Thanks Bill!

Dave

Dave

But what if the maker wanted to offer a lugged steel frame with a larger seat tube – say a 1 1/4″ (31.8 mm) ? It’s a problem really. The top of the seat tube on the frame isn’t blunt flat cut but instead is shaped by hand so there is no real way to stuff a shim into the tube (nothing to keep it from falling down into the tube) to size it down to fit a 27.2 post. So while there have been lugs and tubes available to make XL sized lugged frames (the term ‘XL’ applies to any frame with 1 1/4″ top and seat tubes and a 1 3/8″ down tube) there were few to none seat posts available to fit. We builders needed a 30.6 mm seat post to fit the XL sized frames.

Interestingly there was little market demand for a 30.6 post because there where no frames being built that needed one – and there were no frames being built that needed one because there were no posts being made to fit. A ‘Chicken and Egg’ problem if ever there was one. Why build frames you can’t ride for lack of a post?

So well over a year ago I started the quest of getting a high end carbon seat post made in the 30.6 mm size to fit an XL sized lugged frame. I emailed or called most anyone that offered a quality post and asked if they could make a 30.6 mm version of their post. Most companies didn’t even bother to respond and the few that did said there was no market for a 30.6 so why bother? Chicken and egg.

Enter two fellow frame builders – Darrell McCulloch of Llewellyn bikes of Australia and Dario Pegoretti of Pegoretti Cicli of Italy. We are all from much different places but all wanted a high end 30.6 mm post to work with the frames we wanted to make. We joined forces and in the end were able to get the good folks at Fizik to see the light and make a 30.6 mm version of their Cyrano carbon post. This post, with its easy to adjust head, has been a favorite of mine since they released it a number of years ago. Simple, clean, strong and light – a perfect combination.

This is a very long way of saying that after nearly a year in the works the Fizik Cyrano carbon 30.6 mm posts are in hand and available. I offer them with my JKS X model and I’m also offering them to anyone that needs one to fit an XL sized frame. I have a limited supply and they will be sold first come first served with a limit of 2 posts per customer. The retail price for the post is $170 shipped to anywhere in the lower 48 states. For pricing outside this area please contact me first. I you are a fellow builder looking for a post please contact me directly for special OEM pricing. I accept personal checks and payment via PayPal.

These posts are now in stock and ready to ship. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks for reading.

Dave

Dave

Then yesterday a few different friends sent me a link to an article on the Competitive Cyclist website – I was surprised to see the article was about Brendan approaching a few different builders about having a steel bike built and that I was one of the three builders he sent emails to. A very nice surprise.

I think the article and the related comments are an interesting read. If you have a few free moments check it out –

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/whats-new/torchmaster-vs–torchbearer-in-pursuit-of-a-steel-frameset.449.html

Thanks again for reading.

Dave

Cool stuff.

Dave

This is the frameset I brought to NAHBS and displayed in the raw. Once I got it home from the show I hung the kit on it and started riding it hard. The riding and testing showed that while it rode nice and smooth there was a funny behavior when braking hard and turning that I wasn’t fond of. The loads were a bit too high for the first fork I built for it and it had this funny ‘twitch’ in the steering when diving hard into a turn and braking. So………..it was time to make a change. I first made the original fork stiffer with external ribs just to see what would happen and while it was better I still didn’t love it.

Next I built another fork with a different crown and straight blades. This fork worked better under braking but it had two downsides – it was harsh riding and I just didn’t like the look. It wasn’t truly bad in either way but I didn’t love it so it was on to round three.

The 3rd fork used the same type crown as the first but different blades. These blades have a shorter taper and by bending them just right I could cut off more of the bottom of the blades than the top (to get it to the proper length) so I had a larger diameter down where the brake loads were. This fork has turned out to be the ‘have your cake and eat it too’ deal. Smooth ride, great braking stability when going straight or diving into a tight corner on a loose surface, good looking and more than light enough. We have a winner. I’m pumped by how it rides.

Now it’s time to pull the parts off it and send it off to JB for some paint to get it ready for race season this fall. Here are a few photos of the bike with it’s 3rd and final generation fork. Here are a few photos of it all built up with fork 3.

Dave

Here is what we have –

STEMS –

3T ARX Pro – 120 mm – retails for $65, this one for $35…….as new condition – SOLD

3T ARX Team – 130mm – retails for $110, this one for $60…….. as new condition

Reynolds Alloy – 130 mm – retailed for $65, this one for $25 ………. as new condition – SOLD

BARS –

3T Ergosum Team carbon – 44 cm wide, 89 mm reach, 128 mm drop – retails for $300, this one for $150…………very good shape but covered with bar tape residue.

SEATPOST –

3T Dorico Pro, 27.2 dia, 350 long, retails for $76, this one for $30…………no gouges and in good shape except for white stripe on front and back. – SOLD

WHEELS –

Reynolds Carbon Clinchers – Shimano compatible hub.
32 mm rim depth
20 spoke front, 24 rear
1328 grams on my scale for the pair
DT hubs
No skewers

These are in good condition. I broke a spoke on the rear and didn’t have a black bladed spoke to replace it so there is a round silver spoke instead. I removed the BIG decals from them as they were used on a show bike a few years back and they were just too much of a billboard in the booth.

These retail for $2500 new and these can be had for $650. Get yourself a black spoke and make them like new. – SOLD

Add $10 to any item to cover shipping cost in the lower 48 states. Buying more than one item will save you on shipping costs. The cost for shipping the wheels will be $50 in the lower 48. Payment by personal check or paypal. I will pack and ship the day after I get payment and shipping will be via Fed Ex ground. If anyone wants the entire shooting match speak up quickly and I will make you a deal you can refuse.

Buy early and buy often and keep my car from racing on street tires (rough life I know) this season. Thanks for checking this out.

Dave

UPDATE – as of 4/17/12 most of the items have been sold and shipped. There are two items left for sale – the 3T bars and the 130 mm 3T stem.

The frameset is built up with Sram Red and a Deda cockpit and Karin’s borrowed wheels as the customer has his own to use and didn’t need more wheels. So the white wheels might not be the best choice colorwise for the build but they worked perfectly to get the bike built and adjusted.

With this one in the Fed Ex truck I start on another JKS Classic today and they just keep coming and going. Good stuff IMO.

Dave

I got this note the other day from my customer Ken. Ken had me build him a JK Special with Terraplane stays and then had Joe Bell paint it with some very cool ‘mood ring’ paint that changes color when the temperature changes – just like those mood rings back in the day. Cool stuff. And since Ken is from the same area as JB he opted to pick it up at Joe’s (saving the time and money of shipping it to Montana and back) and then walk it next door to have the good folks at Holland Cycles hang the parts on it for him. I’ve included a few photos of the bike and it’s cool paint that Ken sent me.

This is Ken’s second Kirk frame. He bought a used one awhile back and it was this bike that made him want to pull the trigger on getting one that was made especially for him. Having one made for you, with it subtle tweaks in sizing, handling and stiffness, can make all the difference.

So anyway – without further fanfare here is the note Ken sent me the other day. I post it here with Ken’s permission. Thanks for everything Ken – the pleasure was all mine.

Dave

_______________________________________________

Hi Dave,

Thanks again for the bike. Since picking up the JKS from JB’s this past Friday, I’ve spent the weekend getting to know the bike you crafted for me.  Unlike the break in of a new car where you’ve got to spend some time easing in the first few hundred miles, I’ve not babied it one bit, and have pushed as hard as I can on the first two rides.  I’d like to share some of those experiences with you as feedback.

But first, I would once again like to thank you and JB for the wonderful work and service you’ve provided.  I greatly appreciate the time and effort that have been put in to making a bike which really stands out as different, both mechanically and visually.  JB’s paint and service was second to none.  That’s probably in line with what you frequently hear, but I’d like to reiterate that he’s been absolutely professional in all senses of the word.

The ride I asked for was one which would reward a sprinter, and that gave immediate and connected feedback for every pedal stroke.  In this aspect, you’ve met and exceeded my expectations.  The bike has the “go-go” which I was looking for, and for which the Serotta CSi was the reference.  Pleasingly, the JKS does so without sacrificing the buttery-smooth feel from the Kirk-special chain stays which I first noticed on my “JKS Version 1″.  Whatever your magic formula is, I like it.

The handling on the bike is not one which I could have anticipated though, and here too, I’m quite pleased.  It corners faster than my Moots, and by that, I mean it feels sufficiently stickier through a combination of physical grip (Terraplane?), BB drop and body positioning on the bike that I’m able to more confidently push the bike through turns with nary a sign of understeer or instability.  The trail on the bike is great for quick steering, but not too twitchy.

I’m still acclimating to the new riding position, which while not that different from the other bike, is sufficiently different enough that I’m noticing that some of my muscles are being engaged at slightly shifted points in the pedal stroke.  In time, they’ll get used to the new ride.

The ride on Saturday was a 70-miler with 5400 ft of climbing, and with about half of that in a fast group setting.  The Sunday ride was with one other person, 87 miles, and about 9000 ft of climbing up to the top of Mt. Palomar here in San Diego.  The Palomar descent was a good test of the cornering, and it was by far the fastest and easiest ride down the mountain.  Both were great rides, but left me completely spent as the bike kept telling me, “ride harder, ride faster”.  I have a bad feeling that I’m going to get myself in to trouble one of these days by pushing hard to appease the bike’s spirit, only to find myself devoid of energy to get home.  That’s a great problem to have though, and leaves me yearning to bring my A-game whenever I head out for a ride on the Kirk JKS.

Best,
Ken