After a bit of a delay while waiting on tubes I have this JKS just about done. Today I brazed the rear end onto the front, machined, aligned and cleaned up most of the brazing. Tomorrow morning I’ll get the fillets on the dropouts all shaped and cleaned and then it’s off to JB.

Have a good night.

Dave

I just got this back from JB today and look forward to hanging a kit on it early next week and getting it off to it’s new home.

Enjoy your weekend.

Dave

I’m most of the way through a JKS build and I a bit hung up waiting for tubes to finish the bike. So I’ve been doing some office work and ran across some very old stuff in a box in the closet.

I have a box full of race numbers that are a small portion of the numbers I used to have but I saved these because they were important or significant in some way. In looking through them I’ll be damned if I can remember what made most of them special at the time. Also in the box were some race results. It’s so quant to see them in all their zeroxed glory. This predates the webbernet by more than a few years and back then you went to a race and then waited for the results to come in the mail. It’s funny that we now go to races and are upset that if by the time we get home the results aren’t posted online.

I raced the “Ross Stage Race” a number of years in a row and I have to admit the first year I did it (1984) I had no idea what I was getting in to. I’d been racing pro BMX and thought I’d give this mountain bike racing fad  a try so for my first event ever I went to Massachusetts and did the Ross stage race. When I went to registration they asked me what class I wanted to race and I had no idea what classes there even were. I told them I raced pro BMX so the nice womam checked the box labeled “pro” and I was off to the races.

I looked at the other names on the entry list and to be honest I had no idea who these other guys were. They didn’t race BMX so I didn’t know them and was blissfully ignorant and unconcerned. I know who they are now.

The race was  real eye opener to me and I instantly was hooked on MTB racing. I loved how the races were long enough that you had a chance to have a bad moment and then make up for it. BMX is not that way. The race consisted 3 stages over two days. The first day was a one lap (4 miles and 500 vertical feet) time trial and observed trails. I had no idea what observed trails were but I soon found out they were very cool. I placed well in both the TT and the observed trails and went into the second day in a very good position. The next day was 15 laps of the 4 mile loop – an enduro. With 400 feet of climbing per lap this was the longest and hilliest MTB ride I’ve ever done. I was with the group for the first 1/2 of the event and then I popped and dragged myself to the line way behind the leaders. But I’d done well enough on day one that I ended up placing 7th in G.C. I was bummed at the time but looking back on it I now think that was just fine. I went on to do the Ross Race a number of times and it was the highlight of my season each year. The last year they held the race my knee went “pop” and quickly became the size and shape of a grapefruit. I have no idea what I did to my knee but my weekend was over. Too bad as I’d placed in the top 3 in the prologue. Easy come easy go I guess.

I no longer do any organized racing. Years of racing BMX, MTB, road, observed trails along with snowboards and skateboards burned the competitive edge right out of me. Not to say that I won’t suffer like a dog to beat my fellow riders over the next hill………

Thanks for reading.

Dave

A mixed office/shop day today and it felt good to belly up to the bench this afternoon and heat up some pipes. This is the frameset I’m working on right now –  A JKS for Idaho. I brazed the front triangle today and will get it prepped for having the rear end added tomorrow.

Stay well,

Dave

We’ve had pretty weak skiing but very good riding weather considering it’s March in Montana. It feels like spring is here which is very nice but I’ve lived here long enough to know that there is a lot of snow left to fall. There always seems to be at least one good snow storm in June so we can look forward to that.

One thing the melting snow means is that the eagles are back……… no not the lame band from the 80′s but the big birds that look like they could swoop down and pick you up if so motivated. This time of year you see them all the time. Their hunting is easy now as all the burrowing ground squirrels are coming out and onto the snow. They may as well set off flares they are so obvious. So the eagles eat well and life is good.

The other thing that spring brings to Montana is wonderful dirt road riding. After being plowed all winter they are pretty dry and they get very smooth and fast with little mud or standing water. By high summer the dirt roads will be in rough shape as they get very dry, dusty and loose……… but right now they are great. I’ve been riding the personal bike I brought to the show. It’s a JK Cross and it’s really fun to hammer on the dirt. This, by the way, is how a show bike should look a few weeks after the show  - used.

Stay well and get ready for that June snow.

Dave

This JK Special is headed to the hills of Colorado’s front range. It’s all built up with Record 11 and Campy Two-Way wheels.  It should be a lot of fun for going both up and down.

Have Fun E.A.

Dave

The show is over and frankly I’m fine with that. It’s so much work spread over such a long period of time that it becomes all one can think about at times. I have work to do at the bench and a bike to assemble but before I move off the topic I thought I’d share some not so great photos of the booth and the bikes for those that couldn’t make the trip.

Check out the photos. You can see the Pegoretti booth next door to ours and Dazza’s booth right behind ours. In one of the shots you can Dazza and Dario in Dazza’s booth hanging out.

That’s it for now.

Dave

It’s Wednesday and I’m caught up with calls and emails and it’s time to get back to the bench. I look forward to it. I have a JKS that was started right before the show but had to be set aside. It will feel good to get it rolling again.

I’m not sure if any of you have seen this interview I did with ‘Commute by Bike’ a few weeks back. I think they posted it about a week ago. You might find it interesting……. and then again you might not. Let me know.

http://commutebybike.com/2010/02/25/2010-nahbs-interview-series-kirk-frameworks/

More soon.

Dave

Well we are home again and I’m just getting caught up on emails and phone calls. It was nice to come home to such positive messages and even a few orders in my inbox from the show.

I don’t have much time to write now and really feel like I just need a nap but I wanted to thank you all for your attendance and positive vibe. So many of you came into the booth and such nice things that I have a swollen head. Thank you all.

Thanks too for the overwhelmingly positive feedback on the new logos and artwork we are using. I know you can’t please everyone but it seems we’ve gone a good ways in that direction. Thank you for your feedback both positive and not so.

As some of you might know I won the best fillet award at the show. This means a good bit to me and when I see a judge like Peter Weigle come into the booth and point and smile at my work I feel like a million bucks. It’s Peter’s work that inspired me to get into this business so it means that much more. Here are a number of photos taken of the award winning frame taken before the show. The bike was shown in the raw so one can see what a fillet can look like under the paint. You’ll also see the new Triple F dropouts.

More show tales soon.

Dave