Friday to Monday, all mixed up :)

Well, I got quite a surprise this morning when I logged on to check the email. Things have been pretty quiet on the email front the last 2 weeks, with only a couple dribbling in here and there. Normally, I have to spend around 3 hours a day responding to peoples inquiries, so the ebbing of the tide was a bit unusual. Today I found out why.

Seems there's been a problem with the server and today it delivered 270 emails from the last two weeks in one fell swoop...OUCH!

I'll be nibbling away at them the next couple of days...

Flashing back in time, let's look at what I did Friday. I broke out the cleaning supplies, made everything sparkle around the welding table, and got to work on churning out the last of the TI LUVS...

Titanium is a finicky material, requiring extremely anal tendencies for cleanliness, proper gas coverage, and heat control, so I insure that the entire shop gets a good sweeping, dusting, and final wipe before I begin to mold the bars together.


I strive for no color to a slight straw shading...I'd love an ultrasonic cleaner to help with this, but the submersible transducers are big money and quite the hurdle to building my own tank. Here I've tacked up a bar getting ready for laying a bead...


Despite the appearance standard pressed by the cycling market for perfect pulsed beads, I just can not get into the groove of using the pulser on the bars, especially as the heat input needs to change considerably as the contour of the joint changes, soaking up or pushing out the heat. So, I'll just keep tapping in the filler to make my weld puddles as evenly as I can with a one pass technique.

Sunday and today, I worked on finishing up some last details on some frames so I can move them to paint; reaming the seat tubes, tapping out the bottom bracket and bottle bosses, and blasting them in the cabinet to remove all the ickies from fabrication and prepare the base for primer application.

Here's Chris's road frame with the tap in place...

My Park taps have been through hundreds of frames and are still very sharp and true...a result of proper care, lots of cutting fluid, and careful alignment during use. Remember, the the LH (left hand) and RH (right hand) stamps on the taps refer to the direction of the thread, not the side of the bottom bracket they go into ;) There's been more than a few new mechanics who have ruined a frame with that little mistake.

I updated the paint prep area a bit...new shelf, counter top and cabinet bases. It's a lot more organized and user friendly now.

Chris's road frame, blasted and ready for primer...

and a box full of primered goodies, ready for some 500 degree heat to bake it tight...

Finally, I made a quick video of how I ream my seat tubes. A simple procedure, but it's always nice to look inside at how others do things, enjoy!

Lot's of bars shipping out tomorrow, keep your eyes on the mail the next couple of days.

cheers,

rody

Quick update tonight for y'all...

I replaced the tool post on the lathe today to increase my efficiency and make my life a bit easier. The tool post uses wedge style tool holders allowing for quick exchanges dependant on the process needs.

The post comes in a generic form and various pieces need to be machined to fit each individual machine it will be mounted on.

So, I had some time in machining the base plate on the main post...

and in cutting an angled slot of greater dimensions to accept the parting tool I choose to use...

Not eye catching or very compelling reading, but necessary all the same ;)

Oh, I also pushed out another 10 bars... ready for paint!

On to other matters...

the mental toll of the build list, not being able to keep up with my personal timetable, and little time for actually living the last three years have been pushing me towards an inevitable decision to begin to streamline the business. I absolutely hate having to tell folks that the item they are interested in commissioning may take close to two years before I can begin to fabricate it and honestly, I can't cram anymore into a day.

So, I'll be thinking on this in the coming weeks. I'd be disappointed to discontinue any of the services/products that I offer as I really enjoy diverse styles and types of fabrication and restorations on the classic bikes. I don't know, just thinking out loud here. If anyone has an epiphany, pass it on :)

HOT ROD info...

I spoke with Bill yesterday and some cranks are ready to go to heat treatment with an anticipated turn around of 3 weeks...the time table sucks but that's the price for such a complex piece of equipment.

How complex? Well the spindles, chainring buck, pedal inserts, tri-coidal polygons with integrated pinch clamps all are CNC machined by outside contractors. Back in house, the arms are cut, ovalized, drilled for the chainring buck, milled for the tapered ends, and then mitered on both ends (one for the pedal and one for the crank spindle). The tapered plates are rough cut, stacked, tack welded, and then the whole pile machined into the final shape. Once all the pieces are at the party, it is all fit into a fixture and welded up. The fabricated cranks are then sent for heat treatment, black oxidization for the spindle, and then back to the shop for paint.

Once you start to look at all the process steps, you begin to appreciate why the start up time on a new product such as this is soooo long.

That's what I know for now...I've got a few projects sitting around waiting on cranks as well, so I can feel your pain, but I do have confidence that all the anguish on both ends will be worth it in the end.

Eric L...I've been holding off on your paint for the cranks but am at a point where I'm inclined to finish up the build, throw an XT crank on for now, and get it to you so it can be enjoyed. Let me know your thoughts, please.

I'm off to bed before it all starts again in a few short hours...here's to hoping that Goyo's brass cable tubing comes in before the end of the week (fingers crossed).

cheers,

rody

Goyo's fantastic Monday...

Evening folks,

This morning I started the day finishing up the final details on the phone with Goyo for his Groovy 650b single speed.

Goyo is a prolific cyclist and retail shop owner in the Philippines and is ready to try out the new wheel size in a frame that will serve primarily as a single speed but also have geared capabilities if the mood strikes. So, to accomplish the short laundry list of desires, we're building up the frame with Paragon sliders that can easily accommodate differing dropout plates and chain tensioning duties, and we will be using internal cable routing to keep the visual lines as clean as possible when not hanging gears and cables all over it :)

Goyo's terrain is a bit more open and fast running than what we have here in the mid-east, so I'm changing up the geometry a bit to create a fast flowing ride for him; a bit slacker head angle, lower bottom bracket, and a tiny bit tighter rear end for the standing climbing that is such an integral part of single speeding.

With the build ironed out, it's off to the shelves to select the tubing...


and then to set up the fixture.


For the second day in a row, I've fallen prey to the metal monster, this time slicing a vertical incision in my thumb. Here's a shot of the gore and the top tube being cut, all in one fell swoop.


Ahhh yep, that's blood on them thar tubes...I'll decontaminate it before painting, I promise ;)

and just like that, the front triangle is all mitered up. The front end on this bike will be using a Fox 100fx fork that is typically used on 26" wheeled frames. Fortunately for us, it will carry a 650b quite nicely and allow for more travel with less front end height when contrasted to a fork such as the White Brothers Magic 100 for 650b's...an attribute that is important for building big wheeled bikes for smaller proportioned folks.


With the front mitered up, it was on to the backside of the frame. Here I've measured out the layout for the chainstays, with the tire location, dropout intersect and the 10mm insert length all marked out.

Even with all the fun power tools in the shop, there are still some things better done by hand...


Once the stays are cut to length, I use a double slitting saw with a custom center shim to create a slot with just the right width in the end of the stay...

into the fixture it goes for welding...

Once mitered and back into the frame fixture, it's starting to look like a bike :)

Next up to the plate are the seat stays...laying it out loosely on the set up table...

One mitered for the dropout, one ready to go to the mill...

in the fixture for cutting the seat tube miter...

The mill table's perspective of the cutter doing it's job...

and finally, fit into place. I worked steadily today to get all the pieces mitered and fit with perfection. As the internal guides were a last minute decision, as fate would have it, I'm one piece of brass tubing short, so I'll have to wait a few days for more supplies before welding it all up :(

With a couple of hours of shop time left, I prepped up some more grip sections for the moly Luv Handles...always trying to fit in as much productivity as I can.

I'm beat, so that's it for tonight. I'm at the FD tomorrow and then back in the shop on Wednesday, when I hope to be laying down some paint on three frames.

Hope to see you stopping by then,

rody

PS...I've really enjoyed the "Follow this blog" registrants, it's really cool to see who is tuning in and what a diverse group of folks there are sharing this time together. If you are a regular reader, please take time to register and follow along so we can all enjoy meeting you too.

A little Sunday Brunch...

Ohhh, that's nice! Yep, took advantage of having one less kid in the house, a snowy Sunday morning, and too many days getting up before dawn and indulged in sleeping late :)

Had the dog not been barking at 0730ish, I'm sure I could have kept on going.

So, super refreshed and ready to meet the day, it was off to the shop.

The goal today was to get that darned belt drive project out of the fixture so I can move on to customer needs.

First order of business was to get the rear end brazed up and finished so that I could get it welded up to the front triangle. The chainstays are a non-tapering .75" x .035" stock, and due to the large size, get a cap rather than filled with bronze. The seat stays, however, take the filler with casual ease, so off we go...

Although I've only got two hands, I did my best to get an "action" shot ;)

I put a nice amount of brass into the dropout, so that it is a sturdy connection ready for years of abuse and after air cooling, it's off to the soak tank to remove the now glassy flux.

After all the flux is soaked off, I scrub the parts clean with a Scotchbrite, file in a scallop on both sides of the seat stay/dropout connection, and put it all back in the fixture to weld up.

Oops, you must have blinked...because the rear end is now all welded up and the frame is ready for alignment checks. I'm a firm believer in constructing the frame all in the fixture and using a welding sequence that disperses the heat across the frame in subtle movements, both working in a synergistic relationship to produce a piece that needs little if any post fabrication alignment.

Here's a shot of the rear end, checking the dropouts for correct position. Everything is dead nuts right out of the fixture, so no cold setting that will cause the material to yield need take place. That's what I want.

While the rear end was cooling, soaking, and generally burning up the clock, I went ahead and got the headbadge holes prepped.

I first laid out the correct position for the pilot holes and then tapped them gently with a punch to allow for drilling without the bit wandering all over the place.

Then I use a tiny drill bit with a dab of cutting fluid on the tip and drill away.

Finally, fitting up the head badge to insure all will line up correctly.

One detraction to working in an environment with lots of sharp/hot/dangerous materials around is that you'll eventually get bit by the dog you are playing with.

Today, I made a rookie mistake of resting my arm on the frame/fixture while answering a phone call...OUCH!

I got a pretty good burn on my wrist for my careless non-chalante attitude. This baby blistered up this evening...gonna have to wrap it up before working in the shop tomorrow.

See y'all tomorrow,

rody

Groovy is growing...

The week did not progress as I anticipated, not a bad thing though.

With the changes in occupancy in the front of the building, so too are some changes to my space.

The bad news...my rent went up a bit...typical of today's tougher economy.

The good news...I gained another 600 square foot of space for Groovy to expand into.

So, I spent three days cleaning out and prepping the new space; I filled two dumpsters full of trash and worthless items left behind, tracked down and removed over 600 feet of outdated wiring, plumbing, and air lines that were unusable or outdated, rewired the electrical panel for the changes, and prepared for installing a new exterior door, wiring, and drywall.

The highlight of the work was taking a 300 pound 1960's era heater off of the 12' high ceiling by myself. It was the pinnacle of hillbilly engineering...I had ropes strung everywhere as safetys, standing on an upside down 55 gallon drum to reach the lag bolts in the ceiling and delicately turning out the last bolt as I tried to support the hulking beast. End result, the heater is gone, I successfully stayed out of the Emergency Room, and nothing crashed to the floor :)

I would have taken a pic, but honestly, it was too gheto to leave behind any evidence if something went wrong ;)

Here's a quick shot looking into the space from my current shop...

The new space will house a designated mechanic's / assembly area, a carpeted/finished section for fit and measuring, a shipping and packing area, a nice two level bike rack for demo's to reside and some generous storage area for everything from the show booth to long term resto projects
.

Outside of that work, I also got 40 bars (some steel, some Ti) ready to pack and ship out on Monday, and worked up the rear end on the belt drive project using the new stays.

The custom bent stays that Deddachai made for me have just the right amount of spacing for my building and design style...tight fast back connection on the seat tube, short rear triangles, and a nice tapering tube from 19mm down to 12.5mm giving lots of eye catching shapes to gaze over.

That's it for now...going to go change smoke detector batteries for the elderly, attend my son's swim meet, and get to some email tonight.

cheers,

rody

Designing for the belt drive system...

Laying out the frame tends to be done differently by the diverse group we call frame builders; everything from full sized blueprints that you can literally lay the actual frame upon to those that just "know" what they need and build from the cuff. I tend to fall somewhere in between.

I never use prints anymore, instead using the information I get from my info sheets and converstations from the customer to formulate a plan, then jot my numbers down on a sheet of paper, tape it to the fixture and go.

However, I will lay out the rear end of the bike if it causes me to pause or diverts from the norm in some way. The belt drive components required this.

If you take a look at the components, the sizes of the chainwheel and the rear "cog" are much larger than a typical chain driven single speed set up. Part of the reason for this is that the belt gains much of it's strength from the increased surface area of the larger tooth interface and wrap as evidenced below.

The issue for my consideration is that I like to build my single speed rigs with tight geometry for the technical trail work that is found in the North East...that means short stays for quick maneuvering and stuck to the earth traction for climbing. With the larger chainwheel that is 4 times as wide as the typical chain toothed jobby, 650b wheel, and the round bendy chainstay, it'll take some unconventional fabrication to fit it all in.

So...I began by laying out the rear end on the ground work table. Bottom bracket on the top, dropouts at the bottom, arc for the tire, all drawn to size.

Once the rear end is all mapped out, the next order of business is to determine exactly where the chainwheel will sit. I busted out the Shimano Tech book to look at the distance from the center of the bottom bracket laterally and towards the rear wheel, plotting the intersect line where the inside edge of the chainwheel will sit once installed.

The point is diagramed in the lower right side of the photo below, just to the right of the tire arc.

and looking down at the chainwheel as it sits on the table diagram...

Now that I know where the chainwheel will reside, I lay the stays back down on the diagram to determine how much interferance there will be...let's keep out fingers crossed.

Dang, the heavens did not align this time :( Looks like we'll have to get creative.

As you can see, we need more space than a mere dimple will provide, so off to the mill I go. Through the magic of the internet, I've milled out a section of the stay, cut out a curved piece of tubing to fit in, and welded it in place. A much stronger and elegant solution than just crimping in the tubing.

So, here's a pic of the stay mocked up on the jig. The concave piece will allow the chainwheel to pass easily by without any interferance.

And the stay with the concave mod and the coupler in place...

Lot's to think about when building up some bike love...til tomorrow,

rody