 6 degrees.

And finally tack on the fork legs which I had mitered earlier in the week.

I then welded the fork legs on and welded caps on the tops of each leg. Here is a shot of the frame and fork. All that is left on the fork is to drill and braze in the brake bolt boss.

We also worked on prepping Travis's frame and all that is left on it is to install the head tube badge.

We should be getting Andrew's frame and fork back from the powder coater tomorrow and then work on prepping it next. This week we plan to try out our new bender and bend some top tubes.

Neopoltian Ice Cream Paint Job

2010-04-15T18:29:00.001-07:00

Today our painter dropped off Travis' geared TF hardtail over here at the Hammerhead Shop. I must say it turned out very nice. The cool thing is that he completely left the color combo for his bike in my hands. Its a rare occasion that a customer says....paint it how you'd like! Thus it made for a fun project. Knowing Travis as well as I do it wasn't too hard to choose something I thought he'd like. It doesn't translate at all in the photos the fact that the diamonds are different colors. They are alternating tan and white. My inspiration for this color scheme was Neapolitan ice cream.

Now we have to do final prep on the frame and put the head tube badge on it. I know this may sound cheesy but its really an honor to make frames for Travis. He and his wife now own a total of 3 TF frames and 1.5 forks. :) Travis will get the joke.

Mo's frame done

2010-04-15T05:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Mo got all the braze-ons done on his frame. He has a little more clean up on it but it is complete.

Here is a shot of the rear end:

I started work on his fork, which is going to be an interesting project. We are going to go sort of uni-crown / semi-segmented , by welding the fork legs directly to the steerer and then cut and cap them like a segmented fork. I was able to braze the front dropouts on and start mitering the legs.

Mo's Road Frame Welded

2010-04-14T05:05:00.001-07:00

Last night I was able to get Mo's seat stays welded on and I think they go well with his choice of chain stays went on the frame.

Today, Mo is going to work on getting all the braze-ons welded on and then we will move on to his fork, a uni-crown road fork that is going to be something new for us to make.

Weekend Update

2010-04-11T20:17:00.000-07:00

We made good progress this weekend on Mo's frame. While I welded up the front triangle Mo mitered the chain stays for the dropouts. I then welded the dropouts to the chain stays and then welded the chain stays to the frame.

Mo is going to go with strait seat stays with his straight chain stays, a very traditional look, and we were able to get them mitered up as well.

The plan is to get the seat stays on this week and then add all the braze-ons as well. By next weekend we should have a frame ready for powder and can get started on the fork. I was able to get some machining done this weekend on a fixture for mitering unicrown forks on our lathe. I was able to cut the t-slots in the base plate and will work on the front axle holder and fork blade blocks next week.

I was able to catch the last few hours of Paris Roubaix this morning online and was impressed by Cancellara just motoring away from everyone with 50k to go.

Andrew's Done - next up Mo's Road bike

2010-04-07T19:33:00.001-07:00

Quick post from this week's progress: Mo finished all the clean up on Andrew's Frame and Fork and it will go to powder tomorrow.

We are next building a traditional level top tube road bike for Mo. He was able to get the front triangle all mitered up today. I was able to weld the seat tube / bottom bracket junction and then get the front triangle all tacked up.

Wrapping up Andrew's frame and fork

2010-04-04T20:05:00.000-07:00

This weekend Mo and I worked on finishing up Andrew's Road frame. On Saturday I mitered up and welded on the seat stays. I also cut and brazed in the rear brake bridge.

Here is a shot of the frame and fork without the braze-ons yet.

Today, Mo brazed in all the cable stops and water bottle braze-ons. All we have it a little more clean up on both the frame and the fork and it is ready to go to the powder coater.

Andrew, please let Cody know your color =).

2/3rds a Road Frame

2010-03-31T20:50:00.000-07:00

Tonight was all about the chain stays. First, I mitered the dropout ends and welded the dropouts on to the stays. Then, I cut the stays at the bottom bracket end on the mill.

I set the front triangle and the chain stays back in the jig for tacking and then after an alignment check of the rear end, on to welding the chain stays on.

And then we have 2/3 of a complete frame.

Seat stays are next and I am thinking on bending up a special set of seat stays for this frame.

Andrew's Front Triangle Welded

2010-03-29T19:33:00.000-07:00

24 hours and a tank of Argon, and Andrew's front triangle is complete. First after tacking the frame in the jig, I check the alignment and mark the welding sequence on the frame.

Then on to welding it up...

A close up of the head tube welds.

And of the tricky pear-shaped down tube and bottom bracket joint.

And we have a welded front triangle.

The chain stays and seat stays will come in tomorrow and I will get started on the rear end.

Weekend Update - Andrew's Road Frame

2010-03-28T19:01:00.000-07:00

Mo got the fork brazed together during the week and all that is left on it is some clean up, drilling the brake bolt hole, and then facing the crown race.

I worked on the front triangle today by first tacking and then welding up the seat tube / bottom bracket junction. I am pleased how it came together.

I then worked on mitering up the rest of the tubes for the front triangle. On Andrew's frame we are using a pear shaped down tube from Columbus, which will ride great, but takes a bit longer then a round tube to miter and fit. After mitering and cleaning up the tubes, I then drilled the water bottle boss holes and then put everything back in the jig to tack it.

I was able to get the front triangle tacked together, but was too low on argon to start welding it up. I will pick some up tomorrow and work on welding it up this week.

Three complete and ready for powder

2010-03-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

Mo finishing filing on the brace for Cody's single speed.

And tonight we cut the seat tube slots for each of the frames two SS and Claire's geared 29er. All are ready for powder and paint. All three will get a new True Fab team paint scheme which Cody is working on the design.

I am really pleased with how the three curvy rear ends came out with there braces.

Here is an image of the materials for a new special project that I am going to be working on. I let you guess what it is going to be.

Next up we start cutting tube for Andrew's Road Bike tomorrow and we also should be getting Travis' geared 29er back from the powder coater soon as well.

File, File, File, Sand, Sand

2010-03-17T20:21:00.000-07:00

Just plenty of clean up in the shop this week on the three frames, making dropouts go from this:

To this:

We also were able to get the two braces brazed in on Claire's frame.

The seatstay bridge:

The disc tab brace:

Continued brace and braze-on clean up planned through the weekend, oh what fun =)

Busy Weekend

2010-03-15T05:48:00.000-07:00

We were busy in the shop over the weekend with Mo, Cody and myself all working in the shop on three frames. Two single speed 29er hard tails with Black Cat Swinger dropouts.

We brazed these dropouts in place and still have plenty of clean up to do on both frames.

Here is a view from the rear of the frames.

And here are the forks for the frames which I worked on cleaning up the tops of each

We also got all the braze-ons done on Claire's 29er

But still have the braces to braze in and then clean up. Cody also met with Anna and Andrew for a ride, to work on the design for Andrew's new road bike which is up next.

And so we begin

2010-03-14T07:12:00.000-07:00

Although we are part-time builders, we do work in the shop every week. I hope to keep this blog updated with our current build queue and the weekly progress on frames from the shop.