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Old 05-30-08, 11:05 AM
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Seek local framebuilder for handlebar project

As many of you know, my left arm is almost 2 inches shorter than my right, which causes issues when I ride my drops.

Is there a custom drop bar maker somewhere?
Do any of you know a bicycle oriented machinist that might be able to fabricate something kind of like a mountain bike bar ends that I could attach to my existing drop bars to make the drop shorter?

I could get a compact drop bar, but I really am looking to have asymmetrical distances in the drops.

I'm thinking maybe I could talk to a frame builder, but are there any in the area, closer o the East Bay the better...
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Old 05-30-08, 11:25 AM
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I'm slow today, got a sketch?
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Old 05-30-08, 11:36 AM
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Is there anyway you could loop a curved barend and use it as an attachment point?

Something similar to what I have on my Xtracycle (I use it to mount rear-view mirrors on my butterfly bars)?

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Old 05-30-08, 11:41 AM
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I seem to remember that someone on here, at one time, had a good link to a framebuilder's directory, and I seem to remember that it was by state. Have you tried to run a search yet?
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Old 05-30-08, 12:01 PM
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Bernie Mikkelsen in Alameda.
https://www.mikkelsenframes.com
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Old 05-30-08, 12:05 PM
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I have a bunch of experience designing custom fab'd stuff for my various automotive projects of the past.

Here's what I would do....
- Buy 2 bars... One deep drop, one shallow drop.
- Cut both bars into two pieces, with the cut being to the side of the center (so not to mess with the stem clamping). Possibly at the end of the OS section (as a good natural transition point).
- Line up the rotation of the two bar pieces and mark a reference line on either side.
- Weld the two bar pieces together.

Any competent machine shop/fabricator type guy should be able to do this.

I know a guy in San Carlos that does all my welding. I would trust my life to his welds any day of the week.

The two of us fabricated this (from scratch) in a couple of long nights...




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Old 05-30-08, 12:25 PM
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Calfee may be able to help you.
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Old 05-30-08, 12:38 PM
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Originally Posted by rumbutter
Calfee may be able to help you.
I was going to suggest that, but I have to assume the price would be pretty insane.
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Old 05-30-08, 02:38 PM
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You could just use piece of aluminum tube cut lengthwise in half and use it to "raise the drop" like so.
You tape over it to keep it in place.

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Old 05-30-08, 02:45 PM
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There are two frame-builders in Petaluma who might be good for such a project:

Bruce Gordon

Sycip
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Old 05-30-08, 03:47 PM
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Not quite east bay but relatively close:https://rexcycles.com/home.html in Sacramento.
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Old 05-31-08, 03:34 AM
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From what I recall from my custom frame research, the aforementioned Mikkelson specializes in bikes for hard-to-fit folks, and he may have run your the situation before.
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