Full Plate or Not for the Faint of Bandwidth

Jul 30

Posted by Erik Rolf in Apprenticeship, Bikes, Frame Building | 2 Comments

I have a metric ton of irons in the fire right now.  I’ve been busy building and working on business stuff related, well, to my business.  I’m also wraping up my two year stint at Strong Frames, so I’ve been out looking at shop space and tools.
I’ve been gathering all the fix’ins for a couch bike aka glory day bike.
 
5″ x 29″ Ventana rear end, Rock Shox Reba 140mm, Cane Creek 44 lower cup for tapered steer tubes, 44mm Supertherm down tube, Chris King Inset facer/reamer, and finally the necessary head tube stock for said tapered steer tubes.
But wait, it gets bigger……..
Next up, news from the frame fixture.
A little bit of filing here
Produces this
Paragon Mini Wright dropouts
Fastbacks!
Oh yeah I almost forgot, I had Loretta take some fancy photos of this bike.
Nothing but riding for me this weekend!

More Rides

Jul 23

Posted by Erik Rolf in Frame Building, Mountain biking | No Comments

I felt like making a bike, but I didn’t have anything specific in mind.  I had some Columbus chainstays and a pair of seatstay I bent a while back.  I also had the parts for a cross fork, so I decided to make an all-arounder/cyclocross bike.

 I’d already added an s bend to the seatstays earlier on.  I added a little bit of sweep to the chainstays for heel clearance.

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There’s not much difference, but it blends nicely

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Then I made a fork for it

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Brief ride intermission just for fun

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and we’re back,

fixturing the front triangle

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That’s all for one night

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Rides and New Rides

Jul 16

Posted by Erik Rolf in Bikes, Frame Building, Mountain biking | 8 Comments

Below are some pictures from a cool ride I did last week in the Big Belts

A view from the halfway point on the climb looking out the valley.

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More flowers

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The cliff overhang earns the name Hanging Valley

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Last night I went into the shop to bang out a fork for my new townie.

Start with this:

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Cut to fit

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Apply copious amounts of electricity

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Brakes are good

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Brazing the crown race.  Then I miter the steer tube for more tire clearance and good looks.  I use a larger diameter cutter for cross forks so that it matches the top of a fender.

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Then I swapped out the old rust bucket I built at the end of December

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for this bad unit!

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Flower Season

Jul 6

Posted by Erik Rolf in Mountain biking | 2 Comments

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Ti Cross

Jul 2

Posted by Erik Rolf in Bikes | 1 Comment

Pictures courtesy of L-bomb Strong

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One of Everything

Jun 29

Posted by Erik Rolf in Bikes | 1 Comment

I just got back from an outdoor expo this past weekend.  It was part of the new Rhythm and Ride Festival that takes place in Hailey, Ketchum, and Sun Valley.   I had a great time promoting custom bikes and getting out for some rides.  This is what I brought with me.

The whole fleet

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First up, is a straight forward road bike.  It’s got all of the essentials, Sram Force, Edge fork, and a light wheelset.  The misty blue color is really hard to photograph, but it just pops in the sun with the green and white logos. The flat transitions on the seat stays were begging for a little logo action.

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Next, is a classic road bike with room for bigger tires and fenders.   It currently has 28c tires mounted.  When I built it up, I was able to slide a 45mm Planet Bike Fender in there too!  Although it accepts bigger tires and fenders, its first goal was to be fast.  I’ve kept the geometry much closer to a traditional road bike on this one.

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This thing doesn’t really need an explanation.  Ti + Sram Red + Alpha Q CX20 + Ritchey WCS Carbon= race bike.

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I also had two titanium mountain bikes there.  I had a new shiny one and my bike.  The new one continues down the path of what I consider to be a great trail riding bike.   They both have 120mm thru-axle forks, full gears, 28 inch wide handlebars, and an aggressive geometry.  I’ve been enjoying mine thoroughly.  Please excuse the lack of front derailleur.  I had to borrow one after I took the pictures

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New Project Bikes!

Jun 29

Posted by Erik Rolf in Bikes | 2 Comments

Click here to see them both http://alliancebicycles.com/project-bike/

All studio shots by the infamous Loretta “I take pictures of bikes and then some” Strong.

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Fresh Produce

Jun 29

Posted by Erik Rolf in Bikes | 1 Comment

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Photo Friday

Jun 18

Posted by Erik Rolf in Frame Building, Mountain biking | No Comments

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Road Bikes

Jun 3

Posted by Erik Rolf in Frame Building | 6 Comments

I finished a new road bike last weekend.  It’s got an interesting mix of tubes, most of which aren’t round.  I used a Columbus Life teardrop top tube, a pair of Spirit (for tig) seatstays, some Columbus teardrop chainstays, and I biovalized a True Temper OX Platinum down tube just to keep with the theme.  It’s a straight up road bike designed around an Edge fork and Sram Force group.

I also put the finishing touches on the mid-reach road bike.  It will be built up with Ultegra 6700.  Both of them are currently getting hosed down at Spectrum Powderworks.

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