Shop ranting
 

Well I'm getting closer to finishing my "Woodsy" frame and being I don't have a money tree or work at a shop any longer or have one nearby. The simpler things that I could do by running down to the shop are more of a nuisance now. So I'm about 95% done and just need my head tube reamed and faced as well those are quite expensive they average at home shop unless your kicking out frames. I realize nowadays most shops don't ever have to ream head tubes anymore as how many at home frame builders live in "The Thumb" of Michigan. :lol:

Well my last frame I finished earlier this winter I was able to take to Assenmachers Cycling Center because Matt the owner is also a frame builder but driving to Flint isn't high on my list of places to visit. He also had a Campagnolo tool kit and I'm using a 1-1/8 headtube unlike my last frame so my options are slimming down. Not to mention it's a good three hour round trip drive for me when I have a few shops less then an hour away. But when a single shop doesn't have a reaming tool let alone almost half asked me why I needed to ream my headtube out as they can press in cups if needed or knew what I was talking about. One place told me I would have to take it to a machine shop. Alright check them off as a shop NEVER to visit. Really??? Do people in shops think bikes are only made in China and Taiwan and come assembled in boxes? :notamused:

I thought one shop across the border in Canada would have it since they're a Colnago and DeRosa dealer but no dice. I know when I worked at the shop in Oregon we had the tools...mind you they never got used but we had them. Now if the guys at the shop knew how to use them that's another story but we had them. So I guess I have to take the bull by the horns and save for a headtube reaming/facing tool and BB tapping and threading tool and quit relying on shops who rant...oh we've been around for twenty some years...yada yada.

So if any folks would like to contribute to Philemon Cycles that'd be awesome! Maybe I need to start a Gofundme page. :lol: Icetoolz sells a nice kit with both headtube and bb tools for $350 which is cheaper then just the reaming tool by Park. Time to part out a bike I guess or have a sale on my saddle bags.

Possible hack alert, what about a brake cyl hone?

hmm. flint water.

This is why home prices and rent is so ridiculous in the Oakland bay area- you can get reamed for about $30 - cheaper if you go down to San Pablo ave and flash a $20. :)

sorry. but yeah its an issue. if you are not in a major metro area its hard to get specialized service of any kind.

Bah dum dum dish! I guess it was just the fact of the amount of places that I called that and I had to explain what reaming does and why I needed it. You work in a shop and should know this stuff!

You could probably buy a house in or near Flint for Bupkis. :innocent:

I see this more as cabin fever ranting rather than shop ranting Henry, as it is your first winter in the Thumb.

I went the powder coating place in Ann Arbor. Not impressed for the money he wanted so I walked. Hole in the wall, dirty and kind of disorganized. That's my rant.

May want to check and see if this guy still has his tools...

Bad Axe 'bike doc' calls it a career | News | michigansthumb.com

[MENTION=201707]Henry III[/MENTION] - what part of Oregon?! When was it?

Oh and sorry about the knuckleheads who are clueless.

What is a "Woodsy" frame? A Woodrup?

Henry, your local bike shops sound like the ones over here in mid-coast Maine. You are not alone..., er.., I guess you are, and that's the problem.
On the other hand, it does force you to learn a lot. Thank heaven for Bike Forums. It is Bike Formidable!

It doesn't force me to learn much as I can do everything pretty much. I've worked in a bike shop when I lived in Oregon(Medford)and took my framebuilding course and went to school for metal fabrication so I'm not wet behind the ears turning a wrench or putting a bike together. Just frame tools like reamers and facers are crazy expensive. The park head tube reamer, facing and bb tool would easily run me over a grand. I haven't found much on the Icetoolz kit but I'm saving up for it instead of searching anymore.

Velocivixen...I worked at a shop in Medford called Cycle Sport. The owner of the shop actually owned UBI and sold it to the current owner. One of our mechanics went on from the shop and now teaches at UBI also and our manager at the shop moved up to Portland last year to help open Western Bikeworks. We were out there from June 2012 to this past June and moved back to the midwest. I miss the scenery but not the price to live to it. Plus it's nice being back by my family again.

"Woodsy" is my crazy hardwood dowels frame I'm building. It's something that's been brewing in the back of my head and I finally decided to build it. It's not like the other wood frame out there where everything laminated. There's a thread somewhere probably a few pages back. I just haven't updated lately but pretty much done. If I can find a place to ream and face the head tube I can start building it up and see if my crazy idea actually works.

How far are you from Columbus, OH? Adam Eldridge there at Wraith Fabrications may do it for you? Road trip?

There's some other builders in Michigan but I decided just to save and buy the Icetoolz E185 kit. Has everything I need and not need to rely on any shops and do everything right in my shed. I've got my torch, miller TIG machine, frame jig, and built two frames since fall. Depending on how this frame goes I could be doing more wood frames instead of steel frames. This was much more enjoyable to build and weighs as much as my Columbus SL frame I just built.

Careful use of a hone might be good enough to ream the head tube, but it still leaves the issue of facing the ends properly.

THe Icetoolz kit is surprisingly good quality. You may be able to recoup some of that by hiring out your services-seeing as you'll be the only person in a several hour radius that can perform this time honored task.

$289.63 with free shipping right now a Winstanley bikes UK

[MENTION=425004]merziac[/MENTION] the abrasive cyl hone isn't very precision. But it does a nice job on a seat tube. The fit between the cups and head tube is very precise.

Woah thanks for the heads up! Maybe I'd do a brake hone for the seat tube but never on the headtube. That's a little too backyard for me. Lol.

The place in Bath/Woolwich used to do pretty extensive frame work.

Top

I was speaking, primarily, of the shops in Brunswick.
My Grubb is at Bath Cycle & Ski as we speak. It is having a cold set among other things. I was very impressed by them when I brought it to them a couple of weeks ago and gave them a (possibly precipitous) glowing review on Yelp. The people up at Rainbow, in Lewiston, seemed responsive and responsible, too, when I talked with them, but I opted for Bikeman, because Bath is closer (I don't drive).
I'm hoping that I chose the right shop for my first C&V build, and I appreciate your comment, because it re-inforces my decision.

Agreed, with the facing being the more critical as Mr. Thompson pointed out, but I have seen it work just fine when done correctly in a pinch.:)

Neato project, Henry. Couple of things come to mind.


Firstly on bike shops and having tools of the trade.


Can't speak for all but I do have a new understanding of why some just don't have or bother with old stuff. There's a LBS I sometimes frequent and really enjoy their enthusiasm for older bikes. Yet, they know their limits and or not fully adequate to service a few. One reason is profitability and target customer base. Realistic, why invest in a face and reamer if they might only have a one customer a year for such need? The other is about this particular shop only purchased it a few years ago from the original owner (40+ years in biz) but they didn't include the tools. Recent owner had to start fresh and stock up with all new from Park. BTW: Also noted how particular and organized with these tools among a half dozen techs. Share lots so it goes back to the proper storage spot but easy access.


The wood bike project.
There's some stable species when used in laminate, but how does one align a frame when building? Then how do you keep it stable from distorting in different climates? High humidity and or change in temps is tricky.

I can understand why most shops won't have all the frame refinishing/rebuilding tools in stock, our shop does but only because it's been around since 1979. I know we have bought out other shops in the past and some of the tools most likely came from there. I use the tools on my own stuff if only to learn how they work. Of all the specialized tools we have the tools that get used the most are the BB threading set, the fork threading set, a derailleur Hanger tool and the frame gauge checking that it's straight. We just don't get to use most of it unless we use it on our own stuff. There are two other shops within 4 miles of ours and I know for a fact they wouldn't have most special bicycle tools or people that would know how to use them.

Glenn

As far as aligning when building. It's completely built in my jig unlike a normal metal frame where you would tack it in a jig and then do the complete weld or braze outside so there won't be stresses built into it. Much like building a bamboo frame. Just glue the tubes together and then wrap it with whatever you chose. I used carbon underneath and then hemp bast fiber as I ran out of carbon and honestly carbon was a pain to work with. Not to mention I've got like enough hemp to build probably 3-4 more frames. You can't align it afterwards so just make sure everything is where you want it before your epoxy sets.

Now how the elements are going to treat it I guess I'll find that out as I did say it was a prototype. I just stained it and then a couple coat of poly over everything. Hey I've only got like a $100 in everything and most of it was for the West Systems epoxy. Never said I was reinventing the wheel just trying something new out. If it fails then we'll have s'mores over it. :roflmao2: