My buddy Adam is a hard workin’ family man, a fan of horror and metal who also rides fixed gear bikes. His body was getting beaten up riding Aluminum fixed gear frames that look good but never fit him well. So, I got talking to him about building him a frame. I wanted more frame building practice, he wanted a frame to fit and be comfortable. WIN! He also wanted a triple triangle which is something I hadn’t done yet. WIN! Being that Adam isn’t a track racer I gave him a more laxed head tube and the ability to run a longer rear end. But, the dropout slots are long enough that he can tuck the tire within a CM of the seat tube if he wants.

I started this build WAAAAY back in May of 2015 but due to other projects and moving from LA to SD, I finished it JUST in the nick of time. You see Adam and his wife are from Phoenix, AZ and took an impromptu two day vacation in LA. Luckily all I needed to do was some odds and ends finishing work. So we meet in Corona as they were on their way home for the delivery. Let me tell you it was SO rewarding watching him see his frame for the first time. Made the whole build worth it!

Proud moment!

Soak anyone?

Here’s a lesson learned moment right here. I needed longer seat stays, so I made these nifty little extensions, mitered them all up THEN checked the alignment of the chainstays! Aaaand they needed just a smidge of adjusting. Ugh. So after aligning the CS’s the miters didn’t line up. Oops.

Paul Kettelar from AU’s influenced rear trip jig. Kept the dropouts centered nicely. The ST to CS angle was so slightly off on the right side. Not bad at all if I had only checked that before mitering the seat stays.

Miters need to fit tightly even under lugs.

Well, that’s it. Thanks Adam! I really enjoyed this build!

Next up, a disc CX frame AND FORK for me. Yay!

Ride safe!
Allan Varcoe