A
Ant
Guest
I hope to build one or two frames this year, and am looking for info on materials. the butted bike
tubing sold as such is fairly expensive for the good stuff, and i thought it would be nice to make
the first frame with a dirt cheap tube set. however, i dont want to waste my time making a frame
that cant be ridden at all. for example, a welded bike using the cheapest true temper tubing from
henry james (i think) comes out to around 100 bucks for a full set. how much cheaper could i push it
before i end up welding myself a department store bike?
is there some sort of tubing that is _not_ designated as bicycle tubing that i could still make a
bike out of? i imagine that im paying a bit of a premium for bike specific tubing, adn thought that
maybe folks knew of cheaper tubing i could get from MSC or something similar that would do the job
for the first time round. straight guage? generic chromo? im no metallurgist, and no engineer,
looking for input.
ill be TIGing, and want to build with steel.
i also have a number of questions that i havent found answers to on various excellent amateur
framebuilders sites, or in the rbt archives, like:
1) i want to build single speed frames. i like the horizontal rear drops. what is the advantage of
track dropouts, assuming youre tightening the axle nuts enough. it seems like it would be easier
to get the chain and wheel off with a forward opening 'regular' rear dropout.
2) (and now to reveal my naievete..) how exactly do chain and seatstays work in DIY building?
jigging and welding the main traingle will be pretty straightforward, i believe. however, the
jigs i see online never seem to show how the chain and seat stays are held on for
welding/brazing. i have a few thoguhts on a jig system i could make myself for this, but was
curious what other amateurs are doing.
further- how are chain and seat stays sold? henry james sells them in 'pairs'. is this a pair of
thin tubes, or are they pre-bent? how would i deal with making a frame with different amounts of
tire clearance if chain and seat stays come essentially premade?
i checked out the framebuilders list, but it either isnt working well for the last couple days, or
my computer isnt working well. could be either, so i thoguht id try rbt in the meantime
thanks
anthony
tubing sold as such is fairly expensive for the good stuff, and i thought it would be nice to make
the first frame with a dirt cheap tube set. however, i dont want to waste my time making a frame
that cant be ridden at all. for example, a welded bike using the cheapest true temper tubing from
henry james (i think) comes out to around 100 bucks for a full set. how much cheaper could i push it
before i end up welding myself a department store bike?
is there some sort of tubing that is _not_ designated as bicycle tubing that i could still make a
bike out of? i imagine that im paying a bit of a premium for bike specific tubing, adn thought that
maybe folks knew of cheaper tubing i could get from MSC or something similar that would do the job
for the first time round. straight guage? generic chromo? im no metallurgist, and no engineer,
looking for input.
ill be TIGing, and want to build with steel.
i also have a number of questions that i havent found answers to on various excellent amateur
framebuilders sites, or in the rbt archives, like:
1) i want to build single speed frames. i like the horizontal rear drops. what is the advantage of
track dropouts, assuming youre tightening the axle nuts enough. it seems like it would be easier
to get the chain and wheel off with a forward opening 'regular' rear dropout.
2) (and now to reveal my naievete..) how exactly do chain and seatstays work in DIY building?
jigging and welding the main traingle will be pretty straightforward, i believe. however, the
jigs i see online never seem to show how the chain and seat stays are held on for
welding/brazing. i have a few thoguhts on a jig system i could make myself for this, but was
curious what other amateurs are doing.
further- how are chain and seat stays sold? henry james sells them in 'pairs'. is this a pair of
thin tubes, or are they pre-bent? how would i deal with making a frame with different amounts of
tire clearance if chain and seat stays come essentially premade?
i checked out the framebuilders list, but it either isnt working well for the last couple days, or
my computer isnt working well. could be either, so i thoguht id try rbt in the meantime
thanks
anthony