Groovy Cycleworks 330-988-0537

2011...running the numbers

2012-02-09T05:50:00.000-08:00

Christi and I just finished pushing through the 2011 numbers for the shop to facilitate closing out the books, submitting taxes, and calculating insurance adjustments for 2012 premiums.

Out of this long, borish work comes some numbers that are kinda fun to look at from a cycling business perspective, so I thought I'd share...

2011 at a glance:

Total number of unique customers -                         247

Total number of customer emails answererd -          4370

Feet of steel tubing used -                                        431'

Feet of titanium tubing used -                                    192'

Number of K sized cylinders of argon used -             5

Total paid for business insurance for year -                $1756.00

Number of blog posts for year -                                74

Number of races promoted/ran with 331 -                 9

Number of kids races -                                             5

Personal hours required preparing/running the races - 115

Amount of donations for races/prizes/blog contests - $5897.00

Number of Tee Shirts printed -                                 110

Hours of trail work at Vultures Knob -                      22

Hours donated for in shop framebuilding instruction - 62 (4 individuals)

Shop hours logged -                                                 1622

Fire Department hours logged -                                3030

Average work week between both -                        89 hours

and here is the sad one...

Number of rides in 2011 -                                        15

So...here's looking forward to 2012, where I hope to ride more, we're adding one more race, and the sun will always shine in Ohio (well, two outa three aint bad)    :)

rody

Matt's Bridgestone...

2012-02-06T12:47:00.000-08:00

In the continuing saga of trying to catch up on all the small parts/restos a little at a time, this week we have Matt's Bridgestone RB-1. Matt had sent this frame in quite a while ago with a request of a repaint. Unfortunately, through some re locations and time, we lost touch for a bit but were able to get back on track just before Christmas.

Originally red, this frame and fork were destined for something a bit more green. We decided to do a green candy motif that had some retro splatter elements while still retaining some of the understated visual Bridgestone is famous for.

The frame was stripped down, placed on the alignment table, all threads tapped, HT and BB faced, and all brazing inspected before moving on to primer.

After three thin coats of sanded primer, we are ready to start with some color.

The base layer is a British Racing metallic green...

Then I began layering on sterling silver, shamrock green, and finally poly green metallic...each designed to give a different depth of color once the candy is sprayed over top.

After two heavily reduced layers of indy green candy...the heavy reducer is used to burn into and even out the under accents, giving a more uniform surface. Gotta be careful though, as it makes runs that will eat through the layers a possibility, sending you all the way back to the starting gate.

A quick shot in the sun..you can start to see the sparkly potential.

Now that the base layers are done, it's time to work on some details. I drew up the Bridgestone logos on AI and cut them out on the plotter. I wanted to retain the original, bold look, so stayed true to form.

On the frame, fogged in with a little carrera white with a touch of bright white pearl, so that the graphics had a bit of shine just like the rest of the frame.

And finally, four hot coats of clear to really set the frame off.

The obligatory in the sun shot..

Matt, I hope the new look is pleasing. Should be quite the looker once out on the sunny road.

cheers,

rody

Behind the scenes...Chris's repair

2012-02-05T07:29:00.000-08:00

Although I try to show a lot of what goes on in the shop, so much more takes place behind the scenes. One of those aspects are repairs to existing customer's bikes. Regardless of how the issue occurs, crash, fatigue, vandalism, etc... they all need fixed up to keep my customers smiling.

I feel it's important to share these failures and subsequent repairs because that's part of being a professional builder...standing behind not only your product, but your customer as well, despite the origin of the issue. It the responsibility and the cost of doing business in this field.

The last two weeks, I've had two bikes come back that needed some love. Both were a little over 5 years old, both used the original Zona stays, both were Rohloff builds, both had a failure of the seat stay tubing about an inch up from the dropout termination brazing. One could argue that the failure is in the HAZ zone, that the cantilever design of the Paragon sliders places coupled with the disc brake and the Rohloff torque places too much force on the frame, shoulda used a stay brace, or that when you ride hard off road for a long time stuff wears out. Regardless, they need fixed.

Chris's bike was designed as a single speed, but had the Rohloff installed about 2 years ago to help him climb the hillier terrain of Phoenix when he relocated his family to Arizona.

He noticed a small crack forming in the finish of the left seat stay and sent the frame in for review.

When constructed, the stay is slotted for the tab, then filled with a lot of silver so that the tab and interior of the stay encapsulate each other, forming a solid bond. What I found once the paint was stripped off was a small hairline circumferential crack beginning about 1 inch up from the end of the dropout tab. In this case, the tubing failure would be towards the cooler edge of the heat affected zone. The accumulated force of the cantilevered dropout, constant forward torque from the Rohloff, and the pulsating forward pressure of the disc brake fatigued the stay material, exceeding it's ability to absorb the forces.

Would a stay brace have helped? I've seen failures of this type in both configurations on diverse builders frames, so it's tough to say. What I have concluded through the years is that while the sliding dropouts are excellent for single speed or geared use, they are less than optimum for use with a Rohloff long term.

To fix this, the stay was cut out about 2 inches up, a solid piece of 1018 steel was turned down on the lathe to the stay OD, shouldered for 2 inches with a chamfered edge to slide up into the stay, and scalloped to match the original shape at the dropout. The piece was then bored out to leave a .120" wall, plenty sufficient for the forces anticipated.

The piece was then brazed in place with the stay and welded to the dropout.

I then did my best to match the liquid paint to the existing powder, blended it all in, touched up the rest of the frame, then cleared the entire kit and kaboodle.

Should be ready to go a long time regardless of use now :)

Now, to hustle back to show stuff.

cheers,

rody

Show stuff begins...2012

2012-02-01T17:10:00.000-08:00

Well, the new week has arrived for me and so too has the start of show prep. I've got 24 days to tackle the build list, consisting of; two frames, 4 wheels, two one piece stem/bar combos, two seatposts, one ti fork, 15 steel bars, 10 ti bars, and get everything painted, coated, assembled, packed and shipped. Gonna be a long haul.

Today I worked on masking and powdercoating a frame in jollypop metallic red over sterling silver, finishing a second frame repair, began paint on a resto, and got moving on the steel bars for the show and March orders.

With the weather being a beautiful 54 degrees and sun (whoda thunk on Feb 1????) I actually jumped on Kaltens road bike and did 10 miles before having to attend to parental chaperon duties for the evening. Felt good to be back on a bike, as the last time I rode was back in July...ughh.

More later...

rody

Winter Play...

2012-01-29T17:37:00.000-08:00

As I'm finishing another 3 day purgatory serving "the man", others have been getting out and playing.

Thanks to Mike for sending this pic of him cruising the Mohican trail system on his Groovy Kauai 650b 1x9, courtesy of Jason and his 15mm wide angle fish eye lens.

Got a cool pic you want to share with the Groovy family, send it in. If nothing else, it makes me smile when I can't get out.

rody

Collosial week done, moving forward...

2012-01-26T08:15:00.000-08:00

"Our 18 month old patient will require .01 mg/kg of Epi (.1 ml/kg 1:10000) IV push circulated with cpr at a rate of at least 100 compressions per minute followed by a 2 J/kg asyncronis shock. If Torsades persists, we will consider Mag sulfate..."

so went my week teaching pediatric advanced life support. If it sounds like a mouthful, just be glad you're reading it and not expected to know what it means, let alone be on the opposite side of the table from this anal retentive instructor :) It was a loooong week, spending 92 hours in the fire department and only about 8 in the shop, but I'm glad it's over.

The few hours I did have, I was able to get the steel rear end repair completed and ready for color. This one will likely be a powder coat, so that it has increased knock around durability for it's travel heavy use.

Final parts are ordered for the bikes going to Nahbs and I'll be charging forward with those builds hard and heavy starting on Monday.

If y'all have not seen the Nahbs page yet, I've been trickling in some more pics to update the Exhibitor profile and keep me on the front page. It's been fun looking through the hundreds of files on the laptop to find some cool bikes to put on there. So many pics of poor quality though, I need to get a pro photographer in house to live under the porch and exist on table scraps so I can document these things before they go out the door. Anyhoo, if ya wanna see what's on the page, there are a ton of cool builders to comb through...

http://2012.handmadebicycleshow.com/

See y'all soon,

rody

Mix Mash of Work...Ti road and steel rear

2012-01-15T16:19:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to clear my plate so I can focus on the next two builds, both of which will be traveling to Nahbs with me in March.

To move forward, I'm pushing out a Ti road bike and a steel mountain bike that needs a new rear end repair. Once I get them out of the fixtures, I'll have a bit more breathing room.

So, a couple of pics of some of the work moving forward...

On the Ti road bike, the seat tube insert machined and welded in place, binder completed, front triangle mitered, and rear chainstays done...not a bad day.

This steel mountain bike is getting a new rear end, complete with Rohloff dropouts. Starting with the chainstays, everything has been measured, cut and ready for dimpling to create a bit more clearance...

This little fixture is a two piece...the rear block is shaped to the outside profile of the oval stay, the inside block is machined on the centerline and shaped with a relief to provide for a gradual transition.

The final clearance....

Cutting to fit the bottom bracket...

and the beginning stages of creating the Rohloff extended dropout, soon to be smoothed, machined and finished into a seamless piece...

My parting shot when leaving for the day, a cool bus courtesey of my sis...

I'm off to work a 72 hour push at the FD, teaching 2 Pediactric Advanced Life Support classes in between, and hopefully getting a skoosh of shop work done...gonna be a busy week.

cheers,

rody

I love my mill...

2012-01-12T11:54:00.000-08:00

Yes, she may be old, but she's quiet, smooth, and makes me smile like a little kid.

Makes unicrown forks a breeze too :)

cheers,

rody

Custom painted forks...it's in the details

2012-01-11T14:53:00.000-08:00

Time has been passing quite fast around the shop. I've had a number of projects in the works, but nothing that I felt especially compelled to share, as much of the processes have been detailed ad nauseum here in the past. I have had a few other builders email, wanting to know the best way to paint a suspension fork to match a frame...is it better to fully disassemble it, paint it and rebuild, if not, how do you mask it to insure full coverage without leaving any tight areas unpainted?

I've been waiting a looong time for a shipment from Fox to arrive, like months. It seems if you do not want a trendy tapered steerer it has to be custom assembled, then year end inventory hit, then the Holidays shipping barrage, excetera excetera. Now that they are finally here, one of the forks is going on Dave's bike. Since the time lines have converged with the location of the show being very close to Dave's home turf, this one is gonna be in Sacremento, so I offered to paint it to match to give the bike a finished look.

I've painted a lot of sussy forks from all the manufacturers, some are easier to disassemble, some better to paint fully together; Fox falls in the latter category due to the necessity of replacing seals, tight tolerances during assembally that can mar your finish, and overall shape.

So, to get ready, the first item on the adgenda is to strip her of all the decals, wipe down with degreaser, and then sand the powder coat finish with 600 grit paper to give the base layers some mechanical grip for the coming colors.

Once sanded, it's time to spend some quality time taping everything up. I spend about a third of the total time it takes to paint a fork in taping prep, as the close tolerances are critical to the finished product. Starting with the seals, I carefully place 3M thin blue line around the edge, pulling with just enough tension to nestle it down to the base level without stretching it. To get in behind the brace, I use the tip of a sharpend spoke to gently push it down into place before applying tension to each side to set the adhesive.

The blue line is then covered with a wrap of Scotch Green mask tape, being careful set it just above the lower edge, then closing it up at the top.

Blue line goes at the top of the stantion tube, then green mask in the same process, then the stantion is covered in green tape to preserve it's coolio finish.

The top caps need to be unthreaded a turn or two, allowing just enough space to allow for a piece of blue line to pull under the edge, enabling just enough spray to get under the cap but not against the threads. Yeah, takes a bit of practice to get it just right. I raised it a bit here in the picture to illustrate, turned it down one notch before continuing.

I then grabbed the calipers, measure the diameter of the inner contact points for the axles, and cut some happy little vinyl circles to mask off for the hub and thru axle areas. More blue line and green tape over the lower knobs and a rubber plug to protect the threads of this little hole.

Next up, it's time to shoot our color layers. Here the base pink is applied. You need to work the paint into the area between the stantions and the brace very carefully, turning down the inlet pressure and lightly fogging in the product from both lateral aspects to get even coverage. Too much pressure or paint and you'll get a runny mess on the edges that will be a bear to clean up.

For the next step, I made a little custom stencil out of some nylon hair and some vinyl tape.

I then methodically went over the whole fork, overlapping my hairs, spraying through the stencil with an airbrush to create the darker pink overlay.

Some more time with multiple airbrushes and some custom cut stencils gives us the cheetah spots...here is our fork with the work all sealed under a layer of clear.

An after two more coats of clear with some intermittent sanding, dry time, and some careful mask removal, we have our matching fork.

Some tips on removing your masking...

In the small/tight detail areas like the blue line tape, it is easy to tear set paint away if you do not meticulously pull the tape back over it's self 180 degrees, so that it cuts the tape line rather than lift it.

If you are using a Xacto knife to assist in un masking, gentle is the key word...lay the knife flat against the surface of the tape and gently slide the blade under the tape edge, then rotate up to lift. This will prevent you from cutting into the underlying finish.

Most of all, don't get in a hurry, or you'll be revisiting parts of the process.

cheers,

rody

Good Bye 2011...

2012-01-01T17:27:00.000-08:00

Random shots from fabrication the last week...pics, no words :)

See y'all next year,

rody

Communication breakdown...

2011-12-30T13:03:00.000-08:00

Ok, it's official, after 4 years my phone is dead.

The problems started a few years ago when I forgot that I left my phone on the layout table. As I was focused on brazing the dropouts to the rear end of the frame suspended from the stand, I failed to realize that the rest of the torch's flame was slowly cooking the touch pad face of the phone into a wrinkled, loose fitting shadow of it's former self...oops.

As is human nature, unwilling to admit defeat (stupidity?), I modified my use, opening the phone to access the keypad, soldiering on diligently.

The last three months, the battery has been whining that it is tired, worn out, and ready to retire. So am I, I argued...man up! Despite my admonishment, I still need to charge it twice a day to continue my on the go use or face dropping calls mid sentence, having it shut down unceremoniously while texting, and don't even think about checking email or pictures...poof! Thus is the price we pay not to be anchored down by a cord.

The last two weeks, voicemails have been sporadic at best...nothing for days then it will dump 10 into the inbox, only half of them opening up. the others only offering a clue, a simple tease of what or who could have been requesting my presence

So, despite the moral and financial pain, I'm being thrust into another upgrade in technology...gonna have to get something new.

I feel slightly defeated. At least the old red Volvo is still hanging on to life. Excuse me while I find something wooden to knock on.

In the interim, if y'all need to contact me...don't call. Please drop me an email and we'll get back to you as we can.

cheers,

rody

2012 Luv Handles...

2011-12-14T14:45:00.000-08:00

Hey folks, if you've not yet contacted us about getting on the list for 2012 bars, it is filling rather quickly. We are burning through the calendar...

We've already filled our wholesale orders through May and are into March for individual customers...

Available for late March Delivery:

4 steel spots left
6 Ti spots left

If y'all would like to get on the list for a bar, please contact us by email and Christi will get you sorted.

cheers,

rody

Christmas fun...don't shoot Santa

2011-12-11T07:11:00.001-08:00

Selling for a customer...

A custom Yo Eddy Slingshot.

Made from a Yo fork that met an untimely demise, this piece was cut and milled down, painted in a black and metallic silver FAT theme with little Yo guys hanging out for the fun. The top corks are removable to keep the slingshot fodder in, the steerer is wrapped in a nice beige cork tape, and a wooden plug was turned down in the lathe to cap the steerer end.

A nice collector's piece that is one of a kind...just keep it out of the kids hands or you'll be replacing windows :)

$125.00 plus shipping

Respond here on the blog if interested, then follow up with an email to rody@groovycycleworks.com please. Sold in order of interest.

thanks,

rody

Ceramic coatings and Hot Rods...made for each other

2011-12-09T15:12:00.001-08:00

One of the advantages of making your own cranks is that you can paint them to match the bike, giving the project that little bit extra. However, as anyone who has ridden off road for years knows, your shoe/ankle tends to rub the paint/annodizing right off the outside aspect of the arm. Looking for something that provides more durability and a different look, I've been researching and playing with some ceramic coatings that I can apply in house. Long story short, I've found a product that meets my parameters and we're now ceramic coating parts. I'm REALLY happy with the results.

Parts after baking in the box for 2 1/2 hours...

A nice titanium blue finish...

and a graphite black...

They really play well off the anodized spiders and provide a very durable, visually pleasing finish.

The coating only builds .001", so this will make an excellent, scratch resistant finish for steel bars as well without building the od like powder and liquid paint does.

EDIT... update with the finished product. I played with some stencil/masking techniques and now have the process dialed (quite a bit different than paint) and here is what the finshed product will look like with ceramic.

Matte black with titanium blue graphic and annodized spider...

cheers,

rody

Wish that dent away...

2011-12-09T13:59:00.001-08:00

One of the most difficult aspects of a old restoration project is what to do with BIG dents...now I'm not talking about those pesky little dings you get from a rock popping up and ringing your tube, but those large, tube destroying depressions that make you want to cry, take the bike apart, and hang the frame on the wall.

Unfortunately, these are tough to work with, normally requiring you to replace the entire tube. But for folks who want to keep the frame as original as possible, we need to get creative. FA small ding can be filled with some silver, filed down, and is ready to go. Filling these with silver would cost you about 15 bucks in product and a lot of heat...so much so that you might as well replace the tube. But, if you have a way to pull the dent back out, you have a chance to save the frame.

So here is the project bike...a yo with a nasty dent in the top tube from an automobile vs. bike accident.

And the slide hammer/puller I made...

It's a simple tool that uses a stainless 1/2" rod, #0 chuck, and an 1 1/4" stainless solid bar stock. A little time on the lathe, welding table, a sprinkle of creativity and we have a dent puller for thin wall bicycle tubing.

We'll start by tacking on a piece of stainless wire...

We'll attach the puller, tighten down the chuck and work the dent from the middle and out each side to bring the edges up. You can see here where I attached in three places and left just the small tack marks behind.

What's left after using the slide hammer is a small detent we can now fill with silver and feather out to the edges. Add a little heat and some 45% silver...

Wha-la, another original tube saved...

Cheers,

rody

Groovy Holiday Sales...aka stuff needs to go

2011-12-01T10:01:00.001-08:00

Ok folks, too much retro stuff starting to collect around the shop, so it's time to unload some of it. If y'all want something, drop me a line at rody@groovycycleworks.com , everything first come, first serve, you pay the shipping.

1991 Grove X frame, Assault fork, Hamerhead bar/stem combo. Serial # X-82-12-20-91, this was a Christmas present for Bill's daughter, designed around the 17" sizing with an inch taken off the seat tube length. The frame is in nice survivor shape with typical chainsuck, a bit of paint missing around the edge of the bb and the odd chip here and there. Overall, very nice for it's age. $450.00 plus shipping

1993 Grove Titanium...Serial # Ti-14-1993. This is a 19" titanium frame that was an unfinished shop project (still needed H20 bosses and rear seat stays welded) that I was happy to receive. The frame fabrication was completed and then painted in a red on black candy with NOS decals. I left off the large TITANIUM decal, as I always thought it was a bit gaudy. My intent was to keep it for myself, but alas, it has sat on the shelf for years. I'd rather someone who is going to build it up and ride it have the opportunity to enjoy it. There is a small paint chip on the bottom of the headtube edge from shelf wear, visible in the second photo. Basically a New Old Stock frame, never built. $1500.00 OBO plus shipping.

Fat Chance Wicked Frame with Ho Down fork and new Cane Creek Headset - Serial # 680W09. A 19" Wicked, repainted by Vicious Cycles, that I took in as partially payment for some work completed. Was going to build it up into a knock around commuter...never happened. The frame is used, and has a few chips and scratches to prove it. The head tube was drilled for a Jen Green "FAT" headbadge, I aligned the frame, and it has a slightly sticky canti boss. Overall a nice solid bike for someone looking for a rider or as an excellent start for a resto project. $450.00 plus shipping.

Various red anno parts, most used with typical wear to be expected...
     - Candy red Hot head, 150mm with 25 degree rise - $100.00
     - Caraba Double Barrel Cranks with Kooka ring, 175mm - $75.00
     - Thomson Elite post, anno red, 26.8 - $20.00
     - Paul Canti brakes - $50.00
     - Ringle cable hanger, peace sign - $5
     - NOS Caramba canti brake levers, very rare - $125.00

Stay tuned...have some modern stuff to come,

rody

Lighting a fire...Hollingsworth visit

2011-12-01T07:35:00.001-08:00

I've spoken many times of my fortune when I showed interest in learning a bit about framebuilding. If not for the generous offer of time I received, I'd not have had the start to move me where I am today. In acknowledgement of that, I try to be considerate of others needs and give back to the community that has provided me with so much enjoyment through the years. Logging into the super information highway and assisting others through email, forum posts and critical assessment of works in progress, when requested, is nice, but there is no substitute for one on one learning.

Every year, I open the shop and a bit of my time to earn back some framebuilding karma...this week was one of those times.

I was pleased to have Steve and Kirsten Hollingsworth from North Carolina up for three days. Steve and Kirsten had established Northstar Custom frames a few years ago and have been progressing through self education, Internet input via email and phone from the building community, base industrial classes and a lot of trial and error. Despite hurdles, they have decided they want to embrace this as a husband/wife team and enter framebuilding as a career path in the near future. We set aside this week to focus on three main areas they desired improvement; framebuilding as a business, tig welding, and paint techniques.

The allure of working with metal, imagination, and toil to create beautiful pieces of performance tends to draw many to this manufacturing niche. Unfortunately, desire often outstrips a strong business model and operational understanding, the act of facilitating customer interaction and needs interpretation, and lastly, fabrication ability. Without these critical tools, the dream will end abruptly with a wake of dissatisfied people and another black eye on the framebuilding community. Gathered around the kitchen table with Christi and I, we discussed goals and objectives, developed a business plan that would allow them to prepare and grow toward a professional launch date, and reviewed the ugly necessities of running a business; legal liability, insurance, sole proprieter/LLC/Inc ownership, Federal tax requirements, local re-sale licenses, accounting methods, COGS, estimating, brand perception, marketing/advertising, customer grievance resolution, and the list goes on and on :) With a solid understanding of who they wanted to be as a company, a plan to move toward that goal, and the business steps necessary to achieve it, it was time to move to the shop for some fun.

Steve had been proactive and taken a college course on metal fabrication with a focus on Tig welding. I have found these types of course work to offer a good broad range of understanding of the process but are lacking on true torch technique and a full understanding of heat control. Starting from scratch, we took him through understanding of the Tig process, machines available and the pros and cons of each, setting up an machine, choices in cup size, tungsten diameter, filler size and type, and shielding gas options and parameters. We then began a progressive learning segment, teaching him how to tig weld thin tubing using three different styles; straight current to experience how torch angle, current/heat input, travel speed and filler rates all affect your weld penetration, integrity and aesthetic, pulsed welding to expand understanding of limiting heat build and resultant distortion, and finally lay wire technique and its small advantages and numerous pit falls if not practiced with an experienced eye toward joint penetration.

Eight hours later, we brought all this together by dissecting the fabrication of a frame, working around each joint and discussing the appropriate technique and parameters that would offer the most efficient fabrication and highest quality of joinery.

Our third day brought Kirsten back into the mix, as we delved into the world of paint. Although Steve has done most the paint to this point, it is their goal to include Kirsten as the painter once operational. She has a keen eye for detail and possesses the meticulous nature necessary for professional work, allowing Steve to focus on the fabrication aspects of the workload. One day is hardly enough time to scratch the surface of a skill set that takes years to become proficient with and a lifetime to step toward the road to mastery. One day, however, is enough time to feel overwhelmed by just how much information there is to absorb :)

Starting from the top, we discussed available paint systems, the pros and cons of each, where the finishing industry is taking paint in the future, design and function of booths, regulatory agency requirements of OSHA, NFPA and the EPA, and the importance of quality components (guns, compressors, air filtration, regulators, and consumables). Moving to practical application, we practiced actual paint system mixing, changes to the spray/state of the atomized mist with positive/negative reducer amounts, operation of the gun and it's variation of settings, spray technique to insure even coverage, sanding techniques, base colors, candies, suspended particulates, positive and negative masking, clear coats and most importantly...how to fix mistakes.

Consumed in a whirlwind of activity, we ran right up to the minute they had to dive into the car and head home, overspray creating tacky clothes for the 8 hour ride south, their partially cured tubes creatively in the back seat to preserve them.

I sent the Hollingsworths off with a confident feeling that if they adhere to the plan we created, they will have a long career serving the cycling industry. Look for this dynamic team to make a splash in a few years when they are prepared enter our little world of frame fabrication full time. Best wishes to them and their future customers.

A big thank you goes out to my brethren who have shared with Steve and Kirsten long distance; Fred of Wolfhound, Tom Kellog of Spectrum, Hank and Monica of Henry James, and Dave of Bohemian...you are good folks!
cheers,

rody

Sorry Mr. Turkey...Pink Cheetah for Thanksgiving?

2011-11-24T19:06:00.001-08:00

Dave's bike took another step toward completion as I finished up the last of the paint on his frame today.

His daughter picked the paint scheme for his new endurance race rig...Pink Cheetah. I struggled for a bit trying to come up with a visual method that did not look too cartooney, but seriously, how realistic can you make a pink on pink spotted bike look?

I settled on on light pink base, airbrushed hair in a darker shade, then dark pink and black ringed spots to give it some visual definition.

Parts are floating in...gonna be built with Pink anno King headset, bb, and hubs, Ti bar, stem and seat post, Ceramic coated Hot Rods, and a Carbon/Ti WTB saddle. Gonna be HOT!

On Martin's Ti bike horizon, I've successfully ruined another set of Ti dropouts after hours of manual machining. I'm putting up the white flag and am gonna draw them up in Solidworks and throw the igs files to my CNC guy. I like to do as much as I can myself, but alas, it pays to have the right tool for the job. Anyone got a CNC Vertical Mill laying around they want to get rid of cheap?

cheers,

rody

fidlley bits...

2011-11-14T09:46:00.001-08:00

The last three weeks have seen me absent from the shop, focus re-directed at the Fire Department and the final weeks of political action on a state wide safety issue. Creeped back into the shop and established a groove yesterday, however.

Lot's o' guides for this 2x10 with chain stay mounted disc brake build...

Also finished up the direct front derailleur mount; started as a hunk of square bar and a 1.125 tube...

The kids have been jumping in on the action; Kalten cutting stock for the 2012 run of bars and Em media blasting Eric's Cross Country Racer to get ready for paint.

rody

The Outspoken Cyclist and Groovy...Unite!

2011-11-05T18:32:00.000-07:00

Yep,

Had an opportunity to cruise up to John Carrol University and chat with Diane and Greg for the Outspoken Cyclist. We all had a ball, just wish I, um, could have, um, not said "um" so much :)

Regardless, listen if if ya like, but if most of ya have been around here at all, most of the info is gonna be somewhat redundant.

Listen right here!

Enjoy,

Rody

Ok, so I'm an idiot...

2011-10-29T18:29:00.000-07:00

It often seems like my life is a battle for time.

Besides running both full time jobs, I've also been playing political activist to fight Issue 2 here in Ohio by working the phone bank (swore I'd never, ever do that since I hate being called at home), going door to door, and speaking at a rally downtown...a small contribution compared to some of my devoted co-workers. But my latest inability to say no/do too much was my decision to take on an 8 week college class dealing with management...my saving grace to be that it could be done online at my leisure. Funny how time cruises by, because I realized Thursday that I only had until Saturday night to complete all the assignments, read 400 pages and take the online final exam...shit!

So, if y'all have called, txt'd, or emailed in the last three days and have not heard back from me, it's because I've been desperately/furiously/single mindedly working to finish my college course obligation.

Good news...emailed the last assignment and passed my final with a 98% just moments ago.

Bad news...the next quarter/part 2 of the class starts Monday; Ughh.

This next go around, I'm gonna leave at least twice the time to get it done :)

Hope all is well,

rody

Making Progress...Hot Rods in the Haus!

2011-10-24T08:58:00.000-07:00

It's been a bit of a nightmare getting the outside vendors firing on all cylinders (long delay at heat treatment, 2 times through plating to get right build thickness) but the cranks have finally made their way back home.

Post heat treatment/plating machining is completed, ready to start putting on the final finish for each set. Still have some spiders to come back from anno but we're getting closer :)

Yea!

These have been a LOT of work to get all the final kinks worked out, but will totally be worth it.

cheers,

rody