Projects Galleries

Wetmorian#1.1 : Wetmorian#1 (http://alexandchristine.smugmug.com/gallery/7709240_62Gg9#548647640_GdUk5) starting over again.  This is going to be a 650B touring/urban bike with an eccentric bottom bracket to work well with a Rohloff hub.  73 HTA, 40mm trail, 72 STA, 5 degree sloping top tube.

Wetmorian#1.1

Wetmorian#1 (http://alexandchristine.smugmug.com/gallery/7709240_62Gg9 ...

Updated: Nov 05, 2009 9:08am PST

Cycle Truck Rack in Stainless : 316 1/2" x 0.035 main tubing, a mix of 45% silver and Nickel "silver" brazing rods.  This is for the cycle truck.  It is a little shorter and a little wider than the original rack.  It is also my first rack in stainless steel.

Cycle Truck Rack in Stainless

316 1/2" x 0.035 main tubing, a mix of 45% silver and Nickel "silver" ...

Updated: Oct 17, 2009 10:05am PST

Rack Tabs : Two potential shapes of rack tabs.  The first one is a little boxier, the second is more nicely rounded.  They'd be made out of 1/8" thick 1018, and I might add an option for stainless (304 or 316).  The tab is designed with an M5 hole, but with enough material to drill the hole out to M6 for really big racks.  The cost should end up being $2-$2.50 ($4-$5 per pair) each depending on how many I order.

Rack Tabs

Two potential shapes of rack tabs. The first one is a little boxier, ...

Updated: Oct 14, 2009 5:46pm PST

Fork Raking with Alistair and Andre :

Fork Raking with Alistair and Andre

Updated: Oct 04, 2009 10:01pm PST

Wetmorian #1 : This was going to be my first full frame.  I wasn't happy enough with the brazing and my seat tube angle got steeper than desirable, so I started over.  The replacement is here:
http://alexandchristine.smugmug.com/gallery/8404803_TABvf#551817517_Byu7f

Wetmorian #1

This was going to be my first full frame. I wasn't happy enough with ...

Updated: Jun 01, 2009 8:10am PST

Practice Fillets :

Practice Fillets

Updated: May 28, 2009 1:38pm PST

i9 Tikit :

i9 Tikit

Updated: Apr 17, 2009 10:18am PST

Travel Agent Custom Pulleys :

Travel Agent Custom Pulleys

Updated: Mar 22, 2009 9:05pm PST

Frame Fixture : I am building a frame fixture using 8020 and some simple machined parts.  This is based on my learnings from the simpler one that I built, plus inspiration from photos of the Arctos Jig.

My fixture has these design goals:
* Flexible so that it can be used for oddball bikes (cargo bikes, tandems, etc)
* Breaks down into small linear sections for storage
* Cheaper than a used Nortac or similar jig.  It looks like my total cost will be about $300 and ~20 hours of machine time.
* Not annoying to use, but also not designed to be very quick to dial in like most professional jigs.  I have no plans to become a professional framebuilder and don't mind spending 30-45 minutes setting up a jig.
* My first jig was too adjustable, which made it easy to get things off of the centerline.  On this one I fixed the centerline at 2.5" and am machining parts accurately so that I don't need to make them adjustable.

I'm highly influenced by the Arctos jig since that had a lot of design similarities (with much nicer execution) to my first jig.  The rear triangle dummy axle is going to be a complete ripoff of the Arctos since I never came up with a design that I liked before.  The Arctos is much slicker when it comes to setting angles.

Frame Fixture

I am building a frame fixture using 8020 and some simple machined part ...

Updated: Mar 20, 2009 7:52am PST

Tikit Dropouts : A photo journal depicting the replacement of Bike Friday Tikit dropouts with pivoting ones meant for an internal gear rear hub.

Tikit Dropouts

A photo journal depicting the replacement of Bike Friday Tikit dropout ...

Updated: Mar 08, 2009 7:02pm PST

Tikit Dropout Replacement

Updated: Mar 08, 2009 7:00pm PST

Tubing Blocks :

Tubing Blocks

Updated: Feb 15, 2009 7:18pm PST

Pass and Stow/Freight Bag Prototype Rack : Freight Bags and Pass and Stow makes this unique messenger bag/handlebar bag for porteur racks.  I saw it at NAHBS 2008 and was intrigued with the design and the attachment system to the rack, so I bought one.

I consider the rack to be a prototype because I'm unhappy with some of the workmanship (a reasonable tradeoff for building it quickly).

Pass and Stow/Freight Bag Prototype Rack

Freight Bags and Pass and Stow makes this unique messenger bag/handleb ...

Updated: Feb 06, 2009 10:51am PST

Rack Building with Lee and Andrew :

Rack Building with Lee and Andrew

Updated: Jan 24, 2009 7:47pm PST

Berthoud Fenders : The 26x60mm fenders measured 61mm wide.  The 650x50mm fenders measured 48mm wide.

Berthoud Fenders

The 26x60mm fenders measured 61mm wide. The 650x50mm fenders measured ...

Updated: Jan 18, 2009 4:43pm PST

Cycle Truck v2 :

Cycle Truck v2

Updated: Jan 11, 2009 6:40pm PST

Curvy Handlebar Bag Rack : This rack is for my IvyCycles frame.  It is designed to work with a handlebar bag that has Ortlieb hooks under the front of the bag.  The rack is made out of 5/16" x 0.028 tubing, and all of the material came from one 4' section of tubing.  The design has few brazed joints, but slightly more complicated bends than a normal rack.

Rory Cameron gets credit for the basic design.  He designed a rack similar to this one for his Jeff Lyon custom frame, but the implementation was never realized.

Curvy Handlebar Bag Rack

This rack is for my IvyCycles frame. It is designed to work with a ha ...

Updated: Jan 02, 2009 10:30am PST

Mark's Lowrider Rack : Mark Vande Kamp and I built this rack for his Goodrich.  When he ordered this bike he didn't expect to use it for touring, but he likes it so much that he wanted to be able to do so.  The rack was designed to go very quickly using just 4 bolts.  Special fasteners were made which allow it to mount to the same eyelets as the fenders.  The rack was designed to carry 2 Ortlieb Frontroller panniers and the primary angles of the rack were designed to match the frame's downtube angle and top tube angles.

Mark's Lowrider Rack

Mark Vande Kamp and I built this rack for his Goodrich. When he order ...

Updated: Dec 19, 2008 2:48pm PST

Alistair's Eccentric Bottom Bracket Heat Sink : Alistair made this heat sink to reduce bottom bracket distortion while brazing.  He made it on his lathe and then came over to use the bandsaw to cut it in half.

You can see his photos over here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/duncancycles/sets/72157609171987407/

Alistair's Eccentric Bottom Bracket Heat Sink

Alistair made this heat sink to reduce bottom bracket distortion while ...

Updated: Nov 22, 2008 5:50pm PST

Cycle Truck :

Cycle Truck

Updated: Nov 09, 2008 8:17pm PST

Fork Building and Alignment Tools : This is a V-block clamp for a fork steerer.  I will use it both for building forks and aligning them.  It is more or less a copy of a Bringheli but setup to mount to the T-slots on my alignment/fixture table.

Fork Building and Alignment Tools

This is a V-block clamp for a fork steerer. I will use it both for bu ...

Updated: Nov 09, 2008 2:07pm PST

Frame Alignment and Fixturing Table : Using a Bridgeport 9x36 milling table, bits of 80/20, and homemade parts to construct a bicycle frame tacking fixture and alignment jig.

The milling table was Brandon Ives idea and it seems like it'll be a good solution.  I bought this one used for $40 (the freight cost 3x that).  It's flat and the t-slots are very helpful for fixturing items in place.

Frame Alignment and Fixturing Table

Using a Bridgeport 9x36 milling table, bits of 80/20, and homemade par ...

Updated: Oct 18, 2008 10:51am PST

Cargo Bike : A front load light duty cargo bike.  I used a donor Trek 800 frame (late 80s) for the rear triangle and a built a new front triangle designed for a 20" front wheel.  This is my first bicycle frame (partial or full).

Cargo Bike

A front load light duty cargo bike. I used a donor Trek 800 frame (la ...

Updated: Jul 16, 2008 1:23pm PST

Lee's Pugsley Rack and Andre's P/R rack :

Lee's Pugsley Rack and Andre's P/R rack

Updated: Mar 10, 2008 10:28pm PST

Cantilever Boss Brazing Fixture :

Cantilever Boss Brazing Fixture

Updated: Feb 16, 2008 8:35pm PST

Rory's Jeff Lyon Rack :

Rory's Jeff Lyon Rack

Updated: Feb 16, 2008 8:33pm PST

Lathe Projects :

Lathe Projects

Updated: Jan 23, 2008 9:35pm PST

Mark's Taillight : Mark VandeKamp built this taillight body using my lathe.  It is mounted on his Curt Goodrich frame.  It's the first real project made on the lathe and looks great.

Here is what he wrote about it:
It looks a lot nicer than the old one. The stalk is not quite as nice because I tightened the bolt too tight, bending the aluminum ring that held the light at the correct angle. I fixed it by wedging a very small piece of aluminum between the chainstay and light housing. I was planning on putting clear epoxy around the stalk anyway to water seal it, so the epoxy will make sure the new wedge doesn't vibrate out.

Mark's Taillight

Mark VandeKamp built this taillight body using my lathe. It is mounte ...

Updated: Jan 07, 2008 10:21am PST

Rory's Protour Rack : This rack is for Rory's Centurion Protour.

Normally I prefer stays which go to the corners of the rack, but this one has narrow stays to make it bus-rack compatible.  The stays which go from the corners of the rack to the centerpull brakes still make the rack very stiff.  He plans on using it with his handlebar bag or for carrying pizza boxes.

The rack was pretty simple to make except for the stays which go to the centerpull brakes.  The attachments to the brakes were tricky to fixture (we used a big vise grip that acted as a massive heat sink) and were also pretty challenging for Rory to miter.

I think the final result looks great.

Rory's Protour Rack

This rack is for Rory's Centurion Protour. Normally I prefer stays ...

Updated: Jan 06, 2008 9:30am PST

John's rack : A mid-fork mounted Porteur rack for John Speare's 650B Trek 520.  I built most of the rack beforehand and added the stays and backstop when he brought the bike over.  The project took about 12-14 hours total from start to finish.  You can find photos of the build process in the Rack Building Howto gallery.

I'm very happy with the results except that the rack sits a bit high off of the front wheel.  I look forward to seeing what John thinks of it.

John's rack

A mid-fork mounted Porteur rack for John Speare's 650B Trek 520. I bu ...

Updated: Oct 28, 2007 4:52pm PST

Rack Building Howto :

Rack Building Howto

Updated: Oct 28, 2007 4:48pm PST

Tikit Demi-Porteur Rack : A porteur rack for my Bike Friday Tikit.  This is the second rack that I've built for this bicycle and it fits into the bicycle's fold much better than the first design.  The rack is wider at the front than the rear, and the angle of the sides matches the angle of the rear wheel when the bicycle is folded.  The rack extends a bit towards the back of the bicycle to provide clearance for the nose of the saddle when the bike is folded.  

I primarily use this rack to hold my messenger (shoulder) bag, but a rack this size also works well with a cooler, crate, or other box.

Tikit Demi-Porteur Rack

A porteur rack for my Bike Friday Tikit. This is the second rack that ...

Updated: Sep 29, 2007 3:16pm PST

MiniMax Porteur Rack : This rack is halfway between a normal Porteur Rack and a handlebar bag rack.  It is large enough to work with my messenger bag (as shown in the small photo) but it also works with my handlebar bag.  The decaleur is built into the rack.  I had to change from my original plan of having the decaleur at 73 degrees (to match the head tube angle) because it the stem got in the way.

MiniMax Porteur Rack

This rack is halfway between a normal Porteur Rack and a handlebar bag ...

Updated: Aug 23, 2007 7:50am PST

Rory's Rack : A prototype rack for Rory's new handlebar bag system.  The bag is secured using Ortlieb pannier hooks.  The rack is a larger than a normal handlebar bag rack because it has to be longer than the bag, but the weight is still reasonable at 230 grams.  

The rack is primarily 1/4 x 0.028" tubing with 5/16 x 0.028" where the pannier hooks are mounted.

Rory's Rack

A prototype rack for Rory's new handlebar bag system. The bag is secu ...

Updated: Jun 25, 2007 8:52am PST

Porteur Rack : A Porteur conversion rack for the Nitto M12.  This is being built by Alistair Spence for my Kogswell P/R.  I'm helping with a little of the brazing and we worked together on the design.

Porteur Rack

A Porteur conversion rack for the Nitto M12. This is being built by A ...

Updated: Jun 16, 2007 4:25pm PST

Handlebar Bag Rack #2 : A basic handlebar bag rack made with 1/4" (6mm) x 0.035" (.9mm) tubing.  This one is designed to mount to cantilever studs and the fork crown, like the Nitto M12.

Handlebar Bag Rack #2

A basic handlebar bag rack made with 1/4" (6mm) x 0.035" (.9mm) tubing ...

Updated: May 13, 2007 6:51pm PST

Alistair's Rack Jig Design : Alistair showed me this simple jig.  It lets you position the rack top easily.  I wish I had some photographs of my earlier "jigs", this is much much simpler and more effective.

The key part to it is a double holder that came from a local science store (called Science Art and More).  I don't know the exact name of this part.  It has two tube clamps and a center clamp that you can rotate 360 degrees.  Attached to this are two homemade tube holders, one of which clamps to the fork or frame and the other clamps to the rack.

Alistair's Rack Jig Design

Alistair showed me this simple jig. It lets you position the rack top ...

Updated: May 13, 2007 6:39pm PST

Triangle Rack : A saddlebag support + tent holding for loaded touring with a primarily front load.

Triangle Rack

A saddlebag support + tent holding for loaded touring with a primarily ...

Updated: May 06, 2007 5:45pm PST

Tube bending without gain correction : There is text for these photos at http://blogs.phred.org/blogs/alex_wetmore/archive/2007/04/30/tube_2D00_bending.aspx

Tube bending without gain correction

There is text for these photos at http://blogs.phred.org/blogs/alex_we ...

Updated: Apr 29, 2007 6:49pm PST

Handlebar Bag Rack #1 :

Handlebar Bag Rack #1

Updated: Apr 27, 2007 7:26am PST

Fork Re-raking :

Fork Re-raking

Updated: Apr 24, 2007 8:11pm PST

Bag Storage :

Bag Storage

Updated: Mar 31, 2007 1:45pm PST

Tube Bender Experiments : Can my 3/8" Ridgid tube bender make bends in 5/16" steel tubing if I use vinyl tubing to enlarge the steel tubing?

Tube Bender Experiments

Can my 3/8" Ridgid tube bender make bends in 5/16" steel tubing if I u ...

Updated: Feb 25, 2007 3:49pm PST

Taillight :

Taillight

Updated: Feb 18, 2007 7:34pm PST