Monday, August 20, 2012

Bob's bike/really nice monsoon season.

 Bob's bike at the get-go. A full build, as have been most lately, and as such very busy not only building the frames but also lacing all the wheels and sourcing all the eclectic parts choices.
 Front triangle all tacked up for an alignment check. A-OK = onwards to the rear.....the hard part.
Below, as-brazed chainstay spear - there's over 2/3rds of a 32" rod of 1/16th" brass in that end.
 Above, becoming bike-like.
I had to both flatten and dimple the chainstays for the Sram XO cranks to fit a 2.35" Panaracer Rampage for mud clearance and chainsuck prevention, which you do not have to do with an XT - FYI, fellow framebuilders.
 Above - allot of alignment checks going on in this picture.
 Pretty simple concept shown above, looking to see that the dropout faces are parallel - check out the chainstays - I offset them towards the bottom of the bottom bracket to improve front derailleur clearance and reduce chain slap. Below, component look over.
 Sally is still alive!
She is 16+ but is still happy, really gimpy and F'ed up, but happy. Sadly, I think she will not be with us much longer, she has pretty much defined what you can get out of a dog - four times to Mexico alone as well as all over the Western USA and thousands upon thousands of miles of trails.
 Out for a grovel in the beautiful moist monsoon forest. A really good ride.
 Christie & Owen.
 Cameron - random Coconino sighting.
 You bet it's going to rain. Hell yeah.
 BAD mushroom - very beautiful, however. Amanita Muscaria - "Fly Agaric" Don't eat, don't touch.
 What a perfect trail looks like to me.
 Paintbrush.
 There were constellations of white Richardson's Geraniums.

 And even some Columbines making a late season rally.
 Viguera?
 Forest bounty.
And on the way home. Super busy, thanks for EVERYONE who replied to the last blog post, much thanks - Steve.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Mid August 2012 / Yes I'm here - what's up?

 I got Dave's 29er off to paint, and it should be back pretty damn quick as they spray black just about every day.
 So, I have had a weird deal with the blog lately - I ask how many people read it and get a grand total of seven responses in a couple of weeks, during which I actually still do a few more posts, granted, a bit spaced out from each other as I'm not a fan of this current cultured idea of posting for the world every single thing you do and eat, and have been throwing tons of pics on facebook, and for some reason people are calling me and e-mailing me about "where's the blog - are you retiring? the blog hasn't been updated in........seven days"
 To summarise, if you like the blog, drop a comment and say so. I track the #'s of views and I can see that the blog gets as many hits a day as a single picture does on FB, so if you like this resource don't just not say so as it WILL go away if I am just doing this for no one, as it does take time away from fabrication and life - I like it for a chronicle of my own deal, but if you enjoy it, say so. Thank You.
 Man, as I close in on a decade of this bikes are looking really sweet, and the signature segmented seat stays look just so.
Why do I do these this way, which adds a big chunk of fabrication time? Because they ride SWEET - stiff yet allowing good flex due to the smaller diameter lowers - like an old WTB type two fork or the same fork now made by framebuilding badass Steve Potts.
 This is at "full polish" - before I put on the braze-ons - the most beautiful stage, I think.
Coco-Motos in action here, and the new Coco-Motos are on the way which will be horizontal like these but with a derailleur hanger and a matching eyelet mirroring the top disc brake mount for the caliper adapter on the right side for clean rack mounting with discs and no brazed-on eyelets to ever tear off.
 Pre-polish, door partially closed due to blowing rain.
 Full polish signature seat tube sleeve.
 I mix my own custom fluxes. Yes I do.
 Bob G's bike at the get-go, 'm going to throw down a long day of fab on this one today and get it towards being a BLO - "bicycle like object" - on it's way towards being a complete bike.
I have also been doing mostly complete bikes this year, which takes more time as I am open to truly custom builds, but it comes out better and everything works together perfectly.
This bike will be going to New Mexico, which has always been very good to me as per bike orders and will be assembled with Sram XO, Fox fork, XTR hubs, Stan's rims, Thomson bits and a King headset - stay tuned.
 Troy came by with his old long distance / bike packing 29er with it's "custom" gear box - an army ammo can bolted to a rack I built especially for the maiden voyage of this bike, which was the entire Arizona Trail from Utah to Mexico.
 The yard is going jungle-esque with the recent rains and heat.
 I have been actually getting out riding once every 4-5 days or so, about as much as my body can really endure.
 Incoming rain and lightning.
 Favourite new shop sticker, thank you Steve Cortez!
 We do nothing to encourage them, they grow on their own
 We have been busy putting away the harvest - these are all dried peaches from out trees, that's allot of peaches...........!
 And these little orbs of goodness - dried tomatoes!
Chillin' on the porch with Aki "angry bee" on a visit from Japan.
That's it for now, folks. And as always, thanks for reading!
- Steve.

Wednesday, August 08, 2012

Working along on Dave's 29er.

 Here is Dave's 29er at the get-go.
It had a new Paragon Machine Works oversized headtube, a new "standard" for longer travel suspension forks, 44mm.
It adds 50g over a "regular" 1.125" headtube chunk of the same length and I have also made large vent holes in the intersections to not only lighten the frame but also allow moisture to vent and lube to be applied. Also included are the single speed CocoMoto dropouts, handmade seattube sleeve, and internally relieved BB shell - let's go.
 Bam! front triangle all busted out.
 .....and, laid out for alignment check.
 Checking the wheel clearance with a 2.35" rampage all the way forward.
 Checking to make sure the segmented seat stays are in phase - very nice.
 And, all jigged up to be mitered simultaneously.
 Here, brazed up and all ready for polishing - door closed due to blowing rain.......
Curvaceous booty shot.
Super busy, thanks for reading everyone, also Coconino Cycles has a Facebook page, check it out if you wish, it gets more traffic daily then the blog get weekly, and blog posts are up there as well - cheers, Steve.

Stuff & things, early August 2012.

 I went out for a ride inbetween rain storms and saw two 650B's I have built out in action, one a few weeks ago, and one a few years ago.
 Also, it is harvest season in the Verde Valley so I have been busy making gallons of Salsa, both red and green, making pesto, and drying peaches.

 Below, scenes from Camp Verde.



 And some of Denise's Flagstaff flower garden, which is rocking.


 And some of being out in the forest, which has been super great.



Just a quick set of "What's up" photos, busy as always but Monsoon/Harvest season is extra busy.
- Steve.