Aki's bike/nice trails.

Aki's bike all de-fluxed out of the dunktank & bolted down for it's post-braze alignment check - it came out really straight. i've gotten some ribbing from other builders about my "obsessive" alignment table use, but it makes me feel better, and if you have it, use it, right? also, in the back ground is Aki's "fat fork" made by wade at Vulture Cycles.

looking good, Aki!

i give myself an A+ on this BB junction. that's money, yo.

Steve's eye view of an afternoon thunderstorm rolling in over the peaks. it's been raining almost every day.

got out for a quick ride the other day & hope to get out today, too. this was at about 10am and it was already building.

the Lupines are busting out, quite early i think, due to the extra moisture. so, all the "post more flower pics!" people rejoice - it aughta be an awesome flower season, and i'll post a bunch!

riding up some sweet trail with some stoked dogs.

here it comes.............

a great pic showing the flow of time. everything around us is moving, just too slow for us to perceive it...........

ripping it up on tacky trail!

pin balling off rocks with my rooting section. i've ripped my shoes off before.


that's it for now. i'm going biking today, and probably boating/fishing tomorrow weather allowing, and i have six wheels to build which i'll squeeze in in between. thanks for reading, ya'll. Steve.

just checking in.

getting some work done on Aki's bike - had to spend a whole day a couple of days ago just sorting out build kits & custom wheels for the upcoming bikes. here's a nice closeup of some hand filed spearpoint goodness.

and here's a blurry pic of the post brazed product. N. AZ. decided it was going back to winter for a little while & i actually had the door closed & the heat on and the light was low as there was little sun - all this after a week in the high 80's.

starting to look like a bike!

look, Aki - here are some of your "friends" having their way with you new Vulture fork! Dan is over afterhours working on his frame project, and Gullo is providing "moral" support...........yeah, right.

i managed to get in a ~ 2 hour ride in last week before the rain started - barely. here is Denise proving that she really IS a tree hugger. that's a nice Ponderosa Pine.

Orion Springs flowing cold & clear.

off-road hand cycling is a lonely sport. not too many clubs, chat groups, magazines or fellow riders........

our weather window closed rapidly!

pointing it towards the car - nice trail!

saw these four young bull elk in someones yard as we were leaving the forest. they are still in velvet, and their racks are still growing. check out the mutant atypical rack on the one on the right - i wonder where that's going. i'll have to keep my eyes out for him this summer. that's it for now, all. gonna try to get Aki's seat stays all sussed up & maybe his frame brazed tomorrow. later, Steve.

mid-may 2009 - Nate's frame, Angry Bee's frame, Shabir's frame/fork - upcoming builds.

Nate's 650b ALL DONE..........

seat cluster detail......smoooooth.

it's gonna be interesting to see how this post sorts out - blogger place pics all over my screen again! hopefully it all makes sense........anyhoo, here's Nate's 650B all done & ready to go to Spectrum Powderworks to get some fancy treatment, like getting the logos painted on, and who knows? it's sure to look sweet, no matter what. all the special project paint schemes they have done for my clients so far have been really special!

some shots of the detail work on Nate's frame, along with the tools of the trade. i use gradually smoother & smoother files, finally working down to sandpaper. i like doing my polishing by hand {at least 90%} i just get allot of satisfaction out of it, i like the look vs. machine grinding, and it gives you wicked arm pump!

here is Angry Bee's frame at conception. AB lives in Osaka, Japan. this frame is designed around a 465mm axle-to-crown fork that will accept either a 29er wheel or a 26" wheel with a giant 4" sand/snow/slime tire with a 650B in the back. this is gonna be quite the build...........and, here is the

front triangle all tacked up!

seat tube detail shot - the ST on my frames extends all the way through the ST sleeves i make and center the ST clamp, which rests on the shelf/stepdown created where the ST exits the sleeve. it's painted too, and AB liked the look.

good buddy Dan has been working on a frame with my help for awhile & i got the triangle brazed up yesterday. he's gonna polish this 1st & then we'll add the rear end. his Voodoo is woefully short in the cockpit & has bad toe overlap, and is sketchy on singletrack as a result.......

some hot from the torch brazing shots. these will be pretty easy to polish - i shoulda made it harder on him!

lastly, Shabir's project. a "supercross" 700c with a lugged fork. more on this project later - still waiting on a steerer tube.



that's it on the currently ongoing projects this week. **here's a list of the next five upcoming builds** get ahold of me people! i'll do the same: J. Perner, K. Olsen, J. Marzoff, R. Mingus, S. Zmyslinski. also, thanks for the deposits this week from: J. Hoppman, J. Stromburg, J. Brunk, S. Buchika. many thanks, all, & thanks for reading! Steve.

Lee's Ferry - a fine time!

I'm not really sure why blogger set up my pics this way, but here you go! we had a spectacular trip to Lee's Ferry on the Colorado River for my 41st birthday - what a fine time! weather was perfect, 90's during the day, 60's at night, not many people, great fishing & good company. very relaxing, a re-charge i needed allot...........
here's the whole gang: Denise, Barry & Jeff. the usual crew......not many have the desire or the gear to paddle upstream and fish & camp. you need a sea kayak and the want to go - that's all, really. there are no fees and few rules.......

Steve's eye view.

denise enjoying the sun, fine views & cool water.

we like when they start getting up to paddle blade size.

the emerald waters are very enticing, and really, really cold

Jeff paddling off solo a day early.

one for the skillet!

a tiny male all decked out in breeding colors - gorgeous! high hops for this little guy, as we saw some huge male trout.

a seeping spring along the river creating hanging gardens.

Barry in a nice drift.

a beautiful pink stripe on this rainbow. each fish is really beautiful at the ferry in different ways. some are really pink, some are dark with spots, and some are a very flashy silver.

a claret cup hedgehog cactus in bloom

the view from camp as the day winds down.

yep. another one.

our beautiful Longhaul Mark 2 at a de-luxe lunch break.

purty! that's it for now - sorry for the screwy format! i'll get that fixed. Steve.