OK, good. 60 mm sounded like more than 'Sportif' rake for a 73-degree HTA.
I'm a little nervous about the 80 mm drop on mine, because I run 175s and large clips. I'm thinking about 27-29 mm tires, though, and not the (typically 21 mm) tubulars that are on several of my other bikes, so maybe I'll be fine....

Wow! This is one of the best threads. Amazing talent. And some very interesting designs too. I spent a long time going back and forth on these pages.

Just finished up my second frame. The first was a TT Bike posted on here a year ago or so....full carbon handmade frame (bonded and wrapped). This one was inspired by the first carbon bikes I remember seeing (and am now collecting). I used 7005 Aluminum machined and welded to create the lugs and off-the-shelf carbon bicycle tubing from a US supplier. I bonded the aluminum and carbon using a special aircraft epoxy and utilized some extreme care and ingenuity to make sure the two materials were not in direct contact (to eliminate potential galvanic corrosion issues).

The lugs were chrome plated as the cost to do so was only slightly higher than having them polished. The rear end assembly is a DEDA Firebox which are getting impossible to find (I have sourced new carbon rear assemblies from another supplier if anyone is interested ($275 each which includes seat stays, chain stays, aluminum connectors, dropouts and derailleur hanger).

This project has taken me about 4 months and was really challenging....but fun. The build up was with a strange mix of parts as I wanted to keep a shiny aluminum look on everthing. The Wound Up fork was a budget killer....but wow does it look cool! I rode the bike for about an hour the other day and it rides like a dream. Next up will be a Titanium/Carbon...why not!

More Pics....

More Pics....

One More.....

Hello to all,

My first post here, and I am greatly impressed by the level of skill I see in many of the custom frames. I am a 70 year old retired engineer, and I have been cycling just over a year, which is now my primary means of staying fit.

Since I am new here, I am a bit nervous about posting my own two builds, which are a bit off the beaten path. I'll try one first, then the second if the first works.

Last fall I discovered Renovo hardwood bikes in Portland. OR. Being an amateur woodworker as well as a cyclist, I was captivated by their works of art, and I decided to try my hand at building a hardwood bike of my own. Here is the result:

https://www.pbase.com/pcasper/image/140476922

I tried to embed the image in this post, but I failed. Could someone please help me out?

I have a gallery of many more images at this location, if anyone cares to take a closer look:

https://www.pbase.com/pcasper/hardwood_bike

The bike lives up to all the hype about wooden bikes - it rides like a dream, and I find I prefer it over my reliable Surly Pacer, which I love.

So, let's see if this post shows up as expected. If so, I will post the second build - a bamboo version.

Paul

Really nice bike, thanks for posting

not sure if the image will load for me either, but for any hope of success, you need to copy the location including the .jpg file extension

I see it didn't work, at least the attachment did

God, Paul- those are gorgeous! I hope you keep it up!

WOW! You guys are doing amazing work. I don't know how I missed this thread. Such a wide and impressive display of skills and ingenuity.
It's great to see people doing interesting projects that I have wanted to do like FWD quadrant (though I want to use four wheels for MTB) and the carbon/aluminum "co-mingle". I would get a nicer house if I owned that wooden bike just to show it off. Not to mention the nice lug work. Thanks for posting!

Unterhousen, thank you for attaching the picture for me. I tried that and it didn't work for me either! Maybe I just need to find a 12 year old to show me what I'm doing wrong.

Anyway, i will go ahead and at least post a lInk to gallery pictures of my bamboo build:

https://www.pbase.com/pcasper/bamboo_bike

I don't know which bike I like best. Both ride like a dream and soak up bumps and vibration equally well, while being very stiff.

I wont bore everyone with build details, but I will gladly answer any questions anyone has.

Thanks to everyone for the kind remarks on the hardwood bike. I hope you like the bamboo version also.

Paul

Wow! I'm adding my amazement. Fantastic bikes Pcasper and mattradaz!

How did you bond the wood together? Epoxy?

Airburst,

Where there was no chance of a gap (such as with the laminated walnut in the curved top tube) I used Titebond III wood glue. Everywhere else, I used epoxy for strength across gaps (head tube, bracket tube, etc.).

Paul

Here are a couple of mine.

Slide show of my first build.
https://youtu.be/yznNgc1LCH0



I'm hoping to start a carbon fiber bike build in next year. Should be a interesting project.

Lots of talent builders here, nice work!!!!!

Paul,
Great minds think alike.

More bamboo. Di2 compatible.

First bike build, it only has a shimano 105 powertrain (I'm not liking the shifting cable connects) but I love kidding with folks telling them I have a licensed Rat Fink bike (I think they don't exist). It's a Nashbar frame, double butted aluminum. It was actually lighter than I expected it to be but not as light as a carbon fiber of course. I was going for an 'old school' look. I tried to bring my 12 speed Peugot to Korea but it needed too many repairs so I left it. I think this is a fitting replacement because I'm not a racer or marathon biker.

Ignore the pedals, it was an experiment. My feet slip too much using those track pedals. I'm getting something better.

BTW, the reflectors are gone. I use 3M tape.

the bamboo bike with the belt driven powertrain is a novel idea. Too bad its not lighter than carbon fiber, I would love to see the road full of them!

Damn you are making some fine looking bikes.
It has been a pleasure to watch your evolution.

.

how hard is it to find a set of the Max lugs?

My next bike may be orange because I like the way it matches black componenets

MAX lugs are available From Ceeway in the U.K.

Lighthouse Cycles Spirit Road racer.