stevepottsbicycles

Type II Forks in Production!

2012-02-14T12:01:00.000-08:00

It has taken a lot more time that I wanted to overcome the challenges of the new Type II Forks, but with all new tooling , they are better than ever! More to come.

New Custom Titanium Stems !

2012-02-06T21:52:00.000-08:00

Yep! Custom rise and reach available, made by you know who.......

Titanium Stem

2011-12-09T09:21:00.000-08:00

I just had my friend , Todd, photograph my new titanium stem. He is an incredible artist and photographer and it sure beats my pocket camera! Thanks Todd!

New Road Frame

2011-12-09T09:15:00.000-08:00

New road frame bound for the mid-west ! Beautiful day here in Point Reyes!

Cable Guide Detail

2011-12-09T09:13:00.000-08:00

Cable detail on new road frame.

Road Frame

2011-12-09T09:10:00.000-08:00

Road frame chainstay detail.

Restoration Time Again!

2011-11-20T20:34:00.000-08:00

My friend Kurt brought me another fixer upper to help with. He took a pretty beat up trick bike, ( a collectors item in the trick bike world) , and we spent some time replacing the broken seat tube, had some fun fixing it up and here it is! Kurt really puts his heart in his projects and it is fun to see the finished bikes!

Open Heart Surgery, ( on the bike of course)

2011-11-20T20:29:00.000-08:00

Photo shows the broken seat tube, and the finished restored frame. Definetely one of the harder tubes to replace!

Friedrichshafen, Germany !

2011-10-20T08:59:00.000-07:00

My old friend Butch Gaudy, one of the early European Mountain Bikes shop owners just sent this photo to me from the Eurobike Show in Friedrichshafen , Germany. While walking the show he noticed a gentleman wearing a Steve Potts T-Shirt and he talked with him to check it out and asked if he could take a photo . He said the gentleman screen printed it himself. Pretty nice job ! Thanks Butch.

Nice Pair of 29er's !

2011-10-15T13:19:00.000-07:00

One of these will call it's new home in New York, and the other will live in the UK. Happy trails !

The Old Days Again !

2011-10-14T11:48:00.000-07:00

Well, it's a bit overwhelming, but I'm enjoying making more of my own products these days. Working alone just means I have to be more organized to make it all happen, hopefully this might make up for the shear energy that use to carry me through in my younger days of building bikes! More to come !

New Custom Titanium Stems !

2011-10-14T11:41:00.000-07:00

Over my long career of building bikes, I have built my share of custom stems, both out of steel and titanium. I am really excited to be building my new titanium stems with the help of my friend Mark Norstad of Paragon machine works. Mark builds the finest titanium bicycle parts available in the world , really! He machines both ends of the stem and the cap. These stems are built totally different than any stem I have built before, and maybe no one else has ever built stems this way. The entire stem is water cooled during the entire welding process, along with the argon purging, This actually allows a much better welding joint and totally minimizes any welding distortion, which is the main reason I did this. It is crucial to have perfectly round clamps for the steer tube and the handle bar. Any distortion could be the beginning of the end for a carbon bar or steer tube, so perfectly round is good! More stories on the stem to come, thanks !

S@S Coupler on the finished frame!

2011-10-08T21:30:00.000-07:00

I really ennjoy building this type of bike, they are so functional and practical !

S@S Coupler

2011-10-08T21:22:00.000-07:00

A close up of the finished S@S Coupler, with the weld visible.

S@S Couplings, Travel Bike

2011-09-29T19:02:00.000-07:00

Shown is the S@S coupling being machined to fit the top tube , and down tube, for a nice road travel bike. This is an important process that insures that the proper interference fit between the tube and the coupler is done correctly to make the joint is as strong as possible. Machined properly also insures that the tubes are concentric with each other to insure proper alignment of the frame. More to come!

Road / Travel Frame

2011-09-29T18:54:00.000-07:00

This is the down tube and top tube shown with the S@S couplings pressed together after cleaning. They are checked for concentricity before the final welding. Here they are shown with the build rings, which will keep them together until the bike is completely finished at which time the finished couplings will be put on .

29er Set Up For Fox 29 Fork

2011-09-29T18:48:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while a make a 29er without a Type II Fork! Nice bike!!

29er Hardtail..

2011-09-29T18:44:00.000-07:00

29er with the 1 " stays, nice riding !

Built Up 29er

2011-09-10T13:52:00.000-07:00

Another nice 29er built up by Mike at Black Mountain Cycles! Turned out nice!

You Will Never Guess!

2011-09-07T19:32:00.000-07:00

I actually do make other bikes than the 29er with the Type II Fork. Some road, cross, and travel bikes up next , and then of course more 29er's with Type II Forks!

A Little Blue !

2011-09-07T19:27:00.000-07:00

I have always used the traditional black and silver decals but decided to try something new for one of my customers request !

A Simple Task!

2011-09-03T17:39:00.000-07:00

Even the simplest task can be complicated, putting on the Roller Cam brake studs for instance. Many hours designing and many more hours of building an accurate fixture helps. There are several critical dimensions and angles that have to be perfect for the brake to work properly. Shown is an old fixture that I made many years ago and I am grateful that I have it when needed! I have drawers full of fixtures that are used for every step of the way when I build a frame, fork , or stem. There are so many fixtures that I have forgotten what some of them were even used for!

A Rare Sight !

2011-09-03T17:28:00.000-07:00

A pair of Roller Cam brake studs on a 29er, mounted on the chain stay. Only a few riders out there have this set up going on!

Welding Gloves

2011-09-03T17:22:00.000-07:00

You would think I would just go down to the local hardware store and buy some cotton gloves for welding titanium. Well, I go through hundreds of pairs of these to insure that the frame and welding rod is kept clean from any contaminants, including just the natural body oils on your skin. And yes, if I got them at the hardware store I would go broke. I usually buy a few hundred at a time and I drive a pretty hard bargain! Well that 's all for keeping things clean here.

My Favorite Build!

2011-08-31T09:11:00.000-07:00

You have seen them before, but it is still my favorite build! 29er with a Type II Fork.

A Couple of Classics!

2011-08-01T23:03:00.000-07:00

It doesn't get much better, I mean, as classics go! An old Cunningham Indian, and a Steve Potts Steelhead! I made 12 Steelheads about 20 years ago for " The Wrecking Crew" . Great guys, all 6'2", all hammers and great singletrack riders! They all got together and ordered the 12 bikes at once,,,,, man , those were the good old days. I miss those days and all of the guys,,, but I'm sure most of them now have families and are making great memories with their families now , and I'm sure, telling stories to their kids how much fun they had on their bikes back when they were " The Wrecking Crew". Thanks Geoff for bringing over the oldies!

Nice Restoration !

2011-08-01T22:51:00.000-07:00

My friend Kurt did a wonderful restoration on this bike I built about 30 years ago. It's really a lot of fun to help out someone like Kurt, he really appreciates the work that goes into these old bikes! Thanks for keeping the classics rolling!

An "Oldie" !

2011-08-01T22:41:00.000-07:00

Not the nice gentleman , Nik, in the photo, the bike is the old one! Nik made a visit to have me put on new decals on a bike I made approximately 27 years ago. He did a great job of getting all the old parts together to put this one together. A big thanks to Nik for making it up here and a big thanks to Geoff for showing Nik around, also had a great time having lunch with all the guys over at Black Mountain Cycles with Mike Varley!

Type II Crown Detail

2011-08-01T22:31:00.000-07:00

Crown details with the Sky Blue decal!

Type II's for 29er's

2011-08-01T22:25:00.000-07:00

My Titanium 29er with the Type II Fork is one of the best performing and popular bikes that I build! It is also one of my favorite bikes to build ! Complete frame and fork photos following shortly!

Cowboys New Friends!

2011-07-18T09:22:00.000-07:00

This was definetely the highlight of my day! This photo was taken at the Big Whoopdidoo "bike swape, bike show " in Petaluma at Bruce Gordons shop. Cowboy received at the request of his two sweet little girlfriends , a custom made " Cowboy" ( see the engraving) tempurpedic leather doggy bed! He loves it! This was hand made by the Renazco family shown above. They run a custom motorcycle seat company in Santa Rosa and their work is just beautiful! Setting aside all of the material things, I was most impressed with this family, all the love and care that these parents have for their family shines brite through these two wonderful little girls!!!
We all thank you , most of all Cowboy!!!!!!!

Finishing Up the Bow Ti!

2011-06-08T21:29:00.000-07:00

It really is fun to finish up a complicated build like this. Both John Castellano and I continue to learn new things as we go through the build process. Like I said in an earlier post, the learning never stops!

After Glass Bead Blasting

2011-06-08T21:24:00.000-07:00

The Bow Ti will now go over to John's for the final testing and documenting of the bikes mechanical properties, and the final details before shipping.

My Favorite Build!

2011-06-06T15:28:00.000-07:00

Another 29er, Type II Fork, one of my favorites to build! Thanks to all of you that appreciate these machines!

Type II Fork Detail

2011-06-06T15:26:00.000-07:00

Fork tip details.......

Another Weld Detail !

2011-06-06T15:24:00.000-07:00

Working everyday to to try to have some control over the welder, it is an everyday challenge to strive to master the art of welding titanium! Always something to learn. I think the person that that says he has mastered something might have something to learn. Every weld I make I examine and am always looking at ways to make it better! Well, I guess with all of that said, I will never master the art of welding, but hopefully come really close before my days are done !

Disc , Drop Out Detail

2011-06-06T15:03:00.000-07:00

Lot's going on in this area !

Disc Tab Detail

2011-06-06T15:01:00.000-07:00

Sculpting the weld , welding from thick to thin is challenging !

More Fun With John Castellano!

2011-06-01T09:38:00.000-07:00

Just having some more fun building a pivotless 5" suspension Bow Ti with my friend John Castellano!

I thought Mike was pretty tall!

2011-06-01T09:32:00.000-07:00

Just finished a 29er hard tail for Brian, the tall guy on the left! Thanks again Mike for the beautiful build and attention to the details and taking great care of Brian through the build process! Happy trails Brian !

One Tall Guy!

2011-05-27T07:11:00.000-07:00

Thanks Jesse, these are definetely my favorite bikes to build! Super functional, single speed or geared , 29er with the Type II fork ! This bike will have it's new home in the Colorado Mountains! Great place, great people, and great riding!

BB Detail

2011-05-27T07:05:00.000-07:00

Lots of welding going on here !

Slider Detail

2011-05-27T07:02:00.000-07:00

Just finished a 29er that will be a single speed and a geared bike, depending on how strong the rider is feeling these days! Nothing like a single speed( or fixie) to get you in shape fast.

My Life Long Friend, John O'Conner !

2011-05-04T22:40:00.000-07:00

Well , where do I start? In the photo is me and my life long friend John O'Conner also shown with the first bike I built with John almost 32 years ago. This bike was also built for John , which he has enjoyed for many years! Even though I was rewelding and putting together my version of mountain bikes back at Tamalpais High School with old Schwinns, Roll Fast, Elgin, etc, in 1967 in my machine shop class, this is the first bike I built from scratch with John, so it is really the first of the Steve Potts Bikes of many more to come and hopefully many more in the future. I was the youngest in my big family and lost my Mom at the age of 8 years old, and the O'conner family helped take care of me and helped form me into the person I am now. I grew up with John and Cela's boys , Boone and Ed, worked for John doing sheet metal work starting at 12 years old with his sons also. John taught me how to layout complicated sheet metal shapes , solder , hang gutter, install heating and air conditioning units, do intricate copper and stainless work, and basically have a hard working ethic. I have a mountain of great family memories with John and Cela, from all the work , diving, falling off of ladders, learning about life and loyal wonderful friendships. John's wife , Cela, also helped deliver both of my son's ,Daniel and Brennan. I'm sure I could write a book about all of the great memories I have with the O'Conner family, but for now I will Just say that I am happy and very fortunate to have such a great friend as John and it is really fitting that he has the first Steve Potts Bike! Thanks John! Your friend always, Steve.

The Proper Purging of the Slider Drop Out

2011-05-02T16:09:00.000-07:00

Of all the procedures that it takes to properly weld the titanium frame, purging with Argon is one of the most important processes that is really important to have right. Shown is the rear slider drop out, kind of a hard shape to purge correctly, but it is either right or you don't have the best results that you can have.

Tight Miters are a Must

2011-05-02T16:02:00.000-07:00

Tight miters are a must for the fusion weld ( welding without any welding rod) for the first pass. I am again building one of my favorite bikes, a titanium 29er with a Type II Fork!

From the drafting table to the CAD !!!!

2011-04-20T11:38:00.000-07:00

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!

The Jesse, 29er.....

2011-04-20T11:22:00.000-07:00

New 1" stays with room for the big tires! More photos to come.....

Horsing Around!

2011-04-16T21:07:00.000-07:00

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!

Nice 29er with Type II Fork!

2011-04-16T20:51:00.000-07:00

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

Enjoying His Work!

2011-04-16T08:44:00.000-07:00

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 !

The Hardinge!

2011-04-16T08:37:00.000-07:00

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!

Teaching My Sons the Trade!

2011-04-16T08:26:00.000-07:00

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.

Thanks Mike Varley!!!

2011-04-03T20:45:00.000-07:00

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.

Silk Ti's....

2011-02-19T09:54:00.000-08:00

John Castellano and I built couple of new Silk Ti's this week. Things go a little faster with some good help!

Classic Titanium Bars

2011-02-02T10:28:00.000-08:00

I got to make some classic titanium bars and shims for a friend of mine. These bars have a great feel to them and have always been my favorite. I used to make a lot of these at a time and was just reminded how long they take to make. Where does the time go?

Thanks Antonio!

2011-01-19T13:24:00.000-08:00

I had a nice surprise today! I just received several photos from Antonio in Spain. I had the pleasure of building his new Titanium 29er with a Type II Fork. The photos are beautiful and would make anyone want to go to Spain to ride in the beautiful mountains that they have there! Antonio tells me he was born in the village below, shown in this photo. If I ever make time to get out of the shop and travel, you can bet that I will be visiting Antonio and his family! Thanks again Antonio, Steve.

Side View of the 29er

2011-01-19T13:16:00.000-08:00

Nice photos from Antonio showing the Titanium 29er with the Type II Fork !

Top View of the 29er

2011-01-19T13:13:00.000-08:00

A nice top view of Antonio's 29er!

Trees with Character!

2011-01-19T13:10:00.000-08:00

And a nice 29er to ride the beautiful mountains in Spain!

My Trusty Friend and Helper!

2010-12-29T09:11:00.000-08:00

Cowboy says Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and he says he is really enjoying helping me build bikes! Thanks Cowboy!

Tight Spot To Weld !

2010-12-17T21:03:00.000-08:00

This photo is taken right after welding . You almost have to be a contortion artist to get in the tight places to weld the frame while maintaining continuety in the weld joint itself. A lot is going on in these tight places during the welding process!

Essential Connections!

2010-12-17T20:54:00.000-08:00

As with the seat tube to bottom bracket connection, it is alway important to have the tube that is under the most severe load be completely welded to the next tube when tubes overlap, or are a tight fit as this head tube junction is. As you can see, the down tube is completely fusion welded before the head tube is installed into the fixture. This is to insure that there is no break in the weld between the head tube, down tube and the head tube and makes for stronger more reliable bike. I choose the down tube to do this over the top tube because it is under a lot more load than the top tube.

Road Fork.

2010-12-17T20:43:00.000-08:00

Finished fork , glass bead blasted before paint.

Road Fork Detail

2010-12-17T20:41:00.000-08:00

Road fork detail, tig welded blades to steer tube, silver soldered crown race. The silver soldering process low temperature, anneals the tig weld joint and improves the fatigue life of the tig welded joint.

After Paint

2010-12-17T20:32:00.000-08:00

Type II after paint.

Welding Steel!

2010-11-02T21:43:00.000-07:00

I weld so much Titanium that I forgot how I enjoy welding steel once in awhile. I love welding Titanium because it has to be done right or not at all, there is no in between. All the parts have to be perfectly clean, it has to be purged properly, you have to have the perfect heat range, and you have to have the right amount of filler rod. As you are actually doing the weld , you literally have about ten things going at the same time to have it all come together properly. Steel is a bit more forgiving even though some of the new higher tensile alloys are a lot more sensitive to cleanliness , purging , etc. Welding as much Titanium as I have has actually made me a better welder when I work with steel, as I am so used to having to have everything so perfectly clean with Titanium. Anyway, it's all challenging and is still a lot of fun to do!

Another Classic 29er, w/ Type II Fork

2010-09-14T22:27:00.000-07:00

This beauty goes to be ridden in Spain! There won't be many more like this one with the original classic Type II Fork, as least for awhile !

Road, Single Speed and Geared

2010-09-13T20:30:00.000-07:00

This is a road frame for geared and single speed use. It's already getting a lot of fun miles on it! Thanks Dave, Steve.

Set The table Please

2010-08-16T21:25:00.000-07:00

I just set the table with some of the few last Classic Type II Forks that I am building this way, I will continue building them , but it will be after I catch up on my frame orders. I'll keep you posted!

Crown Detail on the Two Tone!

2010-08-16T21:18:00.000-07:00

The sun came out so I had to take a few photos of Jesse's fork. Nice paint detail's thanks to Rick at D @ D Painting !

Disc Mount Detail

2010-08-16T21:12:00.000-07:00

Disc mount detail after paint. The new mounts brazed on so much better than previous mounts, less heat , better stress distribution. Hey, check out Daniel's apple tree in the background, they are really good this year!

BB Heat Sink

2010-07-23T23:07:00.000-07:00

The BB heat sink does two things, it helps keep the titanium tubing cool during welding by acting as a heat sink, and it also helps minimize the distortion of the BB shell from the heat of the welding. This 29er frame with a Type II Fork will be heading to my friend in Spain very soon!

Hope This Makes Some of My Favorite Collectors Happy!

2010-07-23T23:00:00.000-07:00

I am fortunate to have some great people that collect some of my old bikes. I am honored that there are some collectors that can appreciate how much work went into the old fillet brazed bikes that I built almost 30 years ago! In the good old days, the bike wasn't finished until the head badge was put on. What that meant for me was going home after a real long day of building bikes and putting the tea kettle on and cutting out my head badges out of brass sheet and a coping saw until I couldn't keep my eyes open any more. Well needless to say, I could keep my eyes open a lot longer in the old days than now, but I am at it again to to make some of the old style head badges for some of my favorite bike collecting buddies . Thanks for restoring all the old bikes you guys, you know who you are !

Sincerely, Steve.

Tig Tacked Before Brazing

2010-07-23T22:46:00.000-07:00

The new disc mount is tig tacked evenly on both sides before brazing. The new design distributes the brake load in a more reliable way and the new mount takes much less heat to braze on, which in turn makes a stronger , more reliable fork.

The First New Disc Mount!

2010-07-23T22:34:00.000-07:00

This is the new disc mount for the front fork. Going to be a nice two tone for Jesse!

Grateful

2010-07-10T09:40:00.000-07:00

This is a photo I took from my porch looking toward Mount Tamalpais one early December morning. I feel fortunate to have such a great view! I use this blog to try to keep interested people and loyal customers informed to what I am making in the shop that is bike related. There is always more going on in life than could be put in a "blog", and of course, would not be revelant to the bicycle theme. This last month I have lost three life long friends to cancer, I will miss all of them for sure. Life is so busy that there is so little time to say thank you or to see how full our lives are with family , friends and work. So, I remain grateful for family, friends, and loyal customers that have provided me with doing the work I love to do, and the friendships that make life all that it is. Steve.

Photo for Noah

2010-07-10T09:07:00.000-07:00

Just a little idea of proportions. Hope this is helpful!

29er, Type II, heading to Spain

2010-07-10T09:02:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite combination, the smooth ride of the 29er with the precise, lightweight performance of a Type II Fork ! More photos to come on this bike.

Long Steer Tube!

2010-07-10T08:56:00.000-07:00

This has to be the longest steer tube I have built on a Type II Fork. You can see the long machined butted section that will be pressed in after all of the welding processes are done. This is the safety sleeve, a long tapered piece of 4130 steel that will dissipate the fork loads in a safe manner. The safety sleeve will be very strong as it will be unaffected by any welding heat. This fork will be getting a traditional two tone paint job . Today the new disc mount will be put on . I'll keep you posted!

ZORRO'S

2010-07-10T08:42:00.000-07:00

Zorro rear ends tacked and ready for welding with John Castellano. John and I are both just a bit overworked so it is nice to have the help to get things done.

Drop Out Detail

2010-06-24T21:25:00.000-07:00

Type II Fork drop out detail , all the hard work shows a nice finish!

Type II Forks , Ready for Paint

2010-06-24T21:22:00.000-07:00

Bead Blast finish, just before paint!

Great Friends !

2010-06-10T18:09:00.000-07:00

Even though I work alone , and I at times I feel alone , I am always grateful for my wonderful sons and family, my loyal and patient customers, and those special friends. Pictured above are two of those friends who help more than they know. Thanks Kent and Katie for all you do !

New Front Disc Mounts !

2010-06-10T17:46:00.000-07:00

I just received my new steel front disc mounts. These are waterjetted just as the titanium ones are, but these are made out of 4130 cromoly plate for my steel forks. A big thanks to my friend John Castellano for the help !

Destined For Some Fun Rides!

2010-06-10T17:39:00.000-07:00

I think this bike is on it's way to some fun adventures! The new owner will be heading North on a train with his new ride and he will get off "somewhere" way up North and then ride home. Man, that sounds like fun!!!!

The "Bombproof" Road, Touring, Cross Bike!

2010-06-10T17:32:00.000-07:00

This is one nice all around bike ! It has 45mm tire capacity, disc brakes, fender and rack mounts and a reliable geometry to handle road, touring and some off road riding! I look forward to riding this one, thankfully the new owner is nearby!

RC Stud Fixture

2010-06-10T17:18:00.000-07:00

Some more Type II news for the interested. This is a photo of the Roller Cam Boss fixture to insure the proper placement and alignment of the brake studs. I will have some finished photos asap on the blog , as some of you are waiting to get them! Thanks for your patience!

A Special Thanks!

2010-06-01T23:38:00.000-07:00

A special thanks to my friend Gary Boulanger and his wonderful wife Jean for all the help ! They actually made this web and blog site possible and here I am using it , the non computer person that I am! Thanks Gary and Jean !

Type II Crown

2010-05-31T18:00:00.000-07:00

The Type II Crown is sanded and cleaned before the silver soldering process. The making of the Type II Crowns is possibly a story for another time, right now it's time to build bikes! Thanks for all the e-mails and interest in the manufacturing of the forks!

Parts , Ready To Go !

2010-05-31T17:56:00.000-07:00

Shown is the length and angle fixture for the Type II parts for the pinning alignment process.

Alignment Tool

2010-05-31T17:53:00.000-07:00

This tool aligns the crown for the proper angle and proper length just before the alignment hole is drilled. It is designed to do both legs of the fork.

Checking the Fit

2010-05-31T17:50:00.000-07:00

It is important to check the fit before the final flux and silver soldering.

Just Before Silver

2010-05-31T17:48:00.000-07:00

This photo shows the fit, and the alignment hole that is pinned with a small diameter piece of brass rod just after applying the flux.

Silver Soldering Complete

2010-05-31T17:44:00.000-07:00

This is what the crown and fork leg look like after silver brazing and before cleaning the flux off. More to come with completed forks!

Another Nostalgic Request

2010-05-26T20:32:00.000-07:00

Some friends requested some more old racing photos, here goes. Sure loved those "cushion" short tracks, my favorite. Thanks . (click on photo)

Titanium Update !

2010-05-24T23:15:00.000-07:00

I am still amazed at how many titanium frames I get from all over the world for restoring, and updating to new disc brake mounts. Shown are two of my older bikes that were in for refinishing, and one was going from canti studs to the classic Roller Cam brake set up. The Merlin came in from the UK for a new disc set up and new drive train cable mounts. It's a lot of fun getting them back into shape!

29er Type II Forks!

2010-05-24T22:59:00.000-07:00

I want to share with my customers some of the processes of building their frames. I have missed taking some process photos because I have only two hands , but hopefully these photos will help understand the building process. These next photos will be the building of 29er , disc mount , Type II Forks. This part of the blog is dedicated to a few of my customers who want to follow the process of the build. All of them live pretty far away, Colorado, Canada, and Spain. Thanks Jesse, Richard and Antonio. I hope to show some finished Type II Forks in my blog in the next few days that are going to Europe this week.

Machined Type II Fork Parts

2010-05-24T22:46:00.000-07:00

These are the parts after machining that will make up the drop out section of the Type II Fork.

Tacking Fixture

2010-05-24T22:41:00.000-07:00

This is the blade to drop out fixture for proper alignment for tig tacking the parts together . This is just one of the many fixtures I have made, it seems you need a fixture for every process you do in the building of a bike frame and fork. I literally have all of my drawers and cabinets filled with fixtures. That is why most bike builders gulp when someone asks the question " do you have a frame fixture?" We wish it were that easy, but figuring out the fixtures and building them is part of the fun of being able to build a straight reliable frame, fork or any part for that matter.