Sunday, July 08, 2012

Crazy busy, tubes in/bikes out - 36 hours off.

 Long time no post, so much to do in the shop - I've had four full days off since June 1st and have not been biking in going on two months - payback for Baja and the Grand Canyon - well worth it!
 Here, Ted came over to assemble his new Coconino frame & fork from his old Surly, which fit awful.
Ted has an odd fit - long torso, short arms and legs. A utilitarian commuter/dirt roadster that will fit at least 45c's.
 Above, Dave B's frame getting scrutinized pre seat stays.
 And, all tacked up & ready to be brazed - a 650B built around a Fox 80mm x 29er fork.
A full build coming up with Paul hubs, Stan's rims, White Industries freewheel - good stuff, one speed.
 I put down the torch and snapped the pic. Hot, damn hot.
 Out of the dunktank and cleaned off - a full signature frame to be fully polished. It's actually done and I need to do braze-ons today but I only have time right now to do my blog.
I am rapidly catching up on metal work but do you ever really catch up?
 Above, nice curves with coneflower & Monarda, below fillet brazing de-fluxed and wire brushed only. That polished out nice & quick.
 Below, alignment check post brazing. Damn, this frame came out spot-on, and I mean spot-on. <.25mm out over the entire span of the frame with most of it being well under that.
 This pic shows me checking to make sure the faces are in phase with each other, which they are.
 Wheel check, 650B x 2.35"
 Tight brazing.
 Above, "The Woodsman's" 26" fully rigid MTB to go live in Sussex, England.
Giddy-up.
Below, collecting parts for the same.
 We did a whiz-bang trip to the Rio to get a few dust-free days off (super drought conditions - too dusty to handcycle and breathe/see) so we took off for 36 hours for an overnighter.
 D. is no slouch catching trout.
 Bro-in-law Greg's first time kayaking - he did great & had a blast.
 Greg fishing in sub 50*F water while I rack out for awhile - the ranger station recorded over 112*F both days - love it. Good for the bones & joints.
 I measure trout by the paddle blade.
 Little boat, big canyon.
 Horses are walking over 1000 vertical feet down from the Rez to drink - some branded, some not.
We also saw a 3/4 curl bighorn ram where I had never seen one before. The critters that have made it down to the Rio are fat & happy. Had a 4' long beaver rip right under the boats at speed, looked just like a seal.
 Greg & D.
 Giant Desert Centipede tracks - very poisonous, aggressive, bad news.
 It gets no better then shade:30 after a long sunny day.
The end of a great day - 36 hours hit it & get it.
Super busy, some orders are waiting for special things like custom tubes or 44mm head tube facers, but the immediate up and coming orders are : Woodsman - up now, then: Barin - I know you are stuck in visa/immigration hell, let me know when you think you can take delivery - Dave B, Bill S, Eiji, Jason C, John L, ect out to April, 2013.
Thanks for reading, all three of you - Steve.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Steve,
Read and enjoy your BLOG all the time. Would love to get a COCONINO sometime. Got a LIVE WIRE from Chaunc Matthews (pre MATTHEWS change). Keep on keepin on.
Scott

Kristina said...

MAKE THAT 4!

Anonymous said...

We're not just reading... we're shopping!
Cheers,
M

steve garro said...

That's maybe the best comment ever!

Anonymous said...

five . . .

Anonymous said...

I guess that makes me 6, your bikes are awesome as well as the shots of kayaking and the canyons!

Freaky Jay said...

I think you've got more readers than you think. You're an inspiration. I've been a metal worker for many years, and have had the pleasure of meeting you once through a mutual friend (Bruce @ 360 Adventure).

Keep it man, I look forward to these posts!