A fine whine on a Friday night...

Is it just me, or did SRAM get rid of everything that made gripshift great with their new 10 speed setup?

Consider:

-No more trimming your front derailleur. What? Why? That's one of the best things about gripshift! Yeah, I guess you can probably just run an old 9 speed one on the left side (or just bail to 1x like me) but still. Lame.

-Ball bearings, complicated cable ports, lots of engineering. I have several sets of X.5 gripshifters from >10 years ago that have been in probably 60 races, thousands of miles of rides, and through all kinds of horrible conditions. They are made of cheap plastic, with one tiny spring and a bolt or two to hold them on the bar. They still work great except that the rubber part is mostly gone. So, um, I don't want any stinkin' ball bearings, guys.

-$200+ (or $300 for the XX!) for a set of gripshifters? Even with inflation, that's highway robbery, unless you like paying for lots of extra (pointless) engineering and bearings.

-We waited how long? This should have been on the market like 2 weeks after 10 speed came out. Just remold the plastic barrels on the old 9 speed stuff for the correct cable pull and one extra click, and call it good.

I was intending to "upgrade" to 10 speed when my 9 speed drivetrains wore out, but maybe not anymore. I'll just keep digging 9 speed shifters (lighter! FD trim! basically free!) out of the junk bin for a while, I guess.

Random pictures for Kyle

Presented without comment, other than saying that Kyle, you are getting the last WW frame produced before I'm a dad. Make of that what you will.

Last second announcement: the Bean is coming early

Sarah has a medical condition called placenta previa (google it up if you're interested) which has not resolved itself - so today we finally had to pull the trigger on an early, scheduled c-section to avoid serious potential dangers to both her and the Bean.

Bottom line: the Bean will debut via c-section on Tuesday, April 3rd. I am going to try to finish up the frame in the fixture (Kyle) and get stuff packed/shipped that is at the powdercoater (assuming it's done by the end of the week), and after that ALL BETS ARE OFF ON WORK for a while. We are going to have a baby who is several weeks too early and may need extra help, Sarah is undergoing major surgery, and I will be needed around the hospital (hopefully not for too long) and house 24/7. I anticipate accomplishing basically no work for at least 2 weeks. Email and phone calls may go unanswered, though I will try to keep up with them to the best of my ability.

And yes, there will be lots of baby pictures on the blog. You are hereby forewarned.

Photos of Reven's new bike

Thanks to Dave Nice for the pics!

Too sexy

I am told that the article that Eszter wrote about me some time ago has been published in Dirt Rag (article is only available in the print edition, I think). I have yet to see it (I'm writing from the airport my private jet yacht, but I'm told that they used the wrong pictures - there's apparently some grungy looking semi-balding guy in there who IS NOT ME. Let me repeat, that person does not even vaguely resemble me. I do not even know that I would admit to being acquainted with such an unsavory character.

Here's a picture to allow you to easily identify me when seeking an autograph or my healing touch for your paralysis, blindness, or restless leg syndrome.

Breakaway back from powder

I think this thing came out really nicely (with the exception of a boo-boo I inadvertently caused on the seat tube, then had to sleeve...doh - Dave is getting some serious free stuff thanks to *that* little blunder...)

-It's shockingly light. The coupling system probably only adds 80g or something - it's really a lot lighter than the S&S coupler system. Easier to put together, too, since you don't need a special coupler wrench.

-The parts are much, much cheaper. I charge $250 for the breakaway setup, as opposed to $500 for the S&S. That's a nice chunk of change.

-I am not a huge fan of the upper sleeve/lug parts, but those are easy to just make here, and the lower coupler has to be modified to be used with a 29er frame, c'est la vie.



Here's a closeup shot of the seat cluster with the coupler. Came out looking pretty decent, I think - unless you are specifically looking for it, you'd never know the downtube is 38mm below the coupler and 35mm above.

Yes, that's my favorite Paula Pezzo saddle from back in the day. Ew. Now it (and the grimy seatpost) are used exclusively to be clamped into the workstand when I'm prepping or assembling frames.

The Stein-flu moves to Moab

He sent this nice picture. We'll miss ya, Matt!

Rumors of my demise...

...have been greatly exaggerated. I've heard from a couple of people recently that I am apparently getting out of the bike business. Not sure how that happened - I can only assume some kind of bizarre internet-fueled game of telephone that went something like this:
Walt: Sarah and I are having a baby, then we are moving to Utah.
MTBR guy 1: Walt's wife has twins and they are converting to Mormonism.
MTBR guy 2: Walt's many wives are all having children and he is going on a mission to Zambia.
MTBR guy 3: Walt has been arrested for polygamy and running a Nigerian internet scam.
MTBR guy 4: Walt's been murdered by his Nigerian love child.
MTBR guy 5: Darn, I wanted to get a bike from him, but I hear he's out of business...

Sorry, folks, you're not getting rid of me that easily (yes, that's me, btw). I will most likely be building *slower* for a while as I deal with these big changes, but I'll keep plugging away building neat frames and forks and also doing repairs and modifications for all your weird old bikes that need to be made compatible with disc brakes, or have dents removed, or get turned into singlespeeds.

I'll have a new shop (most likely one with *heat* and *insulation* ... good lord I've gone soft!) and I am tentatively planning to do what I've always wanted to - which is offer a much more awesome "experience" of getting a custom frame. I imagine it working something like this:
-Do design work with me on the phone/email and finalize everything.
-I order in your parts (or you ship them out if you've already got them)
-Fly to Salt Lake. The airport is #1 for on time flights in the US, and it's super non-congested and easy to get around.
-Rent a hotel room or *possibly* stay in our detached guest house (note that we don't have this yet, but it's fairly likely that we will) for a nominal fee.
-Watch and *maybe* help a little (this will depend on how ham-handed you are, though) as I build your frame. If you're really excited about building one for yourself someday, I can also give a few basic lessons in mitering, tube selection, TIG welding, and brazing. If you want a full-on weeklong framebuilding lesson (one on one) I may offer something like that as well for a few more bucks.
-We'll assemble your frame (unpainted for now) with all your parts and you get to go test ride it on the world class singletrack right out the back door (Bonneville Shoreline Trail is ~3 miles, and the hundreds of miles of Park City/Deer Valley singletrack are a 20 minute drive).
-When the visit is over (you can stay longer than a week if you want to ride more) you'll fly home and I'll disassemble, powdercoat, and then ship your bike to you.
-WW new world headquarters is (tentatively) going to be located a few blocks from 9th and 9th, right near a great bike shop (Contender), tasty restaurants, and the historic Tower theater. Several breweries are an easy bike ride away as well.
-I'll have my fleet of random (ie, you're in luck if they fit you, and not if they don't) bikes available to demo, too, if you want to just go for a ride instead of watching me melt metal.

Pricing is TBD on that whole package, but I'm guessing it'll be in the neighborhood of $2000 for the frame+shop experience+vacation package. You pay for the plane tickets, of course. And if you don't like kids, dogs, beer, or awesome singletrack, it might not be your thing...

Just in time for... spring?

Dave's new fat frame/fork (the sweet, sweet 250g stem is all mine) - just in time for all the snow to melt off (plus Dave's in the throes of finishing his PhD - why is it that I seem to build bikes for so many people who are smarter than me?)



In any case, as usual, a quick geometry breakdown:
-71/73 angles
-62cm toptube, 52cm seat tube, 14.3cm head tube
-12.4" BB height, 45.5cm chainstays
-For a 150x12 maxle rear hub. I actually think a 170mm rear is the way to go in the future, but for the maxle option, this was also a good choice.
-Clearance for 115mm tires (a BFL will fit, depending on the rim a bit)
-Sort-of s-bend stays (only minimal bending could be done to keep the tire clearance we wanted, so it's fairly subtle)
-Rack mounts front and rear.

Yep, it's a fatbike! The fork on this baby is long enough that you can install an 80mm travel 29er fork (and 29er wheels) and it'll do an able job as a "normal" mountain bike as well, if Dave wants to roll without the fatties. I imagine it would look a little silly, but it could be fun.

Thanks Andrea!

Yes, Andrea strikes again.

Rad. I like the little bicycles. Tasty, too.

Cody blows up my ego

Got this email this morning:

Walt,
I wanted to let you know that I am very happy with my frame that you built for me. All the tweaks you made have yielded exactly what I wanted and it rides amazing. The handling is quite different (more stable but turns faster like you said it would) and seems telepathic at times. It is stiff climbing out of the saddle (much more so than my Indy fab) but still compliant like steel is (oddly more so than my Indy Fab). Your fork is confusing!! I never expected it to ride better than my current fork on my IF(their brand) but, it does (way more supple!!). I'm not hitting my heels on the stays either! I can't thank you enough for an awesome experience and a bike that exceeds all my expectations! You definitely know your frame building Walt!!



I included some build pics for your amusement.. Here is a list of what I built it with, as if you were interested! If you have read this far I know you must be high or something!!

- King/crest 32 cross 3 build wheels with weight weenie racing ralph tires.
- Thompson fare.
- White Industries cranks and BB
- Comfy San Marco saddle (yes, its comfortable to me..)
- Edge handle bar
- BB7 brakes (i like simple)
- Paul levers
- What does it weigh you ask.. I have no idea and I don't care, I'll shit the difference and win anyway! Lol!

Beers!!

Don't call it a comeback...because it's only for 6 months

Big news: Sarah was a huge hit, has been offered a job, and... we're moving to Salt Lake. But not for 5 or 6 months.

We loved it there, and even made an offer on a house (sadly, we were outbid, so we're still looking for a place near the U with room for me to build bikes).

Bottom line: in Salt Lake, you can ride your bike on basically any trail you want. You can take your well-behaved dog out on the trails without getting the stinkeye from the rich NIMBYs who drove alone to the trailhead in their giant cars, and the mountains themselves aren't covered with houses and no trespassing signs. The air pollution is a bummer, and we'll miss the bike paths here, but the bottom line is that after visiting, it's really hard to choose Boulder if you like the outdoors.

It's also pretty clear that CU loses badly to UofU in a direct comparison. While CU is raising tuition 15% a year (and giving giant raises to their administrators) and research is being done in crappy 60 year old buildings, the UofU has new, nice facilities designed specifically for the kind of research Sarah does (ie, you can move around without knocking things over, the climate controls work right, sinks are big enough for washing stuff, etc). We were super impressed with the professors and the facilities, and the overall morale of the students and postdocs. CU is great, but on the trajectory they're on now, they're being left behind.

Likely ETA in Salt Lake is mid to late August. I'm hoping the move will be relatively painless. I'm told, weirdly enough, that there is not a single framebuilder in the Salt Lake area, so if you're excited to work with a local guy and live in Salt Lake, get on the waitlist now!

BTW, the picture is of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, which IMO *by itself* (all the locals say they only ride it when all the other trails are snowed in) beats the riding that you can do from town in Boulder.

Random thoughts about Salt Lake City

-Bumpy airplane flight + pregnant wife = no fun. I'm glad it was only an hour!
-Salt Lake is freaking huge!
-The BST is darn cool. Like someone combined our own local Green Mountain with the geology of, say Fruita or something. Favorite "you would never hear this in Boulder" quote: "This is strictly a downhill - it is not recomended riding uphill on the Bobsled. In 2007 a new approach was constructed that is not as steep and rocky, a lot of work was also done in the bottom of the ravine to enable higher speeds." Boo-yah!
-Apparently skateboarding is unknown in Utah. I did not see a single skater or frat boy on a longboard in the entire 2 hours I wandered around the campus. Note that I'm not particularly complaining about that, it just seemed weird.
-The mountains are on the wrong side. Someone should be informed that mountains are supposed to be to the West.

In less than an hour, I will have my first non-Moab Utah food and beer experience... we'll see how it goes.

Random thoughts about Salt Lake City

Off to Salt Lake!

No work this week, folks, I'm in Salt Lake with Sarah. She's getting interviewed for postdocs, I'm scouting the city for houses, trails, climbing, and beer. I think I got the better end of the deal...

I'll check email and feel free to call - but if I don't answer, don't be too surprised. Things are pretty hectic right now!

May you live in interesting times...

It seems that I seldom get to build "normal" bikes. I guess that's to be expected, since I do build custom bikes, but sometimes I wish I was a bearded, wool-knicker wearing lug builder who only did 73/73 road frames. I seem to end up with all the weirdos (no offense, you freaks) who want really unusual and often really cool stuff, and so I end up spending all my time figuring out how to do it.

Witness Dave's bike. You may remember him as the nutbar who wanted me to build him a custom headshok. Apparently that project wasn't weird enough, as he then decided to have me build him a breakaway 29er singlespeed - with a headshok.

Long story short, the headshok got nixed because we couldn't get the bars low enough for Dave's preferences (even with a -20 degree stem!) and we decided to roll with a conventional suspension fork, but the rest of the setup is still pretty odd.

As far as I know, there are no other breakaway 29ers on earth - and I soon figured out why. The lower coupler/hinge clamp assembly is too short to allow a bike with a tall front end/steep downtube angle to fit a seat tube miter (check out the awful picture and you'll get the idea) so I was forced improvise. A lathe, an old BB shell, and a few hours later, the coupler has all the room it needs.





I also had to sacrifice an old Titec seatpost to allow me to clamp the upper seat sleeve/lug assembly together. The lower lug is silver brazed in, and I'm planning to TIG weld the toptube and seatstays - though it's looking like I'll destroy the Ritchey logo in the process... c'est la vie. Should be a fun bike when it's done, and the Ritchey system is both cheaper and lighter than S&S - but there's not much flexibility in terms of tube diameters or butting.