My, what a busy week...

I've been working a lot lately, and on a lot of different things that I really want to see get done. If I had the choice I'd just work on one project till completion, but I've had to learn to just dive into certain things just to build up some momentum, spend time where I can, and be ready to switch gears at a moments notice. Just when it starts to feel like you're bogging down in the muck, you get a nice surprise like finished headbadges and a bike back from the painter! Here are a few things that stuck out in the last week:

Headbadges came back from laser engraving. After having the badges laser cut out of stainless steel, I gave some of them a satin finish and the others I polished and had the MAP name laser engraved by Joe at Engraveyourtech

I like the brushed badges the most.



Track bike came back from the painter with the new graphics. I can't wait to see this all built up and going round and round Alpenrose track this spring. Drew is a strong rider so I wouldn't be surprised to see the bike in some top finishes.


Been enjoying making my own seatstay caps. Simple, yet very pleasing touch at least from my perspective as the builder since the shape is totally in my hands. Plus, they make for super light seatstays in comparison to using those bulky plug-style caps


Starting on another mixte shortly which is really exciting. I'll be posting pictures as soon as it starts taking shape.

Porteur rack

Here is the finished rack for the porteur frameset in the previous post. The frame is off to the painter and the rack will get nickel plated here in town. The rack is a 10" x 12" platform with dual light mounts and wire routing. Very straight forward and functional design that should get many many years of use, especially considering the durability of a nickel plated finish.

Ian S. porteur

I wish this was my bike.

I still have to build the rack, but the majority of the work is done. The build on this bike should be really interesting as well, with mostly nos classic components. Here are a few details I like about this bike:

• Cable stop off binder bolt: I've done this a few times now and I really like how it works and how clean it makes the cable routing.

• Modified Pacenti fork crown: This is a great crown, but it's not offered without a caliper brake hole. I filled the hole with brass and filed the area smooth and then brazed on a plate into the underside of the steer tube which has a threaded hole for the fender mount. Clean fender mounting is a must.

Once the rack is done I'll post a few more photos before I send it off to paint.

Variety

As I've been taking on more projects, the question as to what I will and what I won't do has presented itself more seriously. As much as I appreciate variety, and it is true that variety is the spice of life, sometimes you need to reel it in and focus. There are so many things about bikes you begin to appreciate once you start making them, and so many things you feel you need to try, but in framebuilding as in many other things, repetition is key. I'm making a point of limiting my scope as a builder in these formative years of mine, and mastering those things first which are essential, and then taking on only those challenges I feel are worthy of repetition. Slowly, the list is growing.

Making my own seatstay caps is on the list.

A step in the right direction.

It's taken a while, but I'm finally getting to the point where I'm refining some of the frame graphics I've been working with. This is a big step in the right direction in terms of professionalism, but I've put it on the back burner until recently mainly because it has nothing to do with building a good frame. Still, I realize its importance and so far I really like the results. The track bike I built last month will be the first bike to get the new headbadge and new downtube graphics.

Here's the headbadge:

These are made of stainless steel and some will have a mirror polish and others a more matte brushed finish, depending on what the customer thinks best suits the frame. The picture shows how I receive the badges from the laser-cutter. I am also having 'MAP' laser-engraved below the fleur de lis which should give the badges a finished look.





The other improvement is in the downtube logo.
Here it is without color, and as it's meant to wrap around a tube, its twin image is above it.














What I like about it most is its versatility in the ways it can be utilized. The inside of the globe can be one color and the text another contrasting color. Or for a more subtle look, the color of the frame can show through the lines of the globe while only the text is a contrasting color.

Can't wait to see some variations.

Not the spoon, but the fork.

Not the spoon, but the fork.
Originally uploaded by mapcycles

I'm really enjoying building this frame. There are going to be some really classy details in the build, so I'm taking the opportunity to really make this a special bike. It's going to be a city bike with fenders, front platform rack and integrated lighting. So far, I've carved the lugs, mitered the tubeset and today I finished the fork.

Lugs are work

01/08 for Ian S.
Originally uploaded by mapcycles

Ask any of the old masters what's missing from the new wave of young framebuilders and many will say: patience for hand-carving lugs. Investment cast lugs are so common now and the quality of those castings so high, that many very beautiful shapes and finishes are possible without the slightest alteration to some of these lugs.

It makes sense: lug carving is hard work, and very time consuming. I'm learning this. Plus, it's not really necessary considering the quality and selection of the investment cast lugs that are available. That being said, I think it's fine that many builders don't spend much time handcarving lugs. For someone new at it like me it can almost double the time it takes to build a frame, and from a business perspective this doesn't make much sense unless you can charge appropriately. There are plenty of other fish to fry. Construction method, good brazing, fit, alignment are all no doubt more important to the overall function of your bike. Plus, when someone is clearly more impressed with your shiny laser-cut headbage than your handcarved lug, we need to ask ourselves - can we blame them? These are the times we live in.

Still, I feel like the old guys have a point. Putting the thought and time in to handcarve your lugs shows how much you love it. It's that simple. It's the kind of thing that can tickle your fancy after 25 years of building. These different shapes have become the signatures for a whole generation of builders that came before me, and many of them have built their careers on these amazing shapes.

I guess my point is, if it's not lugs it needs to be something else. Something the BUILDER does. A construction method, an aesthetic, a utility, a level of finish, something that shows where your affinity to the bicycle lies. A signature is required.