I can’t believe how fast the first week has gone. We’re flying through the course and starting to envision what our frames will look like. When we got into the shop on Friday Doug gave us the lesson on determining steerer length for a fork. Simple to calculate and carefully noted on my notepad! I was able to get my bottom bracket brazed the seat tube completely. This was our first real test of skill on our real tubes and lugs. It went pretty good. I didn’t blob any silver over the edge of the lug however the lug window gave me a challenge. I’ll need to do some filing later to clean things up. So far the brazing is getting easier than it was on just Wednesday.
Once this braze was complete I was able to spend a little time on the Bridgeport getting my downtube in check. The mitering was getting easier to calculate although we had to really thing about it hard a few times. Splitting degrees to make it right took some extra time but it taught us a thing or two about proper methods. The Bridgeport is in action below:
Once I had the downtube set up and happy with it’s place in the bottom bracket I was able to focus on the fork. I got the steerer brazed in and learned that you really can pour on the heat with the fork crown. The long tangs on the fork required a lot of filing. More than I had expected by far. It took a couple hours until I was satisfied with the look and angle of the file work. Below you can see the challenging fork crown. Persistence paid off and I was able to get it cleaned up and ready for the next step. Fork legs!
Day 2 involved getting into Doug’s fixture. The fixture allows you to apply your specific dimensions so you’ll get a frame that fits you. Many different components are involved to make it work. At first it was difficult to envision the how to of the design. Once I was able to add a seat and stem to the fixture it started to get into focus. Setting up the small details really makes a difference. Several secrets of framebuilding were revealed!
One thing that was getting me was the timezone change and the heat. The weather was warm and humid. Also being 3 hours off was a challenge!
After lunch we started working on our lugs. This involves lots of filing. Then when I thought I was done I had to file more, and more, and more. The amount of filing involved exceeded my expectations dramatically. There is no way around it. If you want a cheap looking frame it’s easy, don’t work your lugs! Clearly you can see bad lugs on a bike, but good lug work often goes unnoticed. Look a little closer next time and you’ll see what I mean.
First problem! Once my fixture was set up for size and angles we discovered that I wouldn’t be able to use the oversized tubing and bottom bracket lugs I had ordered. I’m building a cyclocross frame so it needs to be built with more robust tubing than a road bike. My size also helps push the frame to the stronger side! Doug had to order me a new bottom bracket lug and do a swap for two different tubes and a couple lugs. Since I had to wait until Thursday for my bottom bracket it gave me plenty of time to file and file and file on my other lugs. Proper filing technique is a skill. I was going ok but struggling to eliminate small file marks in a few tight spaces. Doug showed me a technique of filing with the sharp edge of a swiss pattern file that removes the marks instantly. It’s like magic!
Filing these two lugs to fit my headtube was a seemingly never ending chore. Using some nice tools helped speed the process along and I was able to get a nice fit. Tomorrow we’re getting into the oxy-acetylene and brazing with silver. I can’t wait!
I have a connection going back to 1996 with Shaw’s Cycles in Santa Clara, CA. I was living in San Jose and thought I knew a little bit about bikes. Boy was I wrong. Terry Shaw straightened me out with hours of banter on racing, riding, fit, shoes, wheels, parts, history, etc. He is the man. So, here is a hilarious review I found on Yelp about Shaw’s:
If you spent more than $2000 on your bike, you can come here. If not, I HIGHLY suggest you go somewhere else. While being the closest bike shop for Santa Clara University students to access, its the furthest from being friendly towards customers of any kind.
I came in here back in the Winter of 2009 because my bike needed some tire caps. Unfortunately, not having a bike that cost a ton did not fly well with whoever was there at the time. After asking if his store carried tire caps, the owner responded by telling me first, that he did not care for bikes of my type, and second, that he could offer me tire caps for free, both of which I found an insult. Yes, I’m not a hardcore bike enthusiast like this man, but I think if you are to run a business, you need to treat your customers like you may want them to come back or provide as a suggestion to other potential customers.
Unfortunately on my end, I will not do that. I think whoever was in there could have done better. But quite honestly, if you want better service for a bike, and want to be treated better as a customer, you best drive a bit further up El Camino Real and visit Calmar’s or The Off Ramp. You’ll thank me for it.
I can barely contain the laughter!!! Tire caps? This has to be a joke! Here is the link for your own perusal.
