Wednesday, December 21, 2016


I found a good deal on a 888 so the AM bike feels balanced again (thanks Justin). I know these old Konas are a little dated geometrically, but it has done me well for the past ~10 years...
Bill's 24" is close to finished. I wasn't able to make the exact dropouts he wanted. Depending on the hub he's using, he'll have to go without tensioners or use the welded/inner dropout integrated ones.
 An hour of turning a few grinding discs into a breathable powder, only to have a thread tap break off in the hole. Don't ask me to make those BMX dropouts with the internal tensioners. They're heavier and, as I tried to just explain, tapping an inch of tiny diameter/fine threads into a work hardened plate is too risky a procedure.

Monday, December 12, 2016

bars etc


Brad's bars

The bar with the bird was supposed to be 31.8mm and I forgot to look back far enough into a conversation: 4" rise, 8* back, 4* up (22.2mm clamp)



Friday, December 9, 2016


Sal's beach cruiser bars
 Kristi's 3.5"s
Some 3"s with a 25.4mm clamp area that are now available (turns out dude needed a 22.2mm)
Ron's 5.5"s (the inserts are sitting loose in there as they still need to be knurled and pressed in after the bar is powdercoated)

Thursday, December 8, 2016

AZ adventure time


This one was the Hangover trail in Sedona. We also hit the Fins in West PHX and something called Secret trail in the Mcdowell Mtns. Lots of climbing this trip. I have figured out that the Marzocchi55 that I have on this old Kona is at least 2.5" shorter than the 66 that it was designed around (despite only an inch in travel difference). The result of this is a pretty steep head angle that kills confidence when descending steep /rocky trails. I've resolved to get a DH fork for it and build up a few other trail bikes in the near future.


 This corner, under the nose shaped rock, had a flat, icy ledge. Ten feet below that are a dead tree and a large rock to keep you from hundreds of feet of exposure, should you slip.
 Those corners have serious consequences (death or worse). Tony rode most of them while I didn't think I was low enough for many of them. It is tough to pedal with one's seat post in bottom out mode. The possibility of tagging a bar end and tipping over at low speed had me worried there, and I wanted my seat low on those corners.


Monday, November 28, 2016

bars and forks

Working on 6 bars (all really different) and 3-4 forks (20, 22, 26"s)

post work magnetism


Monday, November 21, 2016


Above is a 0mm drop street 26" (based on a 395mm atc fork) and below is a 10mm drop 26" (based on a 425 atc fork)

I put some 6.5"s on the sand bike. The leverage (for hops) is much better and the relaxed position is better for everything I've ridden so far. 

Thursday, November 3, 2016

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

 Spent much of the day milling down a bar of steel. Would have gone much faster if the fork legs were 25.4mm instead of 24mm (a mill/drill bit size that's hard to find locally)

Monday, October 31, 2016

Alex's 4" bars and Brian's (31.8 clamp) 9.5" bars and OS20 fork