Ron - done

29 with clearance for 27.5+ seems to be all the rage these days. Fun way to have 2 bikes in one (though IMO the 27.5x3, 29x2, 26x4 bike is the way to go if you really want the Swiss army knife effect!)

This one is an all-arounder with Rohloff capabilities as well as the usual stealth dropper, loads of tire clearance, etc.

Still all fluxy

I can't resist putting curved bridges on these bikes with big tire clearance...

Random photos for Ron

29/27.5+ with Rohloff/SS/geared capabilities, fun times.

Cleaned up and vented for DT welding-in

Fluxy

Like a boss

Front end

Toptube oxide rainbows

David - done

Another Pinhead fork, too.

Super aggro long front center/slack/low/short chainstay 27.5+?

Another customer bike I'd like for myself. Damn you, Dave!

Dave also has the distinction of being the first to get a boost (110x15) spaced rigid fork. In his case it'll swap out with one of the fancy new Lyrik 27.5+ units. Yes, another dummy axle joins the fleet...

I think for steeps and technical riding, the aggro geometry and big tires is hard to beat. For getting big air? Less great - but Dave could run some 29x2.5 Minions for that kind of thing, should he choose.

A few leaves starting to fall/change!

Geometry below. All supertherm, all stealth, 148x12 with some offset for a dishless rear wheel, etc.

This is the *short travel setting* "XC" mode!

Mike - done!

After a powdercoat snafu (the acronym is quite literal with powdercoating...) it's finally ready to go!

This is an all-arounder with most of the bells and whistles (stealth dropper, tapered steerer, short stays, etc) but with nice normal QR 135 dropouts. Which is what I do on my own hardtails, too, because the through axle does nothing for me on a rigid bike and my legacy collection of QR wheels is going to last a looong time...

Red Baron and new scribble decals!

Lock prevents tipping over.

Pics from Christine!

Fruita

Laramie shout out from Christine, who says,

"This is a very belated thank you for my bike, which is going to be my first bike to earn a name, I just haven’t decided on her name yet. I think Felix told you, she feels like an extension of my body when I ride. Riding has never been so fast and fun, and yet also feeling so secure.

Here are a couple of photos, including two from today when I won the women’s intermediate Gowdy Grinder. My only complaint is now that I’ll have to do the advanced race next year. The third is in Fruita on the classic Kessel Run… the first time I rode the bike, not counting around the block before we left.

Thanks also for hosting Felix in a dream bike building week, to build (another) dream bike."

Gowdy

Dr. Supertherm or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

Warning: geekery. Extra warning: framebuilding content.

Supertherm is the bomb. I talk to framebuilders all the time who are trying to find a tube to do something weird, or a tube for a big strong rider, or whatever. They all seem shocked when I suggest True Temper's Supertherm line.

"Isn't that for BMX?"

Isn't that for BMX?

Well, yes. But thanks to the fact that what consitutes a BMX varies wildly, and that it's not very expensive to make a tube 200mm longer, Supertherm tubes are avaiable in lengths up to 750mm - which means they'll work for all sorts of mountain bike projects, thanks to their long, long butts.

Other great stuff about Supertherm:
-They're OX Platinum. But thicker. You could use the BMXSTDT06 as a softball bat, I think. You'd probably break both your wrists, but the tube would be ok.
-Thanks to the 1/.7/1mm butting, the they're stronger AND lighter than using .035" straightgauge.

That's a lot of standover.

-You can weld shock mounts, pivots, and other fun things to them for FS bikes without lots of extra work to make sleeves or gussets (with some exceptions).
-You can make very small frames with them - need a really short toptube? Put the 1mm end at the head tube and the .7 at the seat tube end. Want to run a dropper but don't want a tank of a seat tube? Put the 1mm end at the BB shell and fuse a Solid Bikes 30.9 topper plug into the .7mm.
-You can bend them in a roller, albeit with considerable effort - do curvy tubes to your heart's content.
-Of course, if you want to make a BMX, they're great for that too!

That means if you need to build a super-V style full suspension bike (or fatbike) for someone who is under 5 feet tall, you're good. If I ever get word that TT is going to discontinue it, I'm buying it all.

Holy Chromoly...

72.5cm effective toptube, folks. 7 pounds of steel, 29+. I used 34.9mm Supertherm downtubes for the toptube and seat tube (yes, those are really fun to bend...) Ronnie should love it.

1 5/8 x. 049" downtube - Ronnie is going to run a 150mm travel 29er fork,  which means you need the beef...

Pikes Peak!

Some manner of velocipede in the foreground. Curious.

Ken - done

Flowers coming up?

There is a lot to talk about with this frame - super long front center/slack/low aggro geometry for big-ish 27.5 wheels (up to 27.5x3!), 148 spacing with some offset (!), supertherm pipes all around, etc, etc.

I will do several posts on these topics, though, because they all deserve more attention than I can give them right now.

Blooming?!?! Spring, you're here too early.

So, basic geometry:
-67 HTA (assuming quite a bit of sag) with a 140mm fork, 770mm front center.
-72.5 effective STA and 66cm effective toptube
-41.5cm (actual, 41cm effective) chainstay length that can adjust out to 43.5 with the rockers. Clearance for up to 27.5x3" tires
-Around 30cm bb height with a rider onboard
-For a 31.6 dropper post (external routing, Ken wanted the rock-solid reliability of a Gravitydropper over some of the blingier but less durable options)
-148x12 spacing, offset 2mm to the driveside (more on that later)
-Supertherm tubes and a ton of beef but "only" 5.8# with all hardware

Now available: Curved tubes for framebuilders

I've spent quite a while figuring out a reasonable technique for making nice curved tubes with butted tubing and I've had a reasonable amount of luck (after ruining plenty of fine American steel in the process of learning what not to do). If these items are popular I may offer some other options that I commonly use (curved 31.8mm seat tube for 27.2 post, curved 34.9 seat tube for 31.6 dropper post, curved 31.8 supertherm top/down tube, 19mm twin toptube/seatstays?)

Without further ado:

Please note: All bent tubes will exhibit some minor ovalization. It is up to the end user/builder to determine appropriate diameter/butting and miter/cope/join appropriately. There is no visible ripple/flaw at butts/butt transitions (transition from bent/straight on seat tubes is visible). Butts marked for builder's convenience on request.

28.6mm diameter 9/6 single butted seat tube. 650mm total length, 75mm butt. Bottom 250mm is curved 10mm (approximately 1750mm radius). Appropriate for short-chainstay frame designs and will take a 27.2 seatpost. REQUIRES a sleeve or lug at toptube/seatstay cluster. 4130 cromoly. Bent/straight transition is visually obvious and overenthusiastic insertion of a too-long seatpost can damage this tube. Builder must adjust seat angle for desired saddle positioning. $60

-28.6mm diameter 9/6/9 double butted x 600mm. Butts are 100mm at each end. Curved 25mm over total 600mm length (approximately 1750mm radius). Appropriate for toptubes with curve oriented either up or down. 4130 cromoly.  Butt transitions are NOT visible after bending. $70

-31.8mm diameter 9/6/9 double butted x 600mm. 90mm butts at each end. Curved 25mm over total 600mm length  (approximately 1750mm radius). Appropriate for toptubes oriented either up or down, or for light-duty downtube. 4130 cromoly. Butt transitions are NOT visible after bending. $70

-Custom tube bending. Want something unusual? I can bend most sizes of commonly used bike frame tubing, both straightgauge and butted. Heat treated material will cost considerably more, but yes, I can do it. Contact me for a quote.