I post or two back I shared some photos of a Newvex lugged bike that was in process and just today I realized that I’d meant to post photos of the sidetack stays but had forgotten to – better late than never I suppose.

Side tack stays in various stages from having the caps brazed on to the finished deal.

Dave

I take all of the photos on my site and blog with a Nikon D70 digital camera and while I like it very much for shop and studio shots it’s more than a bit too large to fit in a jersey pocket to take out on a ride. Well I went for a ride around the flat part of the valley close to the house yesterday and right as I was getting ready to shove off I asked to barrow Karin’s little point and shoot camera. I’m always a bit lost with this thing and feel like I’m doing something wrong and they way I make up for it is to take some many photos that I’m bound to get one or two that don’t suck. Well yesterday was so perfect and sunny and warm it was hard to go wrong. As you read awhile back I was whining about out wet weather but now I can reap the benefits of it – it is so green it almost hurts your eyes. It’s that kodachrome green from film camera days gone by and just stunning to look at.

I thought you might like to see what my ride looks like when it’s green in spring.

Dave

Well summer arrived on schedule. It was warm and sunny over the weekend with thunderstorms in the afternoon this past weekend and today was sunny and clear and in the mid 70′s. Ah summer.

I’m working on a traditional horizontal top tube race bike this week with Newvex lugs and spent the afternoon getting them crisp and clean. Tomorrow I work on adding a rear to the front.

Dave

A few images from today in the shop.

Dave

One cool thing about doing what I do for a living is the people I get to work with. With most business relationships once the sale is made the seller doesn’t hear anything from the buyer ever again – unless they have a problem. I, on the other hand, get notes and photos and updates from the owners about the rides they have taken and the changes that have occurred in their cycling lives and I must say I love getting those notes and photos. Seeing photos of my work at the top of an alpine pass in Europe is very cool and at the same time seeing a bike leaned up against a garage door is just as cool. Just knowing the bikes are being used and enjoyed puts a smile on my face.

The best notes I get are written just after the first ride – the ride report. I love those note as they are so full of excitement. I’ve been collecting them and saving them for a good time and it seems like now is as good a time as any. Here are a few that I’ve gotten recently.

Thanks for the notes – please keep them coming.

Dave

———————————————————————-

Hi Dave,

I received the bike Saturday.  You had everything so carefully packed, I really appreciate that.  I also appreciate the directions for the handlebar set point and seat post.  This is the most beautiful bike I’ve ever seen and I am so happy with how everything turned out.  The way you designed the frame is amazing, this bike fits me like a glove!  This extremely well designed bike will see many years of happy use.  I have only been on a small test drive so far, there has been so much rain that I was not able to go on my usual route.  The weather is supposed to break this week, and I will be “off to the races”.  Thank you so much for building such a wonderful frame and complete bike!

I received the t-shirt today, and I just put it on, I will be sporting it around the house this evening.

Thank you, Dave, for everything!!

G.

————————————————————

Hi Dave -

Believe it or not, I recently finished the build on the frame you built for me last year. A big part of the fun for me was taking my time gathering all the parts from various places, and keeping things affordable.

The bike’s been built up for about a week, and has seen its first 100 miles.  Tonight was the bike’s first outing at the regular Thursday night group ride. I definitely had some extra spring in my step tonight!!

Its a little hard to accurately describe the feel of the bike, but I’ll give it a go. The bike is smooth and steady. The fit is perfect – it simply feels right. Its the most comfortable bike I’ve ever been on. Acceleration is great, I feel more power on flats, and climbs seem to be a bit easier as well. I haven’t had the chance to take it on a large descent, but I know it will be smooth & steady. The bike corners great. It feels like what I think a high performance luxury sedan would feel like (been a Subaru guy for years, so what do I know).

I’m kind of surprised by how much better this bike feels than my previous bike - the differences are both subtle and pronounced.

The bike is perfect – all that I wanted and more. It makes me want to go out and ride, and stay out as long as possible. I plan to put some longer miles on it this weekend.

I’m so happy with this bike – its really is a dream come true.

BTW, got lot’s of compliments on the Thursday night ride. I call it a “modern classic”.

Hat’s off to Joe Bell for the fantastic paint. So well done!!! Thanks so much for building such a wonderful frame. I really appreciate your work.

All the best,

S.

—————————————————————————

Hi Dave,

Weather, end of school stuff and kids soccer tournaments conspired to limit my time on the new bike – I haven’t been able to bring myself to go out in the rain with it yet.  However, I’ve had some nice time with it now.  Epiphany is word that comes to mind.  Descends faster (real numbers of 3 mph on my favorite downhill), climbs easier (more of a gestalt) and is more comfortable ( can sit in the saddle for at least two hours without back soreness) than anything I’ve ever owned.  Exactly what I wanted – a quick all rounder, that begs to be ridden hard but doesn’t beat me up.  Also carving corners better than in the last 15 years.  The biggest problem is not watching the paint shimmer in the sun and ignoring the road. IF things go well its time to try the alps or something similar next year.  Now I have to get shape to really push the machine.

Anyone considering  a Kirk who lives nearby is welcome to drop by for a look.

S.

Spring time in the mountains can be a mixed blessing but is usually a very nice time punctuated by some nasty days. It will get into the 70′s and be sunny and calm and then we’ll have a cold rainy day to show us how good it was the day before. But this year is different. It has been cold and wet and raw for weeks and has never really warmed up. It has rained/snowed 22 of the past 25 days and we’ve gotten a good 25% of our yearly total of precipitation over the past 6 weeks. I have not ridden my bike much and it’s making me grumpy. It rained very hard yesterday afternoon (1/2″ rain) and then started up during the night and we got another 1/3″. The temps dropped low enough that the rain turned to snow for awhile. Yes it’s June 11th and it’s snowing in Bozeman MT. When will it stop I ask you?

It’s a good day to finish up the fillet bike I’m in the middle of. It’s being built for a person who isn’t very tall and doesn’t weigh much so the tubes are smaller in diameter and thinner walled to give her a sweet ride. Lightweight people often get the nasty end of the stick with bikes as most of the tubing out there is designed for the worst case scenario of a big heavy guy. But the good and smart people at Reynolds actually make tubes that make sense fro the lightweight rider. I like that a lot.

Have a warm weekend.

Dave

I like coffee. I like it a lot. I don’t drink it all day long as my head might explode but I love a great cup of coffee when I first climb out of bed. A few years back a Bozeman bike guy who used to work for Carl Strong opened his own coffee roasting house. He now supplies area coffee shops and restaurants and the stuff is very good. Check it out - http://www.cremaroasting.com/index.html

The “Smoked out” feature on the V salon continues and more builders will be added soon. Be sure to stop by and catch up on the latest questions/answers. Here’s the address - http://www.velocipedesalon.com/forum/f22/

Dave

As some of you might know there is a very cool place on the webbernet called the Velo Salon and it’s a place where a good number of builders hang out. There is a relatively new room there called “Smoked out” and it’s a place where readers and lurkers can ask questions to the featured builders. I’m pleased to say that it’s my turn today so if there are any questions you have it’s a good place to ask them.

You should also read the questions asked of other builders and their answers. It’s very interesting reading and I stop by at least once a day. Take a few minutes or hours and have fun reading.

http://www.velocipedesalon.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?22-Smoked-Out

Dave