Box o’Pipes, originally uploaded by Xvelo Designs.

To continue with my newest saga. Here is the box of pipes. You read from the other day that Scott and I started working on the jig to make wicked cool steel forks. I burned up all the gas trying to make angle iron hot enough so it only made it so far. Well I’m broke and lazy so I have not been to buy more gas so I’ve moved on. I’ve begun the jointing of the frame. Have all the pieces and the technical knowledge of how to do such work so I thought I’d give it a try.

Using tubemitre.exe to create the pattern on the 31.7mm down tube to mate to the 36mm head tube. Paper template taped on. I ended up having to put another template on after the hacksaw slipped. Centerline was drawn with a sharpie to assist when i get to the miter on the bottom bracket

Close up of the first miter. It’s still a bit rough but the temps in the garage were about 5 degrees tonight. I’ll finish with various half-round files. The Dremel didn’t do as well as I would have hoped. Sharp files will do the job better.

So that’s the work for the evening. I’ll spend the rest of the week doing the ‘cold’ work to this frame as I collect the parts that will make it be what I want. I have a bunch of stuff going on at the job that actually comes close to paying the bills so I’ll focus on that and keep the interwebs updated when I can. Cheers!

Fork #1 Picture #1, originally uploaded by Xvelo Designs.

The next pseudo-career has started. I’ve been a bicycle tour guide, a consultant, a loyal employee; the next stage is a bicycle builder. This one may go further than my professional photography career (doesn’t help that I’m not good) but probably not much. Mating pipes together in an act of bicycle building goodness seems like the thing to do. I love bikes, more than 99% of all humans outside of Portland, OR, and I am enamored with the engineering of them all.
The first bike will be an interpretation of my favorite bike from France. My Gehard; 3 speed dérailleur, everything on the bike was French. Nothing fancy but it was beautiful and rode/fit like a dream. It had it’s odd bit of quirkiness as will this one. If it is good enough (I’ve ridden it and it doesn’t break for a week commuting) I’ll paint it a funky brownish red and put the Gehard/Cycles Xvelo stickers on it. Keep in touch and we’ll see how it goes.
Fork number one. This is straight from the box. 22mm oval tubes in a simple flat crown with a 28.6 threadless steer tube. I’m using the socket dropouts as they seemed to be the easiest to use on the first try.
All for now, I’ll post as there is progress.

Cheers…

Campagnolo Dropouts (2 of 5), originally uploaded by Steve Mitchener Xvelo Designs.

Some people buy parts to fit a specific frame. I’ve chosen to begin the hobby of bicycle frame building from a set of dropouts. As always inspired by the European bicycle manufacturers, these will end up on some kind of Alex Singer or Rene Herse inspired bike. Steel, comfortable, semi-race geometry and perty colors.

Photogenic Cooper, originally uploaded by Steve Mitchener Xvelo Designs.

So this is probably the slowest post ever for a geek with a new camera. I have recently purchased a new camera. The D300s from Nikon to be exact, I bought it from Amazon with a shiny new 50mm 1.4 prime. It does not compare to the D70 in any way. I’m not however disrespecting the D70, it has brought me a long way into the depths of uber-geek.
If I actually knew a thing about them I would review it here, but I don’t; so I won’t. Just be forewarned, if you are around me now, I will take your picture, just look at my dog up there, he had no choice.

Troy at Hall Ranch, originally uploaded by Steve Mitchener Xvelo Designs.

Hey this pic is in the running for hopefully a free pair of socks from a bigger blog than mine. Be sure to go here and vote for it: SingleTrack Mag
If I win I may let you smell the socks.

Ok this was just too funny not to propegate. Cycling is for the masses; men, women, children, poor, rich, weak, strong, educated, not-so-much-educated and large blonde transvestites in thongs. Enjoy…

Cheers!