Uhhh, fail?

I DO NOT recommend Lightning Cranks to anyone, ever. Customer service--TERRIBLE. Product--BREAKABLE.

Welding practice

So, it turns out that welding is just as hard as everything else. This is my best example to date of a weld on steel, but I've been playing around with the various settings on Brett's TIG torch and it seems like I'm improving bit by bit.

Autumnal and such

I'm enjoying riding around on 2 bikes of my own design these days. I did a press-fit Shimano standard bottom bracket on this bike, and somehow I think that things are a bit off. Despite fiddling with the handlebars, wheel dish and other things, there's a slight sense of unbalance that I can't quite shake. The bike handles nicely enough, and I can ride no hands as long as I like, but there's a strange lightness when turning right, and a lack thereof when turning left. I'm thinking that I must not have got the seat-tube centered quite right or perhaps there is a kink in the bamboo that I didn't account for. Somehow it feels a little better when I hang my left butt cheek off to the side a bit, so I'm going to install my FSA DATA seatpost and see if I can slide it left or right enough to make a difference in the fit.

Live and learn.

Finally Painted

I finally got around to painting up my cross bike a few weeks ago. Amazing how a coat of paint can make a bike feel more finished.

Matching Shoes? Oh yes!

Finally, a bike

F'ing paint

There are a lot of things that I suck at, and painting bikes is certainly one. I tried to put the clearcoat onto my cyclocross bike, which I finally finished this past weekend. After hours of sanding and fiddling, I wouldn't have thought that there would be any issues remaining with non-sticking paint, but sure enough a flock of fish eyes popped up on both chainstays and at little spots on the top tube, down tube WHEREVER.

The rest of the paint job sucked too. I don't know if it's just that I can't get the hang of my HVLP gun, or what, but I cannot lay down a smooth paintjob to save my life. This results in HOURS AND HOURS of sanding to make up for my errors, and lots of lost time.

Hipsters know what's up

 
Found this note scrawled on the back of a messenger building pass on my bike the other day. Just wait until he sees it with paint on!

The big one

 
After literally 5 hours of sanding on the paintjob, many more hours painting prepping etc, I finally have something to show for myself. Just waiting for the little one to dry and I'll hopefully clearcoat them this week.

Downtube

 

The motto

 

The little one

 
This is a colorway I'm calling "koi swimming in a dark lake". I'm pretty happy with the way this one turned out, just have to wait for the brown tint to dry and then I can do the lettering on the downtube. It'll be the same color as the joints. Hot!

Old before its time

 

We have paint!

 

Looking old before their time

 

I like how the chainstay turned out. To me it looks a bit like the paint was rubbed off through years of pedaling.

That's my brand!

 

Terrible Photo, almost done!

 

Got the sanding mostly done, and the logo on. THis is finally looking good!

Risheeta's head tube

 

Red gold

 

I'm debating over whether or not to do the sanding fade into this color. I have black underneath and could do a similar lacquerware effect, but don't know if I'd like it better. Best let the customer decide...

Too much sanding

 
In an effort to get a smooth and loveable surface, I ended up going through the black into the primer. Wouldn't have been an issue if my primer were black, but the stupid grey stands out too much. I'll have to touch this up with a coat of black and then another red coat. Hopefully I'll get a better result this next time since I've already sanded down some of the highest spots.

This is the effect I was going for

 

This is the level of red/black balance I was hoping for. Acually, if it were my bike, I would have done the inverse, mostly black, with red revealed underneath.

The reveal

 

This is the lacquerware effect I was going for. I am leaning towards revealing more of the black underneath, but it's a bit precarious since I could sand through to the grey basecoat underneath. Lots of patience, time and 400 grit sandpaper.

 

 

All will be revealed

 
Soon we'll get to the cool part!