Since I build custom frames it’s only expected that I build bikes for very specific goals. One of the biggest challenges is parts compatibility and interference issues. Lot’s of frames have competing priorities, for example tire clearance and chainstay length. Other frames have a ton of different parts that need to bolt on and I need to make sure all the mounting pickups are on and in the correct positions. I stock a lot of parts just for the purpose of trial fitting so I can be sure before the frame is sent to paint that everything will fit. In a  lot of cases I don’t have the parts so I have the customer provide me with theirs.  So today I’ll be finishing ME’s dirt road frame and have the challenge of mounting a brake cable stop in it’s optimum position even though the frame is too small to provide that position. I’ll also be trial fitting a bunch of parts on Chris H’s frame. He gets mounts for both disc and Paul Racer brakes as well as front and rear racks and fenders.

So I’ve finished Billy’s bike and it’s ready to ship. I’ve also started a dirt road frame for ME who lives here in Bozeman. She won it in a raffle last Summer at a fund raiser for the Gallatin Valley Land Trust (GVLT). The GVLT is an organization that secures access to private lands in order to build and connect all the trails in the community. They do a fantastic job for Bozeman and add a lot of value. We will be donating another frame this year for their fundraiser and look forward to it.  You can read more about them here: www.gvlt.org

It’s Friday and I’m looking forward to a working weekend. It’s going to be cold wet weather so I thought I’d take some time to tweak my shop among other things. I’m going to do a little cleaning, build a new bench and also continue work on a very exciting (for me at least) new design for a product I’ll be offering, hopefully by this time next year.

Here is Billy’s frame. It’s just about done. Today I’ll put on the seatstay and chainstay bridges, final align add hydro cable guides and chin gusset. Then it’s ready to machine and finish. Machining includes facing and reaming the headtube, facing and chasing the bottom bracket and slotting, reaming and honing the seatube. I’ll also align the dropouts and hanger. And although I’ve done it several times throughout the building process I’ll trial fit all parts that could potentially have interferenace issues one last time. After that it’s finishing. In this case we’re doing a “brushed” finish which is basically a random Scotch-Brite treatment followed by decal application and a final wax to protect the finish from greasy fingerprints and stains.

Here is what I’m working on right now. It’s Billy W’s frame and it’s a  single speed using Paragon Hooded Sliders, with a curved toptube to provide good stand-over clearance. It’s built for a 650b rear tire and 29 front. Today I’ll finish bending and cutting the seatstays and chainstays and cut a chin gusset. Once I  get all the parts fitted up I’ll start welding. It should really start looking like a frame later today and be just about done by the end of the day tomorrow.

Well we got hit with a quite a bit of snow last night. This is the time of year that gets pretty frustrating. I’m finally starting to get some mileage in me and then I get shut down. Oh well, I’ll ride the MTB around town and wait for the roads to dry. It’s all part of living in the mountains. It’ll pay off once the season turns and I have great riding all around me.

My eBay auctions ended and neither frame sold so if  you were watching them and are still interested they’ll sit here until sold. I’m gong to be selling them for their starting bid price. The road frame is $2000 and the MTB is $800. I also have a couple more bikes I’ll be posting for sale soon. I’ll be putting my “Pro Shop” page back up and it will be the area I sell all sale items from frames to parts and in rare cases complete bikes.

This week I’m gong to be building Billy W’s frame. He’s a soldier serving in Iraq right now. It’s a Ti SS MTB with sliders and a couple other special features. I’ll post images as I move along. After that is Cyrille L’s frame. This will be her second frame. It’s a Ti road frame. Two Ti frames, it’s gonna be a fun week!