Better shot

Finished at last, finished at last

IMG_0541, originally uploaded by aaroneritz.

Thank god almighty I'm done at last!

I finished the latest bike-- DC3 (DC meaning Daruma Cycles, and 3 meaning the 3rd one ever) and am quite pleased with the work. The frame turned out to be about three pounds even in weight, slightly lighter than the DC1 frame and it should be VASTLY stiffer with its two inch downtube and headtubes and carbon chainstays. I am also pretty pleased with the way that the hand painted bamboo groves look on the finished bike. They were pretty simple once I got the general technique down and switched to the little paintbrush. Now all that remains is to give it to the proper owner and hope that all goes well! I tried to make the bike as impervious to moisture as possible by giving it a double coat of automotive 2 part finish and putting some expanding foam inside the seat tube above the first joint. I'll post more pictures once I get the bike in some better lighting.

Painting

As has been the case with all of the bikes I've built, the final finishing process is proving the hardest part. With the first couple of bikes, I ended up using easily available spray and brush on finishes, and I was a bit underwhelmed by their durability. In looking for something more scratch resistant I've decided to use an automotive two part finish, something like a catalyzed urethane or something with a built in hardener. A teammate of mine on QCW has a couple of connections with collision specialists and has offered to paint the bike for next to nothing. Cool, though it would be nice to be able to do the painting myself eventually.

Life gets in the way

Sometimes it's a bit difficult to get myself doing everything that I need to do. Well, scratch that, it's always difficult to get all that I want to do done in a day. Yesterday my club put on the fourth edition of the Hillbilly Hustle, our annual cyclocross race. It was a great success: great weather, great course (with some serious mud this time) and a really fun atmosphere. I didn't end up finishing the bike this weekend though, something I'm a bit pissed about. I've still got a bit of spot sanding and then the gluing of various cable hangers and the like. I'll get it done soon though, hopefully very soon. Like in the next week soon, but we'll have to see.

Interbike

Interbike was awesome. As per usual, the biggest gathering of my people that I've ever been too. It's unusual to get a chance to be a minor level nerd in a big ass convention hall full of other nerds. It makes me feel a bit normal at the end of the day. As if there's nothing unusual about my 24/7 obsession with bikes. There are other people like me, and occasionally a few of them actually make some money.

Main goals were to find a manufacturer of 1.5" steerer tube forks, and a headset that can work with them, and also somebody who makes a cyclocross chainstay set for the next bike. I want to make me a cross bike BADLY.

Also, if anyone has a sweet hookup on a tubing notcher, or some lathe parts, let me know, I'm looking to tool up in the next few weeks and get this thing rolling.

Progress

I got a fork for the latest bike this week, and have also completed all of the carbon layup. Remaining to do are sanding the frame (least favorite part) machining the headset cups and finishing the paint. The bike is looking a lot like a bike, and should end up being my lightest to date. I'm hoping for about 3.25 pounds finished weight. I'm putting the rest of the pics up on FLickr

Waylaid

I've made some minor progress on the most recent bike project, but I've been really waylaid by a number of other factors, life and projects that keep coming up. My sister visited in early August, and various teammates of mine decided to crash their bikes. As the owner of my club's sponsor shop said, "These Cat 4's are going to keep you in business!" True enough. I've had to do 2 emergency repairs on frames that were otherwise cracked and un-rideable. I'm making a bit of side cash, but I really wish that I could just have a few days to work on the latest road bike uninterrupted. I have gotten the seatstays selected and started, however. That is a definite bonus.