The Reign of Columbus MAX !

For as long as I can remember, I have been hugely fascinated by the MAX tube set , and all its adornments.
I was building with the max 7 degree offset crown the day Peacock Groove came into existence , and I remember many frame builders saying how heavy and stiff it was. That it was no good, and took to much labor to make.
Well, I did not care. The look and ride I desired was right there in that fork crown, blades and dropouts! I was in love with the MAX aesthetic , and I could build them all day. Are they a little more work than other forks? Yep. Are they worth it? Yep, every file stroke.
While I have always wanted a MAX frame and fork for myself, I was too busy building bikes for other people and I finally put myself into the cue. Yep, I get to wait too.
Now, since some time has passed, MAX is back in demand, and Columbus has answered. Now there is MAX and MINIMAX, and MAX lugsets back in production. The new fork crowns will make for awesome cross machines and touring forks, possibly some 29nr action?The possibilities are there, and you know we will take it to the deep custom level. I love this crown, and the possibilities wit them.
Here is a couple of shots of possible? NAHBS forks, one by the Groove, and one by the very mysterious Vincent Dominguez. Can you guess who's is who's ?
Have a nice weekend.

Where do old steel road bikes go to die?

Well, if they were built right, with the right materials and a lot of love, taken care of, they don't.
I linked Jeff's Bike Jerks blog entry, and you should go take a read. A local boy doing the Stupor Bowl race on a steel Croll road bike that I built back in 1997? Maybe '96? '98? When you have been doing this as long as I have, the years get a little blurry.
Search the Bike Jerks Blog for Croll, and you might be a little surprised .Jeff loves this bike, and he won another, yes ANOTHER Stupor Bowl on it. Now don't forget that this race is hard, and this years race was even harder.
This frame and fork are over ten years old, still running local races and winning them to.
Steel. What can we say?
Did I mention that Jeff has a Peacock too?
Lucky guy.

http://bikejerksmpls.blogspot.com/2011/02/stupor-bowl-14-race-recap.html

ROLL THE DICE.....

Well gearing up the the NAHBS is at hand and we down in the Groove have been at it a little bit.
It is nice to be back in the shop after being sick for so long, and things are rolling out of the shop and the crazyness is back to what we call normal down here....
Have a lot in store for you all this coming couple of months:
The Cutters Ball part DUH, NAHBS , and soon to follow an open house and Minnecycle 3 , plus maybe a little spot in a big ole magazine?
Well, after you go for your ride, then stay put and watch what happens in the Best City to Be a Cyclist. Well, according to Bicycling magazine anyway.
While the dawn of the fall is far away and this thought may be skipping the best time and rides of summer, watch the fall for the Groove, we might just be shakin' our tailfeathers in the mud with a bunch of skinny knobby tire types.
Yep, Life in MN is pretty dang good.

Stop riding in winter?

We get more than a few e-mails or phone call up here that ask: "You guys ride in the snow?"
Well, duh.I think it is one of those Midwestern things that what a lot of people do up here, they just do. No bragging, no complaining, no real big deal. They just do it. And, with winter being a major season up here, well we make the best of it. Ice fishing , snow shoeing , snowmobiling , winter running, making a snowfort ,sledding ,skiing , drinking, well drinking can be done at the same time with almost all of these events.At the end of a winter activity filled day in Minnesota, a nice whiskey is most welcome. Hopefully, it will be in front of a fireplace with good company.
Now when people call up here and ask the question I posed earlier in this very post, my response is:"Hell yeah. We even race." Now with that being said, here is some video of Mr. E.Z.Taylor ripping it up on his mega custom Groove 29nr at the first ice race of the season. EZ got the hole shot, and he led the whole race.Get in front and stay in front, now that is a good strategy . Great times and good weather.
enjoy the day, and ride on, winter or summer.

Weld Mold 880 T !!

Here is another pic in the Campy sacrilege bike that is being made.
What I would like to point out is this:
Look at the weld bead, and notice that it is still nice , not rusty, and still seems "shiny". Why?
Well because this is an awesome product from the WELD MOLD company named 880 T.
This stuff is basically a stainless alloy and is the greatest stuff ever for TIG welding bikes. It is what all the pros use, and I will never make a bike without it.
So, the stainless part of it is what in my mind is excellent. I like to think that if the paint or powder were to come off of the bike, specifically at the joints, then your weld bead is highly resistant to rusting. It is also very strong, the mechanical properties of this filler material is incredible. There are a lot of boring data sheets on it and I won't bore you with them, but to sum up: 880 T kicks ass.I love it, and I have used it for the last 5 years, and I will use it as long as it is around.
Have an awesome day,
erik

Sacrilege ?

Since the start of my building career , I have had ideas that have not been popular with some, if not a vast majority , of the frame building community.
I have always thought outside of the contemporary plane of thought whether it was painting miniatures , racing radio control trucks, showing horses, or the writing club I was in.
While it always seemed to me that whatever it is that you do, there is a " base canvas " that is the excepted norm. Once you start to deviate from that canvas, it can seem that you are no longer part of that norm. Take some types of music :
I have never said that I like punk rock music.But, it was informed to me years ago that Social Distortion IS punk music. I like Social Distortion, and I never really thought of them as punk rock. I just thought that they shredded . What is funny to me, is that people spend time arguing whether or not they ARE punk, I just like the music. I think that deep down that is the basis of all the bikes that come out of here:
different for each person. Made for their tastes, not the general public. One at a time, for that person to ride and enjoy, and for the masses to try and fit that bike in a genre ...
And now, maybe the point of the post, what do Disc brakes , fenders, Columbus Max tubing, a 73 mm bottom bracket shell, Motorhead, cards, Campagnolo 11 speed,a braze on front derailuer mount, crazy s bend stays have in common?
Well, Peacock Groove of course !

Little tease!

I thought I would post a little pic of a frame we just got back from the painter, and it is for a good friend, I just don't want them to see it all yet!
I decided to add a little gold outline to the dropout, just because I have never done anything like this before.
So.... here is a little pre NAHBS picture!