Something fun and new

I am working on a few things that I hope will end up being at least a part time job. I have ordered some frame making materials like bottom brackets, an Easton EC90 carbon rear end and hopefully in a few days a complete tube set in Deddaciai steel and main tubes in carbon from Edge or Easton. Most likely Edge because they were much easier to talk to on the phone. Help and friendly CS are key!!

I am hoping to make a road bike that in a nutshell is race able. So it has to be reasonably light and very stiff. I have picked steel because its relatively easy to weld and easy to work with. They in effect will be a poor mans lugs and the carbon tubes will make up the main tubes. You got that? OK, let me be clearer. Steel bottom bracket, headtube and seat cluster and carbon tubes and a prebuilt carbon rear end for now. I am serious about the weight, even for a first time build and have purchased an Easton EC90SLX fork for the frame too.

As the prototype I hope to keep working with it and learning on it. For example after completion and a few rides, I may try wrapping the steel and carbon junctions in carbon to see how it affects stiffness.

Laugh or not, doesnt matter to me, but did I mention I still need to learn to Tig? I have done a little bit of Mig,but thats easy by comparison. Who knows, maybe I'll be a decent welder, maybe not. You never know about these things.

If all goes well and most importantly I enjoy the process I will start to get really serious and make custom all carbon lugged frames (Road, cross, track (Go Cleveland velodrome). Think Ruegemer, Parlee and Calfee!! I dream big dont I? It will be decades probably before I can match them.

So thats the first thing on my pallet. Always more to come.