C&V Inspired: I made a frame
08-07-16, 02:34 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
C&V Inspired: I made a frame
I decided to make a frame several years ago now, slowly accumulating the knowledge, tools, and skills to do so. It took a long time, often neglected, with mistakes, but lessons learned. In retrospect I would wholly recommend a class to those interested.
My first result is a rather crude (rusty from sitting), but standard frame, very similar to a vintage trek. It was meant more to be a test to make something rideable, using low end modern components. The result was surprisingly great, plush, lively, and solid. Made better by knowing you've made it, and it tracks straight and true as any bike. I thought I'd share for anyone interested.
My first result is a rather crude (rusty from sitting), but standard frame, very similar to a vintage trek. It was meant more to be a test to make something rideable, using low end modern components. The result was surprisingly great, plush, lively, and solid. Made better by knowing you've made it, and it tracks straight and true as any bike. I thought I'd share for anyone interested.
Last edited by smallpox champ; 08-25-16 at 01:04 AM.
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08-07-16, 02:50 PM
#3
Senior Member
Very cool, this is certainly on my bucket list. Did you use a jig?
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08-07-16, 02:51 PM
#4
Senior Member
Now that you know it rides well, get it painted and get some nice parts on there!
08-07-16, 02:57 PM
#5
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That's badass. Great work!
08-07-16, 04:00 PM
#7
Senior Member
Originally Posted by realsteel
Very nice work! Is that silver brazing? What type of tubing did you use?
Looks like some form of brass filler material to me.
08-07-16, 04:01 PM
#8
Senior Member
AWESOOOOMMMMEEE!
I'm not sure why but it makes me think of a Viscount frame - the angles,... the geometry overall. There's something about it that says to me Viscount!
I'm not sure why but it makes me think of a Viscount frame - the angles,... the geometry overall. There's something about it that says to me Viscount!
08-07-16, 04:30 PM
#9
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Beautiful. Brazing looks better than what's under many of my bikes' paint. Looks cool bare too.
08-07-16, 04:36 PM
#10
Bike Butcher of Portland
Incredible, awesome, and knowing it rides like a champ, fantastic! Details! How, what, did you take a class or do it on your own...
Naw, that's silver brazed except around the dropouts. Anytime you need to fill a large gap, brass is the way to go.
Originally Posted by Bad Lag
No, not silver. Silver is , well,... silver in color.
Looks like some form of brass filler material to me.
Looks like some form of brass filler material to me.
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08-07-16, 11:06 PM
#11
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Thread Starter
Thanks all.
@sloar I did not use a jig, just surface plate, blocks, and pinned lugs.
@Bad Lag, gugie is right, it's 56% silver for the lugs, and 45% for the braze-on's, which is slightly more yellow.
@realsteel I used a basic "light" tube set from here: ROAD TUBESET 8/5/8 TT AND DT :: TUBE SETS :: Nova Cycles Supply Inc.
With 16mm stays and round chainstays. The complete frame is 1920g, and the fork 700g.
@gugie I did it with the guidance of the wealth of information available online from generous people. Many pdf manuals, image galleries, youtube videos, and forum posts. After some coaching with the torch, the rest was research and practice, cutting tubes with a hacksaw and files, and figuring out what tool should be the next purchase. Originally I practiced fillet brazing, wanting to make a fast fat 26er, but after practicing with silver decided to make a traditional frame first. This frame used a surface plate and tube blocks to line up the main triangle. The lugs were bent and fit, then drilled and pinned while the tubes were clamped down to the plate, and the joint brazed on the work stand. The rear triangle was hung over the edge of the plate and a dummy axle held like so:
The fork needed a makeshift jig which resulted in it being slightly off spec, my next purchase will be aluminum extrusion to make a proper fork jig.
@sloar I did not use a jig, just surface plate, blocks, and pinned lugs.
@Bad Lag, gugie is right, it's 56% silver for the lugs, and 45% for the braze-on's, which is slightly more yellow.
@realsteel I used a basic "light" tube set from here: ROAD TUBESET 8/5/8 TT AND DT :: TUBE SETS :: Nova Cycles Supply Inc.
With 16mm stays and round chainstays. The complete frame is 1920g, and the fork 700g.
@gugie I did it with the guidance of the wealth of information available online from generous people. Many pdf manuals, image galleries, youtube videos, and forum posts. After some coaching with the torch, the rest was research and practice, cutting tubes with a hacksaw and files, and figuring out what tool should be the next purchase. Originally I practiced fillet brazing, wanting to make a fast fat 26er, but after practicing with silver decided to make a traditional frame first. This frame used a surface plate and tube blocks to line up the main triangle. The lugs were bent and fit, then drilled and pinned while the tubes were clamped down to the plate, and the joint brazed on the work stand. The rear triangle was hung over the edge of the plate and a dummy axle held like so:
The fork needed a makeshift jig which resulted in it being slightly off spec, my next purchase will be aluminum extrusion to make a proper fork jig.
08-07-16, 11:20 PM
#12
Senior Member
Originally Posted by gugie
Naw, that's silver brazed except around the dropouts. Anytime you need to fill a large gap, brass is the way to go.
LOL! Which was where I looked to check on the filler used.
No matter, it is still awesome!
08-08-16, 07:50 AM
#13
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That is a good looking frame, way better than my 1st (and up to now only) frame.
08-08-16, 09:02 AM
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So simple, so sweet.
08-08-16, 10:47 AM
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That is very impressive. I hope to learn how to do this in the future once I have more time free of obligations. I hope that you update us with photos once it is painted (that is if you go that route).
08-08-16, 11:13 AM
#17
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Fantastic. Can you describe what pinning lugs is?
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Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
08-08-16, 11:34 AM
#18
incazzare.
Looks great, man! Good job!
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08-08-16, 12:58 PM
#19
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Me Likey!!! 
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'75 Fuji S-10S bought new, 52k+ miles and still going!
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Unknown brand MTB of questionable lineage aka 'Mutt Trail Bike'
Plus or minus a few others from time-to-time
08-08-16, 02:31 PM
#20
Senior Member
Nicely done! That looks like an excellent first effort.
You'd better start working on a response for the inevitable "what kind of frame is that??" that you'll hear from now on.
I built a Mixte for my wife using that same Nova tubeset, some think it comes from the Dedacciai mills.
If you're like me that hardest decision will be color..
You'd better start working on a response for the inevitable "what kind of frame is that??" that you'll hear from now on.
I built a Mixte for my wife using that same Nova tubeset, some think it comes from the Dedacciai mills.
If you're like me that hardest decision will be color..
08-08-16, 02:48 PM
#21
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Great looking frame, very much in the classic design style. Even your choices for the current components look good on it. As nice as it looks, I'd be for getting it painted soon, maybe something with contrasting panel on the down tube, and the same for the head tube, kind of a modern take on the classic British frames of the past.
Bill
Bill
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08-08-16, 04:08 PM
#23
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Did you follow the design of another bike?
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New York City and High Falls, NY
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“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
08-08-16, 05:03 PM
#24
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Thanks again all!
@paulkal I wouldn't mind seeing your effort if you felt like sharing.
@Classtime yes, after trying several quick and cheap methods I settled on buying a nice bender: FORK BENDER - HAMMILL ENGINEERING WITH 10 INCH MANDREL :: TOOLS :: Nova Cycles Supply Inc.
@Cassave ah yes, I do need to work on a concise response! I hadn't heard that about Dedacciai.
@noglider I didn't exactly intend it, but ended up fairly closely matching the geometry of a vintage Trek, 73 degree seat and head angle, 56cm seat and top tube, 43cm chainstay, 55mm fork rake. I had many crazy ideas, but rather than push the envelope I stuck closely to the angles of the lugs and that was the result.
Pinning lugs is an older method of holding a joint together to be brazed outside of a jig. I'm not exactly an expert, but basically after the lug and tubes are fit up together at the right angle, in a jig, you can drill through them both on opposing sides of each tube and hammer in nails, and the joint will be held aligned after you remove the assembly from the jig. The pins I used come with a nice tutorial: Our Famous ?Pin Kit? « Cycle Design
And here's a pic of the pins still sticking out after brazing in the chain stays
@paulkal I wouldn't mind seeing your effort if you felt like sharing.
@Classtime yes, after trying several quick and cheap methods I settled on buying a nice bender: FORK BENDER - HAMMILL ENGINEERING WITH 10 INCH MANDREL :: TOOLS :: Nova Cycles Supply Inc.
@Cassave ah yes, I do need to work on a concise response! I hadn't heard that about Dedacciai.
@noglider I didn't exactly intend it, but ended up fairly closely matching the geometry of a vintage Trek, 73 degree seat and head angle, 56cm seat and top tube, 43cm chainstay, 55mm fork rake. I had many crazy ideas, but rather than push the envelope I stuck closely to the angles of the lugs and that was the result.
Pinning lugs is an older method of holding a joint together to be brazed outside of a jig. I'm not exactly an expert, but basically after the lug and tubes are fit up together at the right angle, in a jig, you can drill through them both on opposing sides of each tube and hammer in nails, and the joint will be held aligned after you remove the assembly from the jig. The pins I used come with a nice tutorial: Our Famous ?Pin Kit? « Cycle Design
And here's a pic of the pins still sticking out after brazing in the chain stays
