Wednesday, April 20, 2011

From the drafting table to the CAD !!!!


Well, I made the jump from my 3oo year old drafting table to the modern world, kicking and screaming the whole way!!! Now I can't believe it took me so long, how did I live without this for so long. There is a painful transition for an old timer like me , but I am glad that I did it. The reason to do it is of course to make me more productive and make the communication between me and my customers better. At this point looking back , I can't believe that I used to send a set of numbers to my customers and they had to convey that into something that they could understand, and now the customer gets a complete picture with all of the information they could possibly need in a clear picture of the bike that I am going to build! Shown in the photo above is the shop version of the drawing , giving me just the information I need to build the bike, the customers version is a complete bike with the components selected. So far it has been very helpful!
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The Jesse, 29er.....


New 1" stays with room for the big tires! More photos to come.....
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Saturday, April 16, 2011

Horsing Around!

Horsing around and having some fun. Daniel and I did a fun job for our two little neighbors Amanda and Naomi. They have really gotten into the art of vaulting, quite something to see the 40 and 60 pound tiny little girls get on real horses and do their vaulting routine! The girls asked if I could make them a practice vaulting barrel and I said yes, how can you say no to my little friends that we have known since they were born! Anyway, it took much longer than I anticipated and thanks to Daniel making a big push with me to get it done for the girls we got it done! Even though it was not a paying job, the reward of seeing the smiles on their face when it was done was worth more than money could buy! In the photo Daniel is having some fun riding the wild , out of control vaulting barrel while trying to rope Cowboy no doubt!
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Nice 29er with Type II Fork!

One of my favorite bikes to build! The 29er with the Type II Fork. Light , strong and precise handling!
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Enjoying His Work!

A photo of my oldest son Daniel, he really enjoys his work and loves to learn new skills! He works for me when he is off from college and it is great to have his help! He can take on new projects faster than I can keep them coming! I would say that is a good problem to have !
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The Hardinge!

This is one of my favorite lathes in the shop. I bought it about 27 years ago and rebuilt it. It made thousands of little parts for the early days of WTB component making. I also have fond memories of my Dad operating it when I was still working out of my little garage in Mill Valley years ago. It was great to have my Dads company at work, something I really miss. Yep, those were the good old days, just as these are also making great memories with my sons!
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Teaching My Sons the Trade!

It's a great feeling to have your sons ask you to teach them something new! Shown here is Daniel, my oldest son, running the old Hardinge DSM-59 Second operation lathe. The nicest little lathe before CNC modern lathes. He is making a special water bottle mount I use out of titanium.
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Sunday, April 03, 2011

Thanks Mike Varley!!!


Mike is the owner of Black Mountain Cycles here in Point Reyes Station , California. Mike was the product manager for Haro Bicycles for about 13 years and decided to change his career path and follow his dream of having his own shop. I have watched Mike since he started here in our little town and am very impressed to see the growth in his business. With all of the things that it takes to make a business successful, the one that stands out the most is Mikes character, he is one of the most hard working, honest people I know , and a super nice person! Mike has been building up all of my complete full bike builds for my customers and has really helped out and all of my customers are really happy to have such competent help from Mike. The photo shown is Mike with his family dog " Sport". Check out Mikes Black Mountain Cycles blog: http://blackmountaincycles.blogspot.com/ Thanks again Mike, Steve.