The garage frame building journey
- Thread starter sikocycles
- Start date
Just wondering if the pich bolt is the best idea. I did not realize how much better a dropper post works until I switched to the tooLOC from Vecnum on one bike. The idea makes sense to me, however, not all dropper posts seem to bind as much as the Vecnum Moveloc.
tooLOC - DROPPER POST CLAMP — Vecnum GmbH
The Vecnum tooLOC clamp has been specially designed for dropper posts. With the two bolt clamping system the function is gentle to the post and frame. This guarantees a perfect and fully functioning dropper post. AL 7075 and titanium bolts make it lighter and strong.
www.vecnum.com
Oh nice idea. I had seen a clamp like that but didn’t realize what it was for.Just wondering if the pich bolt is the best idea. I did not realize how much better a dropper post works until I switched to the tooLOC from Vecnum on one bike. The idea makes sense to me, however, not all dropper posts seem to bind as much as the Vecnum Moveloc.
tooLOC - DROPPER POST CLAMP — Vecnum GmbH
The Vecnum tooLOC clamp has been specially designed for dropper posts. With the two bolt clamping system the function is gentle to the post and frame. This guarantees a perfect and fully functioning dropper post. AL 7075 and titanium bolts make it lighter and strong.
I run the clamp tight and I haven’t had any issues with the pinch bolt on a Fox, OneUp and Reverb AXS. I do make the slit longer and use a thicker tube wall thickness insert up top of the seat tube. It is just an aesthetics wank though and isn’t very light. I am getting lost in desires for ornamental bullshit and swoopy tubes…. I am surprised! It is enjoyable though.
I didn’t get anything done yesterday other than talk shop over a few beers with 2 fabricator friends. I used to be the weakest fabricator between the three of us. I am still the weakest link but I can ask slightly more educated questions now! Haha.
They did fix my tig pedal and show me how to better use my welder. It was an incredible and humbling moment when you realize it’s you the problem and not the welder. I was doing the pulse settings all wrong…. It’s all there and I just gotta learn more. It’s like I got a new high end welder! Sweet!
those miters turned out nice. Getting that middle one is tricky. I need to figure out a better way. There is a lot of squint eye going on here.
I saw that one. He makes such nice frames and for pretty decent prices. Beautiful welds! Interesting about how the weld doesn’t change color if you are spot on. I didn’t know that was possible so I started playing with lower settings and pulse. Haha, now I’m a tiny bit unsure if I want to pedal or pulse. Pulse is starting to make more sense…
What did you think about him welding the frame in the jig? I like it but I think you’d need a jig like his with access to both sides. I haven’t even measured any of mine to see if they are straight because I would rather not know. I’ll worry about that later. For now I want to work out the welding kinks.
I haven’y made any progress lately because of work and powder. Yesterday was incredible.
My wife and I found some good stashes. My back is fucked now so I’m going back to the shed for some framebuilding.
I got a lot done on a new frame. The DT was 5mm too short so I made a short travel version with a 1 degree steeper head tube and 5mm shorter reach. Should be fun and will probably ride sweet since the others are so slack it might even be funnerer. At least I hope so. I didn’t take any pics but here are a few sloppy weld pics. I got a couple centimeters of decent welds but not very often. Little by little….
Still no pulse. This is with the pedal and 38-46 amps. I am still struggling but I have a better idea of what to work on, I think.
and one of me welding.
Still no pulse. This is with the pedal and 38-46 amps. I am still struggling but I have a better idea of what to work on, I think.
and one of me welding.
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Progress was made yesterday and the welding always teases me with 10:1 ratio of shitty to pretty decent.… I also got some shocks with piggybacks that clear the downtube even at 200mm of travel. That opens up at the packaging options for long droppers, long shocks, low seat height, less curvy dt, etc. The piggyback at bottom out was one of the biggest limiting factors in this design. I’m thinking about how to do a straight downtube……. I might have to reduce travel slightly? Hmmm…
Geometry experiments. Down tube too short is an opportunity in disguise, right? Top one is 1cm shorter reach, 3mm higher BB and one degree steeper but with a 50mm stem. More playful and agile hopefully but sketchy at speed. This will be my little bike or my wife’s bike is it turns out too short. She was viciously eyeing it up yesterday. I could tell it was already hers, haha.
The bottom one has a taller fork. Top one is currently set at 160mm rear and 170mm front. Bottom one is 180mm f&r. 63*, 345mm, 435/450mm CS, 465mm reach, 76* sa…. Or so I think….
Geometry experiments. Down tube too short is an opportunity in disguise, right? Top one is 1cm shorter reach, 3mm higher BB and one degree steeper but with a 50mm stem. More playful and agile hopefully but sketchy at speed. This will be my little bike or my wife’s bike is it turns out too short. She was viciously eyeing it up yesterday. I could tell it was already hers, haha.
The bottom one has a taller fork. Top one is currently set at 160mm rear and 170mm front. Bottom one is 180mm f&r. 63*, 345mm, 435/450mm CS, 465mm reach, 76* sa…. Or so I think….
I had a tough time welding today. Some good. Most bad. Fixing a lot of holes today.
Yeah…… me too. I blew a hole in the headtube for the first time! Lucking it was easily fixable and under the lower gusset.
I started using much thicker welding rod for fixing holes. It seems to cool down everything and be easier to stick to tricky spots. Pedal on low amps to get the fat rod to sit on top of the problem before melting it all together. I don’t know if thats a good technique but I am liking it.
you do anything special for hole patching?
Anyways, you got any pics? I’ve been bad with photos lately. Just music and an occasional margarita! I’m really enjoying this new hobby!
We finished building up number 2 yesterday for my wife. She had the choice between a 40 and a 38…. She wants a DH bike that pedals. Sounds great!
a.) your welds are looking better and better man. great work!
b.) how are the garbaruk cassettes in terms of durability?
b.) how are the garbaruk cassettes in terms of durability?
Here is my finished gravel frame. Waiting on T47 taps and parts. Sometimes I weld and I’m like Wow I can do this. Next bead I pop a hole. So frustrating. The seatstays are by far the hardest part. Took a long time to get them right. Onto the mtb.
Silicon bronze today for the bottle bosses. First one I tried to grind down. Big mistake. Second I left. Looks like crap but it will be hidden under the cage.
Wow. That was a lot harder then I imagined. Happy with the outcome. Not perfect but it’s my first. Only can get better from here. The seat stays are by far the hardest part.
@sikocycles Congrats!!! Your first one is much better than my first one!
I have no idea. I didn’t have anymore XD freehubs for my DT Swiss hub so I bought an 12 speed HG cassette. They are cheaper than a Sram and 12 speed hg.
@sikocycles ”It is not whether a man blows another fucking hole but how he patches said hole”. There must be a life lesson in there or at least a fridge magnet?
I kinda like making bolt heads and shapely washers for the shock mount. I should think about it more and weld on the threaded side and file it down smooth so it looks like one piece.
More pics just because. I like pics. I assume you guys like pics too.
These new Ohlins bits feel incredibly good. I can’t wait!
The 210mm dropper post and Aenomaly Switchgrade are almost highlights of the bike. It totally transforms the feel, in my mind.
Thanks! I am very happy about this.
I have no idea. I didn’t have anymore XD freehubs for my DT Swiss hub so I bought an 12 speed HG cassette. They are cheaper than a Sram and 12 speed hg.
Thanks Mave! I think we are trying to do those pretty rainbow stack of dimes - glamour shots. I am more than content with my welding since I used to have a bit of an agricultural style to my Mig welds before last October. Nothing against farmers! They call it farmer welds around here…
@sikocycles ”It is not whether a man blows another fucking hole but how he patches said hole”. There must be a life lesson in there or at least a fridge magnet?
I kinda like making bolt heads and shapely washers for the shock mount. I should think about it more and weld on the threaded side and file it down smooth so it looks like one piece.
More pics just because. I like pics. I assume you guys like pics too.
These new Ohlins bits feel incredibly good. I can’t wait!
The 210mm dropper post and Aenomaly Switchgrade are almost highlights of the bike. It totally transforms the feel, in my mind.
BuckoW, just out of interest; when I looked at the picture of your lower shockmount, I was wondering why you let the two “legs” of the bracket go to the downtube/bracket. My idea would be to let one leg go to downtube, one to the pivot point. Is there a reason why you let them only go to the downtube and bb?
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I make them differently each time. I did do one with a bar connecting to the pivot.
The shock angle at end stroke is directly inline with the rearward support which is supported by the bb. There’s also a weld up the backside of the seat tube which is hidden by the swing that goes almost all the way to the main pivot. I wanted to keep the shockmounts inline with the forces and I felt like the bb is more solid than the pivot?
If I do an L shape and welded it to the dt and pivot then I feel like it would behave more like a pivot and put more stress on the dt at bottom out. I wanted to try and avoid a gusset supporting the shockmount on the dt so I thought this might work. Squint eye FEA analysis. It’s seat of the pants engineering.
Bikes felt amazing yesterday. We are pumped!
Cog train shuttles in a place called Bex.
Dirt was sick too.
HOLY SHIT DUDE. are you running sixc bars too? HOW ARE WE EVEN ALIVE???
(shhhhhh....don't tell @kidwoo and @jackalope !!!)
(shhhhhh....don't tell @kidwoo and @jackalope !!!)
I've never ridden behind a friend off a ladder bridge drop who broke his carbon bars when he landed.
You?
Man, that would be crazy if there were video of it (say from your camera) if so.
Man that would be crazy
A few more. Tried to upload from my phone but were too big. I really need to clean my garage. Too much stuff too little space.
Oh yeah! I’m looking forward to this one. How did you bend your tube? Did you get the Toob Bender?
Andrew from BFS bent it for me to my Bikecad drawing specs. He has a TOOB bender.
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Tacked seat tube collar to seat tube. Weld up tomorrow. Was getting tired.
reamed the seat tube. Sorry no pics. Reaming Headtube now.
reamed the seat tube. Sorry no pics. Reaming Headtube now.
This thread never ceases to amaze me. Bravo.
I would not trust my bird shit welds on a bike that I would ride
I would not trust my bird shit welds on a bike that I would ride
I should have posted a picture of my welds when I put a loop on my bike rack for a chain lock. More a pile of boogers instead of a stack of dimes.
The first thing I ever welded together was a mounting bracket to replace the generator on my '66 Volvo with an alternator. A few months later I was driving home from work and my headlights were getting really dim. When I got home I popped the hood and found that the bracket had broken and the alternator was probably somewhere on top of Swift Run Pass. The welds looked OK but much like junior prom I learned a thing or two about penetration that day.
Is that the Built guy who took over from Kent Erikson?
Yes it is. He also worked for moots for years. Maybe tough times for him since a lot of Ti comes from Russia and the Ukraine and other builders.
Seat collar into seat tube. Should of used .035 wire not .045. Would of welded flatter. Trying Argon back purge this time in hopes my welds are cleaner. I know it’s not necessary but trying. Need to learn how to weld in a straight line!?!?!?!
