jim's bike almost done, simon's out the door.

well, just about got jim's bike done, it sure has cool lines. i only have the headtube fillets left to polish, braze-ons, {alot of them} and touch up and alignment. hey, wait - that's still alot of work! still, i hope to complete it today. and, yesterday simon came up to build his bike. it sure came out nice! the matching chris king gruppo and black components made a sweet combo. nice. the 29er wheels look totally ergonomic on this size of bike. also, i've pretty much made up my mind on the subject, i'm not making 29ers with suspension forks for anybody with an inseam of less then 32" with cycling shoes on. rigid, maybe. we'd have to review that on a case-by-case basis. sorry, bad fit. not what i'm here for. i'm not going to go into the sizing specifics, but if you cannot even clear the fork as far as standover it is just not ideal, i don't care what the magazines, other builders or designers for mass-produced brands say. but, remember: now we have the new knobby 650b tires, which measure in at about 27.5", so if your inseam is less then 32" as stated above, you still have a larger wheel option. also, went fishing the other day with dan.....survival fishing! it was whitecapping with spray and super cold! still, we stuck it out, caught five trout, and it turned nice {with three layers on} in the afternoon. didn't even get any pics, i couldn't feel my fingers and thought i might drop the camera in the drink! later, steve.