Saturday, March 06, 2010

Truss Fork Part @

I finally finished the truss fork today.  It was about the first project I started this winter, but the last one finished because it lacked a clear vision from start to finish.  Here's how it came out:




Its unpainted as of now but the brazes are finally polished.  The rack part was super fun to build, despite slicing my finger to a measurable depth, I'm looking forward to doing some more of them.  Those tires are a 29x2.35 with gobs of clearance.  I bet it would even take a 26x4.0, but I have none of those to test.  Its designed around my Jandd front paniers.  I'm sure if you look close you can figure out where everything goes.  It was real tempting to get super artsy with the rack tubing and the bends, but i thought it was sturdy enough and heavy enough so I'm calling it done.  Next time I'm going to make sure a six pack fits in between the fork stays.  It should hold a bed roll or a camera just fine though.  I took it and rode one of the sweetest, hardest trails in Sedona today but I was so jacked up on the strongest cup of coffee I've ever made that I could barely keep my shit together.  The fork is stiff as all get out.  Should be expected from a four pound skewer I guess (the thick wall steerer is a pound itself though).  Brings the whole beast up to about 30 lbs.  mmmmm.....heavy.  By the way I'm really into carbon bikes...just as long as they're bonded together with a strong medium...like IRON.  I'm going to have an extended testing session on this beast very soon.

That wraps up the winter projects.  The sun is coming out and its been warming up to almost 50 here and I need to get out of the shop and into the world so Moustache March = adventure and not bike building, but I'll be looking forward to the return.  Next on the list is the Heinchez.  He dropped me off a sweet parts kit a couple weeks ago with some Chris King/Sun Equalizer 650B wheels with 2.3" Pacenti NeoMotos.  This boy knows how to outfit a good bike so I'm stoked to build a frame for him.  It'll be interesting since I've never built a 650B and neither of us has ever ridden one.  And fortunately Heinchez is about as close in size and bike fit to myself as one can get.  Suspect the usual details and versatility.  Hasta Luego.  Richard


6 comments:

  1. very nice...that fork is the shit... cant wait to hear more on how she rides but Im guessing the real test will be fully loaded, downhill and technical. Im definitely liking whats going on... bikes that rip and carry shit. Rock on!

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  2. Yeah that's cole's saab and its dead....go figure...electrical issues. $700 down the tube and not fixed. You want it?

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  3. YO - Richard - I'm diggin' it all!

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  4. That fork rocks my world

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  5. Hey richchard... can't wait for the six-pack compatable fork. Can you make one that fits a pony keg?

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