Bike Forums - rootboy

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- - rootboy (https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage/1241735-rootboy.html)

Sad news indeed!
My bikes all wear vintage TireSavers that were sold through Bike Warehouse back-in-the-day. I had replaced worn out scraper wire with repurposed broken stainless spoke sections when I saw that he was selling his own version of the vintage tire savers...

Leathercrafting and custom bag making - I wouldn't even attempt such a thing. He was truly talented.

Tailwinds and fair skies, Scott!

Quote:

Originally Posted by SJX426 (Post 22298367)

.....but I did get a handle for one bike.
https://live.staticflickr.com/1515/2...42927f72_b.jpg P1030673 on Flickr

I’m so glad you posted a picture of the bike handle Scott made. He contacted me after I posted a picture of my Motobecane with a handle my son got for me in France and asked for some measurements. I’m happy to see his beautiful handy work.

Such sad news. An exceptional man indeed. I have a pair of his leather Campagnolo replacement hoods on one bike. I was riding it just the other day and was thinking how grateful I am to have had the opportunity to have him provide them. He was out of the production items when I got in touch, but was gracious enough to offer a set of his late prototypes. They’re fantastic. I also grabbed tire savers and we traded Campagnolo brake shoes of different eras to get things “just so.” A pleasure to deal with always. Ride In Peace, Scott. Perhaps we’ll meet again.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d041e5494.jpeg

Thank you, obrentharris , for this thread! I had noted Scott's silence but hadn't thought much of it. I exchanged many pm's and emails withScott over the years, usually him giving me good advice about metalworking, and in exchange I gave him bad advice about leather.
I'm sorry i never actually met him. RIP.

Damn. Another member with whom I corresponded regularly off-forum has passed on to his reward. I knew he had lots of other hobbies/interests, so when he dropped off the forum, I figured he was deep into one of those; he wasn't getting a lot of riding in when I last talked to him (back issues).

As others have noted, Scott was a talented man with imagination and skills. A few examples of his works:

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...01170b754e.png

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ad050a16ef.png

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1f47bb3057.png

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a30eec3685.png

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...9bad42f2f5.png

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...032816bd0f.png

Rest easy, Scott.

DD

So ssd to hear this news

Ride easy Scott

Sad news and tough to hear. He sent me a tool roll he made, seems like 10 years ago. I still use it.

I'm really sorry to hear this news as well. rootboy was quite active on this forum when I first joined over a decade ago. He was always extremely kind, generous, knowledgeable, and creative. I especially appreciated his DIY projects such as his machined metalwork and leathercraft shown above, not to mention his beautiful and elegant bikes, particularly the lavender Motobecane. Ride In Peace, Scott!

I’m late to the thread, but I can’t pass the opportunity to say how sorry I was to read this. Scott and I exchanged conversations about mechanical watches and dry mounting posters years ago. I’ll miss his wit and skill around these forums.

Rest in peace!

He sent me this really neat keychain years ago. He made it from a stray shift lever!

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1a54b6b80.jpeg

Also seeing this for the first time.

I immediately thought of the Nuovo Record pin peening tool he turned on his lathe for me in the first week of January 2012.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b7f05d4ccc.jpg

This was back when I owned too many Nuovo Records and had just bought a LBS out of their period Campagnolo spares, discovering some stock that appeared to be unused pins for holding the parallelogram of a Nuovo Record derailer to its knuckles. Scott turned the tool with the idea that one could re-peen a Nuovo with it; it was made just after Drillium Dude's above.

If I may, I'd like to to share this PM he sent about the project. If I'm not mistaken, this message refers to the brass-and-stainless "anvil" that Jeff posted above.:

Quote:

Originally Posted by rootboy

You know, I figured I'd cross the "anvil" bridge when I came to it but you're absolutely right. We need something to back up the pin. I guess I figured I'd just find something, but a dedicate back anvil with the proper shape would be a boon. OK man, I'm going to make something when I work on your punch today. Nothing fancy, maybe another short length of the steel rod, with same concave profile milled into the end and, perhaps set into a hole in a wood block? Don't know. I'm going to have to take a NR, lay it on its side, and take a look at what might be ideal, or, at least work. BTW, the most challenging aspect of building this punch is the concave face. On Jeff's, my first one, I tried with a small Dremel ball cutter and then hand shaped it with the Dremel. On the second one, I found a ball end milling cutter in my stuff but it's a hair too large. By the time I finish up yours, I hope to have this dialed in ! :)

Say Kurt, I presume you've taken these derailleurs apart before. Both alloy pin and later, steel rivet models? I'm curious, in your experience, when an old, well-used NR gets a bot loose and sloppy, what is it that wears? The aluminum in the top and bottom pivot bodies? The holes in the bodies that accept the pins? I'm just wondering, for instance, if one has to replace body parts when doing an overhaul. I don't have any of those other than one NOS face plate. Maybe get donor parts from another derailleur, etc.

OK

down to the dungeon. Thanks again Kurt

Scott

I think it perfectly encapsulates the almost mischievously eager fabricator that Scott was. Always excited to whip up a little something that could help a fellow member of this forum, making this hobby just that much more special.

You may have gone on to other places, Scott, but your legacy will always live on. The creations you spun on your lathe will likely outlast us all.

-Kurt

I also missed this bad news when it was news and just caught up in the last few days!
So devastating! Scott was a true inspirational craftsman with boundless generosity.
He will be greatly missed!

Sadly, I never really chatted with him, or never read too many of his posts, to get a sense of him. My loss, he was clearly well thought of.

Ride in peace, brother. ✌️

I also missed this sad news. Such an warm and generous person. He will be missed for sure.

I didn't know the man.

But given what's written here, I wish I had.

RIP, Scott Gabriel. "May ye have been in heaven half an hour before the devil knew ye were gone."

I just fished his flies last weekend.

Up on the Bois Brule river in northern Wisconsin for Steelhead.

I had quite a few of Scott's flies and shared them with friends.

Beautiful flies and they were admired by all.

In addition, we fished the Margaree river in Nova Scotia last summer.

Shared some of his beautiful flies there as well.

Such a real talent!

Not sure how I missed this. Great guy. I've had a saying of his as my signature for years. Might need to change that now.
-J

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeirvine (Post 22713380)

Not sure how I missed this. Great guy. I've had a saying of his as my signature for years. Might need to change that now.
-J

He may have appreciated the irony. He seemed like quite a unique individual.

I'm also just reading this. I haven't looked at bikeforums much lately. I'm very sorry to learn the news. He was an impressive machinist and a friendly guy, that's for sure. Once I whined about my life being underemployed and my cat was dying. So he came to the rescue and collected a whole large pile of money from bikeforumers to send to me to pay my cat's vet bills. I mean, who does that, right? Thanks everyone for sharing all the thoughts about Scott.