so i am gunna have a bunch of trackends watercut out of 4130 and i was wondering whats everyones favorite looking trackends. i like the pacenti ones as well as a few others. but any crazy custom stuff or photos of bikes you like? i want to see what your opinions are . gunna do some of my own work but im not afraid to use a cool idea. post photos please!

are you thatcher the widebody golf thatcher?

ground up track ends are my favorite.



p.s. i don't think a water jet cut will be precise enough.

your joking right?

some of the MOST intricate 2D machining I have EVER seen was cut on a water jet.

I like the paul track ends with the trick adjuster thingies, but dood, if yer makin a bunch don't forget to post HOW WE LOW LIFES CAN GET A PAIR

mm,kay?

Paul's

That thatcher would probably make them out of carbon fiber, lol.

lol, i see what you did thar

hmmm... i'm a machinist. in my shop, our tolerances typically need to be +0.00" -.005", which is tight for a forge die, but i am setting my tools down to the 0.0001", for utmost precision. i program my toolpaths to have a .0001" to .0005" scallop height for the cavities. everything we've outsourced to a waterjet place certainly gets the job done for what we need it for, but thick cuts look wavy at the bottom of the cut due to the kerf. to cut anything thick and precise requires a 5 axis head to control the kerf... but still it is no match for a mill.

thanks for playing.

Not these I hope. They're probably the ugliest ends I've seen.

(but I'm not denying the usefulness of the axle keepers, though)

Yeah, those are the one's I like. They look thin but still strong and functional. With that said, I've never had a frame that had them.

The complete opposite would have to be the Surly SS ends. The huge lip over the top that the stays are welded to is a pain to get a wrench underneath.

Surly/Sub11

Paragon Machine works track ends with derailleur hanger on DS and bottle opener on NDS. Nice, relieved and can get them in Steel or Titanium (maybe aluminum?) and pretty cheap.

I'm also partial to ends with removable clamping faces like those found on the Pista Concept. A real sharp way to keep your paint from getting dinged.

Water jets are cute and all, but unless you need a real tight radius, I don't see the point. And like others have said, they're not so great on 1/4" thick steel.

nope im thatcher from leucadia who recently completed the framebuilding class at ubi

so true. and he'd try to cover a recaro lumbar pad in alcantara and use it as a saddle.

Just saw some shots of Courage's trackends from the NAHBS. Beautiful.

of COURSE I make a comment based on what I've seen and I get a certified machinist, ok you win. (and why aren't YOU making track ends? )

so your saying the bottom edge of a waterjet cut is kerf'd? (yes I know what a kerf is) and wavy? I never saw that on parts we did, but then we never really cut anything thicker than 0.500 (I work as a fabricator)

and isn't +/-0.005 kinda close tolerance for a dropout? (fork end)? human hair=0.004

not trying to be a smart ass, you obviously know way more than me, just trying to confirm what you said.

(oh and I still want a pair of the track ends )

lol

thacher,
did you get a quote on the jetted dropouts? i'd wager just buying some pre made ones would be cheaper in most instances. if you HAVE to have your design, perhaps get some quotes at local machine shops in your town.

i wonder if the shimano track ends are still made? they are so simple and really handsome, imo.

my friend danny just took the frame class at ubi. he brazed a geared 29. was he in your class?

those are sweet.

we've had some .625" to 1.5" thick steel plates cut and the results weren't too precise... but we didn't need it to be for what we were doing to it later...

what i mean about the kerf making the cut wavy, is that as the kerf (the waterjet's shape for those who don't know what a kerf is) was moving through the material, by the time the water made it through the bottom of the material, the jet's head a little further along in the cut. in a sense, not a fully rigid cutting axis. the problem was worse in tight radii. they have these new waterjets with a 5 axis head that can make adjustments to compensate for it. i'm sure machine hours on one of those would not be cheap, and still not worth it, in my opinion. unless maybe i need to see more waterjet stufffz.

the screenshot is of the cad model i made of ground up dropouts. eric has had them made by several local shops before, but they've all moved, closed, etc. so i'm taking it on, starting this month. i'm looking forward to it, but i still have a lot of computer time before chips can fly. +/.005 is definitely fine for dropouts... paint clearance.

Get them cut with a wire EDM machine. It will cost you way more, but they come out of the machine with an almost mirror finish.





Don't actually do this, it's a waste of money. Unless you want to cut them out of carbide. EDM is kick ass though.

courage bicycles:

yeah danny was in my class and we both stayed at the ashland commons. danny is really cool. i sorta got a quote which was its 150 an hour. plus a million things. so yeah i just want custom trackends n probibly will make more. still dont have an idea what to do though.

have you seen the ones on the Kilo tt? Those are hella tite!

My faves are classic British-style long track ends as seen on this Claud Butler.

So nice.

seriously man, i think you need to worry about honing your frame building skills before you worry about what cool thing to do with a drop out. do you already have equipment? if you still need stuff, that custom dropout money could sure buy a lot of decent tools. just sayin'.