YiPsan Bicycles

Oregon Manifest

2011-09-23T18:52:00.000-06:00

After a few long days of driving, we arrived at Portland with a tired dog just wanting to be out of the car, but we are here in Portland, OR for the Design Challenge. The morning went well and Bauhinia is now held by the organizer until tomorrow's field test.Here is a clip for the few rides we did before coming out here. Enjoy.

Wool weather

2011-09-12T22:52:00.001-06:00

Another big lapse in my postings, my bad.

Summer has been great, it was never too hot this year, although the heat hung on longer until only about a week ago.

I have been busy building and preparing for an upcoming event in Portland, more pictures to come!

Our good friend, the Dotson family of Colorado Weilersport Gold Sprints, put together a wonderful ride yesterday. Leigh and I were lucky enough to be amongst wonderful riders in this inaugural event. I sense that they will bring it to places outside of Fort Collins and allow more to experience the fun and awesomeness of this event.

The cooler fall temperature was just perfect for a wool jersey and here is a slice of what happened to let you get a taste this ride. Enjoy!

happy summer

2011-06-21T14:42:00.005-06:00

Summer is officially here and while I have been enjoying Spring for the past few months, it is great to go into summer enjoying the long days.

In the last month, one of my NAHBS 2011 show bikes was reviewed on the current issue of Mountain Flyer magazine. The picture here is taken by Mountain Flyer, it looks great! Coincidentally, Road Bike Action magazine also published on their June issue of their report of NAHBS 2011 in Austin. I was mentioned and pictured in a couple of instances. Check them out!

This bike just left for Taiwan late last week, and should be arriving at its new home anytime now. Its new owner was kind enough to let me hold on to the bike for 2 extra weeks so that I can display it during the recent Rocky Mountain Bike Festival and the 6 Day races at CSU Oval here in Fort Collins. It gathered lots of attention and I think it will do the same in Taiwan too.

I am working on a bike for the Oregon Manifest Challenge, check my Flickr for the progress!

Happy summer.

A wonderful tool

2011-05-10T21:17:00.003-06:00

A while back, my friend's father passed away and had left behind some tools for him. It took him some time to go through quite a quantity of tools that he inherited and realized he now has multiples of certain tools. The drill pictured above is one of them.

Knowing that I use various hand tools building bikes, he offered me a selection of such tools for free. I appreciated such a nice gesture and took a few of them. The drill is now on my workbench with a drill bit mounted and ready at all times. This is an older drill but it feels a lot more solid in the hand, and the control is of higher quality than the one I have for the past 8 years.

However, what I feel special about this drill is that it had so much history behind it. I do not know any of it, but I can see from its cosmetic condition that it had gone through quite a bit already. It is interesting to imagine what it might have achieved in its previous hands. I look forward to using it and add to its history; and wonder if one day someone will be riding one of my bikes and wonder about how it is made and where it had been to.

Ahh... warmth

2011-04-12T10:06:00.005-06:00

Winter was not bad this past season, but spring is definitely welcome. Working in my shop is a lot more pleasant with the warmer temperature.

Here is a bike which has just arrived at its new home and Jim spoke with me yesterday of how happy he is with the new bike. He took it out for a 60 mile ride this past weekend and was enjoying every mile of it.

This is the kind of happy moment for me, to hear that a customer is happy with the work I do and the detail I put in is paying off in the end.

I also have put together a few clips of brazing sessions which is part of the build process of every bike. I hope you enjoy this.

Seat Lug Brazing POV, fast motion - YiPsan Bicycles from YiPsan on Vimeo.

How was Austin?

2011-03-04T15:23:00.003-07:00

Wow, what a show! The mad rush to get ready for the show was only followed by a whirl wind of a week full of activities. Fortunately, Leigh and I got to relax a bit in Austin before we hop in the car to come home.

Where do I begin? The show was exciting as always, to get to meet a lot of customers, fello

w builders, and enthusiast cyclists all in a long weekend's time. Such meetings are treasured as it is a big contrast to the rest of the year where I work in my shop, quite separated from the rest of the world other than the electronic communications. Getting to speak direct and have hand shakes are very tangible. Of course, being able to share the features of the bikes that I brought is the icing. A bike is after all a

physical object, no amount of flickr, vimeo or forum talk will translate it quite as real as to see and touch it in person. Thank you for coming to the show, thank you for stopping by to chat in my booth, and thank you volunteers for helping to make the show happen.

BTW, we stayed at a very nice home in Austin, an

d this helps make the week there so much more comfortable. Thank you, Berit.

For those who cannot make this trip. Here are a few shots, and check my flickr / vimeo for the bikes that was in the booth. I will update some clips I took during the weekend soon, stay tuned.

Week of NAHBS

2011-02-21T21:24:00.002-07:00

The show is drawing so close, I am feeling the jitters.

Here is a pre show interview I had with Bike Rumor and a clip of one of my recent brazing session.

HT Lug brazing POV - YiPsan from YiPsan on Vimeo.

I hope to see you there, my booth number is 414.

Cheers,

Austin, finally!

2011-02-21T21:17:00.006-07:00

Well, it is finally time for the show. It had been a busy week of final preparation. Booth is set to go in the morning.

Please check out the bikes that will be in my booth.

A randonneur with integrated bag and front rack, key feature - no decaleur needed!

Handlebar bag and rack that does not need a Decaleur! from YiPsan on Vimeo.

A city bike, Tom's Frederick Rambler, that is the companion to last year's double award winning Sunflower bike, it has some similar features, but the kicker is a transformable front rack. It goes from Porteur to Lowrider in a couple of minutes. Here is a clip showing how.

Lastly, a bilam construction mountain bike with a fat front (3.7" front tire), matt and glossy black finish was a very hard paint job to pull off, but here it is.

I hope you enjoy them.

new YiPsan T shirts

2011-02-10T10:40:00.011-07:00

Arrival of new YiPsan T-shirts, now on a better shirt. American Apparel, made in the USA, shirts are chosen as the base. Color available is Brown and Asphalt Grey. Graphic print color is lime green.

The brown color shirt we had in the last run was very well received, and so this new batch with a better shirt is a very nice update. If you are interested to reserve yours before we bring them to NAHBS, please send me an email, or visit my web page here to shop online.

Cheers,

Steerer brazing

2011-02-08T12:35:00.004-07:00

A new clip of me brazing a fork crown to a steerer, from my POV.

Brazing a fork crown POV - YiPsan from YiPsan on Vimeo.

Other notes, still preparing for NAHBS, one frame is still at paint, but should be just in time for show. We are getting other items ready for show time, among them, new shirts! Come back in a couple of days to check them out as they should arrive real soon.

Cheers,

Are you ready?

2011-01-21T21:04:00.004-07:00

Show is coming up quick, fortunately, bikes that are planned for the show are all on schedule. There might be a few late nights to finish up assembly, but I am positive they will all be ready.

A sequel to the last post with a new clip, this time brazing a dropout to a chainstay with Silver Fillet Pro.

Chainstay brazing with Fillet Pro - fast motion from YiPsan on Vimeo.

Although the show bikes are on its way, I am still busy trying to do as much as I could before show duties and time away from the bench impacts bikes on my schedule. Here is the bike this week.

Happy new year 2011

2011-01-06T23:31:00.005-07:00

Happy new year! I hope you all had a good holiday season and received not just gifts but lots of memories.

We had a quiet one here at home, Leigh, as some of you may know, had broken her ankle and is not very mobile, so the quiet holidays were well suited.

Of course, this is almost the busiest times for me preparing for NAHBS in Austin, TX. I hope many of you will go and we get to speak directly. My booth number is 414 near the stage.

I am hoping to build more all road type bike this year, and especially 650b.

I have just shot the below clip today. It is in fast motion, but give you a taste of my work. I hope you like it and more is to come.

Seatstay brazing POV fast motion, YiPsan Bicycles from YiPsan on Vimeo.

Cycling study

2010-11-24T23:09:00.002-07:00

Just read this very interesting study of bicycling by my alma mater. So happy that they are keeping a light on the cycling front.

For those in the US, happy thanksgiving to you. Here is a picture of a special bike for the upcoming show.

inspiration

2010-11-14T23:57:00.001-07:00

I bummed into this. good stuff.

PROFESSIONal from VITA BREVIS FILMS on Vimeo.

the 650b movement

2010-11-11T21:23:00.005-07:00

Last weekend, Leigh and I joined a group of cyclists to a casual ride in Boulder. This group, being organized by Mike of Rene Herse, was mostly aficionados of vintage steel bicycles and randonneur types. We rode our 650b rando / light touring bikes and received quite a few questions about this wheel size and the way my bike is equipped.

Not that they have not heard of 650b, or not know of its benefits; rather most were still skeptical or held back by their existing 700c collection.

I find this quite interesting because if you ask most of them, they appreciate the benefit of this wheel size, namely, being able to use wider tire but not be stuck with too big a wheel diameter (benefiical if you are under 6'). This wheel size is also particularly meaningful if you plan to not just use wider tires, but also put on fenders. With 700c, you would have to have a longer toptube if you were to avoid toe overlap.

Some criticize that 650b wheels with bigger tires are slower. And I agree from my own experience that climbing with a 42mm tire will definitely be slower than ones with a 28mm tire. However, when you are descending and cornering, there is so much more confidence with the wider tire in lower pressure that the overall more enjoyable experience is well worth slowing down a bit. This critique of speed is especially interesting, because a lot of the people who use this reason says they are not really concerned about speed. They say 28mm tires are comfortable enough and they do not want to hold back their riding mates.

Another question that I was asked a few times was if I am happy with disc brake on my bike. Again, most understand the benefit, but did not have their own bikes using disc brakes.

These observations make me wonder, what does it take for these enthusiasts to change their existing stable of bikes? Be it adding a new bike that runs the equipment they claim to like, or be it adapting an existing bike, it seems they are stuck in tradition and status quo.

Enough of my rambling, I will continue to promote 650b wheeled bikes (maybe with disc brakes too) to the right candidate, yes, it is not for everyone but for those who would benefit from it, I hate to see them lessen their enjoyment because it is easier to get tires at their LBS.

Late Fall riding

2010-10-31T11:28:00.006-06:00

We had such a nice ride yesterday, I just have to let you all know.

The weather was very nice, coolish to start but it warmed up very nicely, could not have asked for more.

About 35% of the ride was on dirt roads west of Wellington, CO. These are considered nice dirt roads, relatively smooth, super low traffic, not dusty even in our dry climate.

Here is the route and check the side bar for pictures.

If the pictures did not load, please visit my flickr here.

Hope you are all catching this nice weather and enjoying whatever you are doing.

Visitors and more

2010-10-18T22:53:00.005-06:00

With my recent mention of visitors, my friend, who now lives in Shanghai, had replied to me and mentioned somethin

g I find very interesting. Here is what she said:

We have many visitors this year for the EXPO. I have already been there 4 times. The most I have seen are people -- really people mountainpeople sea! I don't have the patience nor can I justify myself to line up for 2 hours (I heard 5 hours!) or more to see anything. My patience for lining up for anything had long been exhausted during my childhood years. At those years, it was for a good cause - line up for food -- a piece of meat notjust fat, a dead fish which could attract neighborhood cats up to a few blocks away. If I was lucky, I could have even bought a pig knuckle for a half of the provision quota. Can you imagine that? Only four knuckles in a pig. It had to be so lucky to get that. I was so driven to get up in the middle of the night,say 3 am in the morning to line up for that! I was only 9 to 11 years old then. I can still taste the one pig knuckle in two styles now -- first boiled it in a big pot of water, with some MSG and imagination it would turn into soup. Then I fished the knuckle out to add soy sauce to make "", yum! The best partwas not the actual taste. It was the hours, days and even months of delicious anticipation and preoccupation of the taste of meat! Marked on the history book, everyone was entitled to of meat a month. There were 5 of us then. We had of meat for one month! Obesity was unheard ofthen. So it was not all bad :)

This brought me to think how different it is to grow up in HK as compare to the US or elsewhere, the culture, the

available resources and of course the things we take for granted. My friend grew up in mainland China and so I cannot even truly understand or appreciate

what it is like to have to line up for grocery with a quota. It also brought me the feeling of the luck I have, doing what I do now and living so easily and without worry

(although I tend to be worrisome).

But it is also interesting, with abundance supply of food, we seem to not know how to handle it and only

abuse this availability, which causes all sorts of health issue and the now frequently touted statistics of childhood obesity. My wife had just started her own blog

recently and she wrote something about our diet in the past year, give it a read if you would like to eat healthy.

Here's a bike that is recently delivered and I am quite happy how it all came together.

Cheers,

Does my shop need a makeover?

2010-10-15T21:36:00.003-06:00

This past summer, I was lucky to have a few cycling visitors who stopped by to chat and check out my shop, it was really nice to be visited at my cave.

You know, I spend most of my time in my shop, which is home based, and do not get to talk with others at length very often. So, the opportunity is great. Some bike talk, some life talk and whatever that happens to come across our mind.

However, I start to worry if my shop is too bland. There is nothing interesting to see. I use mostly hand tools, hacksaw, files, vise, and some drill bits with a hand held power drill. There is really nothing impressive. No lathe, mill or special device for a special process. The only somewhat interesting device is the jig, but it is a static device, no belts or sprockets or any moving mechanism.

Plus all the domestic distractions that is sharing the other half of my shop (garage) is just not helping.

I need to think of something to dress up the shop and maybe do an open house one day. Any suggestions?

Here is a picture of a bilam mtb in progress. Have a good weekend.

wonderful visitors

2010-10-07T18:51:00.001-06:00

e just had a day with our wonderful visitors from Canada. We met Eleonore and Franz during NAHBS Richmond and it was nice to be able to spend some time with them away from a convention hall and to show them our usual riding routes around Fort Collins. We took the chance to enjoy another day outside with the perfect weather. Cheers,

Fall riding

2010-09-24T19:02:00.003-06:00

wow, been awhile since my last update.

It has been a busy summer, which is a good thing, I did not get to ride much but managed to take most of last week off for a 3 day mini tour around our local area. It was a door to door loop and we stayed in motels and eat out most of the time, and really enjoyed the time away from work and home.

September is really the best time to ride here along the front range.

Here is flickr link of some cell phone pics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/renold_y/sets/72157624896126859/

And here is a link to the first day of riding, don't laugh at our pace please, and pictures are on the side panel too:

http://www.sports-tracker.com/#/workout/yipsan/667b5qbfg9kaberg

day2
http://www.sports-tracker.com/#/workout/yipsan/65g7oe3b4u2enqco

day 3
http://www.sports-tracker.com/#/workout/yipsan/e9a92ljhs557j614

Here is a bike finished shortly before our trip, I really quite like it.

Hope you all are out there riding.

Renold getting Smoked Out

2010-08-17T17:15:00.003-06:00

Check out the forum action here. Lots of fellow builders sharing their history and framebuilding lifestyle. And do participate in the conversation.

Cheers,

Dan's tourer

2010-08-16T23:16:00.003-06:00

About a month ago, I shipped out a frame/fork/stem/post combo to TBE. This bike was finally fully assembled. It looks great and the many details worked out well. Here is what Tom says on the TBE Blog.

Cheers,

Feedback

2010-07-27T21:02:00.003-06:00

One of the greatest enjoyment I get building bikes is when I learn from customers of their experiences on the bike I built them. Got the below message from Bob not long ago and it really made my day.

This (a picture, not attached here) was taken on a ride that 10 of us did last weekend: Evanston, IL to Madison WI. 143 miles in a day. A very long day. I was going to use my LeMond because there are some hills, but I decided to take yours since it's just more comfortable. I continue to love the bike, and use it most mornings. I'm still tinkering with the gearing; last night I installed a vintage Campy crank with a 50T ring. But overall I stand by what I said earlier -- it's just what I wanted.

Bikes to the East

2010-07-15T21:37:00.005-06:00

A couple of nice bikes are being assembled at The Bicycle Escape, first one done is Anton's road bike.

Next up will be Dan's tourer. Here is a picture of it before it left the shop.

Bicycle Times

2010-06-24T19:52:00.005-06:00

Current issue of Bicycle Times magazine has a nice coverage of NAHBS and Sunflower. Plus, a good article on bike advocacy. Check it out.

MS150 Denver

2010-06-10T22:48:00.002-06:00

Like last year, Leigh is riding the MS 150. She is getting ready with regular rides and raising the funds. She has the following message for you all. Some of you may know how I feel about MS, so please help donate for this good cause.

I am cycling in the MS150 ride June 26-27. This is my 2nd year riding in the MS150. While I consider participating in and completing the ride a personal achievement, I find that my desire to reach my fundraising goals has truly increased in importance. I am honored that as I ride in this event, I am riding with other folks who have been diagnosed with MS and are still capable of participation. In addition, there are many people who have MS who cheer me along the ride route and extend their thanks for the efforts the riders make in participation and fundraising. Having the chance to make a direct connection with people who benefit from this event is pretty awesome!

The ride is a 150-mile ride from the Denver area to Fort Collins and back. Completing the ride will be a means to help the National MS Society fund research, advocate for change and help people with MS and their families to lead powerful and productive lives. Multiple sclerosis affects people in the prime of their lives, between the ages of 20 and 50. Every hour someone is newly diagnosed and more than 2.5 million people worldwide live with this unpredictable disease.

Please join me in the movement to do something about multiple sclerosis. I have set a fundraising goal of $750.00 for this cause. It is easy and convenient to make a donation on line. To donate on-line, follow these directions:

www.bikems.org.

Select "Sponsor a Rider"

Select "Search for a Participant" and enter my name Leigh Janko, enter my home state of Colorado and click on the button "Find a Participant" and simply follow the instructions to complete your donation.

Thank you for your support and helping me to do something about MS!

Leigh

Fossil Creek Family Bike Festival

2010-06-02T23:04:00.002-06:00

This Sunday I will be at the Fossil Creek Family Bike Festival. Leigh and I will pedal our bikes there and meet and chat with fellow bike lovers.

This event is put on by City of Fort Collins for our Bike month. A lot of other bike related activities are coming up this month too. If you are in town, please do stop by. Here is the event poster. Hope to see you there.

Bike to Work

2010-05-21T11:49:00.002-06:00

Although it is not Bike to Work day here in Fort Collins, but it seems the rest of the country is going strong on this day. And NPR is also taking the opportunity mention the hand made commuter bicycles.

I guess Sunflower is out there this morning too.

Polka Dots

2010-05-12T23:26:00.005-06:00

It has been a while since I last updated. I have been busy building. NAHBS and the San Diego Show just took quite some time and energy out of me, but I am happy how it all turned out.

I have finally updated my website with some of the interviews I did during the shows. One of them focuses on the Sunflower bike, and since the bike is so far away from CO, it will be a good record for future reference.

Just send this out recently to Illinois and I am happy how it all turns out. Polka dots on a singlespeed.

Spokes

2010-03-26T19:32:00.004-06:00

What a nice way to end my week. Having finished a tedious project of modifying a Nitto rack, and on top, saw myself on the cover of Spokes Magazine. Spokes is a regional cycling magazine for the Mid Atlantic region. I read them every month when I was living in MD. You can subscribe to it too.

Have a good weekend.

NAHBS 2010 show interview

2010-03-07T22:33:00.004-07:00

During NAHBS, I was interviewed by Marty for a DVD he is producing. Here is a teaser clip. I am on the second half in this clip. Can't wait to watch the complete DVD when it comes out.

NAHBS 2010

2010-03-04T19:05:00.005-07:00

NAHBS 2010 had come and gone, it was a very quick week for me. We left Colorado early on 2/24 to attend an event at The Bicycle Escape where I got to meet local bike enthusiasts and some of my customers. It was a great event, lots of cool cyclists and lots of delicious treat too.

The next day, we packed up our rental van and headed down to Richmond, VA to set up our show booth. Timing and weather all worked very well, although setup took us a bit longer than expected. We were both hungry and grumpy after a long day and decided to just eat at the restaurant at the hotel. And this changed the mood of the evening, we bumped into Roger (the man who truly runs TBE : ) and Ann at the restaurant and ended up eating together and having great conversations.

Then the 3 days of show happened in a blur. Lots of great conversations with showgoers, exhibitors, fellow frame builders whom we only get to meet and talk face to face once a year during this event. Again, it took us a while to pack up and leave town. We had some dinner along the way and drove back to MD where a friend was housing us for a couple of nights so we can drop off the 2 bikes that belong to customers and 1 demo. The rest of the things were packed and shipped on Monday.

We flew home on Tuesday and were re-united with Lucky who was expressing some upset from our disappearance. I am still very stoked to have won 2 awards at the show. The story of the Sunflower bike will live on forever and holds a special place in my heart.

The year 2010

2010-02-12T22:17:00.003-07:00

While watching the Vancouver winter Olympics opening ceremony, I cannot help but think about when Leigh and I arrived in Seattle back in 2002. The 2002 winter Olympics started shortly after our arrival. Fortunately we have friends in Seattle and they have kindly lent us a TV, a couple of lawn chairs and had it set up in our rental apartment. We spent quite some of our evening hours watching the winter games. Although we do not play any of the winter sports, it was a nice distraction for us.

8 years had passed and I almost cannot believe that we have moved a few times, lived in both coasts of the US and are now happily living in Colorado. I was unemployable (no work visa) back then, and now self employed doing what I love.

It is the busiest time of the year preparing for NAHBS and I am very much looking forward to meeting fellow builders again, introducing myself to show going enthusiasts and on top of all this - having a pre-show meet and greet at my friend's bike shop.

Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day happen to be on the same day this year. I wish you all the very best for the year of Tiger and a happy Valentine's day. I shall be cooking something different tomorrow after my recent shopping spree in one of the asian markets in Denver. I hope Leigh can handle it.

Have a good weekend.

I named my child after a motorbike

2010-01-25T23:04:00.003-07:00

Huh! I received my weekly update this afternoon for web traffic to this blog and noticed there was one hit to this blog in the last week after a search to the phase "I named my child after a motorbike".

Now I understand why this blog is high on the search result, but I cannot help but wonder who would be googling such a phrase? Was it a father / mother to be? or was it someone looking for my blog but cannot remember anything except for the point that I was named after a motorcycle chain? It is interesting.

May the person be so nice to let me know?

Moving on

2010-01-20T21:49:00.003-07:00

I just dropped off 2 sets of frame / fork and accessories for paint today and on the way home, I felt kind of funny passing on my own babies to another craftperson to add on his work. Sometimes it feels relieved that my part is largely done, but other times I feel that I am disowning my work. I wonder if other builders feel the same or is it just me getting all touchy feely.

The best fix for this though is to move on to the next build and bury yourself into the detail of it.

One of my recent work was to build a front rack / basket and it was an interesting piece that took me quite some time but I am happy with the result. Here is a picture.

Happy new year

2010-01-02T17:43:00.003-07:00

We had a very nice day today and we rode our mountain bike on some still very snow packed trails. It was fun. It surely requires different handling and balancing skills.

Here is the route with some pictures.

I hope you all had your new year ride.

And here is something I have been working on.

winter rides

2009-12-20T20:23:00.003-07:00

It has been another long period between my updates. Sorry.

I have been busy building a special bike which, if all goes smooth, will be exhibited during the next NAHBS at the end of February in Richmond, VA. I am not quite ready to show any in process pictures, but check my Flickr for occasional updates.

Today has been an exceptionally nice day and Leigh and I had a short and nice bike ride. It has been a while since I last ride outside, it feels great! Here is today's bike ride.

This is not to rub it in to my buddies out east as I saw a picture yesterday from MD. Keep warm out there.

Questions I got asked

2009-10-26T21:23:00.002-06:00

Why do you name your bikes YiPsan?

Some customers had asked about my name - Renold Yip, and how I named my bikes YiPsan. YiPsan , rhymes with Mr. Yip in my native tongue – Cantonese, and I thought a two syllable name might be easier to read. Plus, the word yip really does not carry a particularly good meaning in the English language.

How about your first name, it sounds so western?

Well, yes. There is a story to it. My father named me Renold for a very important reason. My father had been a long time motorcycle enthusiast, especially Triumph, Norton and BSAs. During that era, a famous motorcycle chain was made by Renold (they made bicycle chains too). He believes that a motorcycle chain is small in size but very efficient and important to the operation of a motorbike. There you have it. I was named after a motorbike chain. And if I follow this custom, I may have to name my child Shimano, SRAM or Wippermann!

Are there any meanings to the logos and motifs?

Quite some customers had also asked me if there are any meanings in the logos. The circular one (my headtube badge) is a stylized version of my last name, Yip, in simplified Chinese. It is common to put ones last name on items that they are proud of, e.g. the front of red packets (a tradition during Chinese new year for married couples to give well wishes to singles, it usually contains cash in modern times). This is quite similar to the use of the coat of arms.

The square one simulates an approval stamp used by ancient kings to signify their approval of policies and legislature. The meaning of the 4 Chinese words is “Hand made in steel”.

Peter is riding strong

2009-10-22T13:10:00.002-06:00

Wow, another lapse in updating this blog. Things are moving along fine in the past couple of months. A bit of relaxing after the Rocky Bike Show and some riding in the nice fall weather.

Fall is always too short and we already had our first snow a couple of weeks back. I am busy building bikes, fitting cyclists and planning ahead for 2010. Looks like I have to put my infra-red heater to use soon.

A recent update from my friend and YiPsan bike rider, Peter, makes me feel great for making bikes that get ridden and enjoyed. Here is a few pictures of Peter racing at the 2009 Collegiate MTB Nationals in Truckee, CA.

What a show!

2009-08-25T22:35:00.006-06:00

The Rocky Mountain Bike Show had been a quick blur of activity and we enjoyed meeting many regional cycling enthusiasts and many exhibiting frame builders and other industry fellas.

I was very happy to have an Honorable Mention for Best in Show and feel the hard work has been rewarded.

Here are 2 of the bikes that I showed and I am very happy with how it turned out.

Please click over to Flickr to see a full set of pictures of each bike and also to my newly re-done website.

Cheers,

Rocky Mountain Bike Show

2009-08-18T17:24:00.000-06:00

The Rocky Mountain Bike Show is only 4 days away but I do not have any sneak peek of my show bikes for you at this time. I do feel confident it will all be ready by August 22, but there may be some late nights involved.

Other than my bikes, I will be bringing along a couple of lifestyle items to the show as a debut. A lot of you know that my heart is with the lug construction of a bike, and so I have designed this poster to celebrate it.

If you are interested to get yourself a copy, please come to the show or if you cannot be there, send me an email.

Other than the poster, T-shirts with the same design had just arrived, check out this new page on my website to order.

Cheers,

29er review by Peter Haile

2009-08-12T22:30:00.005-06:00

This just came in from Peter for the 29er I built him recently, here is a picture, click it to go to Flickr for more. Peter is on his way east back to his college for another season of education and bike racing. Good luck Peter.

The Fastest Bike in the World
Review of my Yipsan 29'er

To start I'll go over the numbers 71.5 degree headtube angle, 12.4 inch bottom bracket height, chainring clearance to run a road double, 24.7 inch top tube, 20 inch seatube (c-t), 4.5" headtube. This roughly translates into a slack angled, mid center of gravity, easily lofted bike. I am six feet tall and 170 lbs I've had trouble getting 29'ers to fly in the past, they seemed stuck to the ground and unwilling to change direction quickly or toss caution to the wind. They seemed timid and bulky, slow and weak. I can tell you that this bike has overcome all of those issues. Airtime is readily available, and the bike is the perfect combination of stability and flickablility for me. While this might not work for someone else, I believe that is one of the advantages of a custom bike; it is fit, designed, and built specifically for your body and for your needs.

As far as the cockpit goes I run flat Salsa 17 degree sweep 680mm bars on a 90mm stem, some old school cane creek direct curve levers attached to the light, cheap, and reliable Avid BB7 mechanical brakes. This setup saves my wrists when enjoying arduous 6 hour rides. In the rear I have a Thomson setback seatpost attached to a Fizik Gobi perch, coupled with a 2009 80mm Reba and this bike is C-O-M-F-Y. I may run my Pace carbon fork for some of the southeast races, especially for the short tracks.

I am running a single 36 tooth chainring on a set of compact road cranks with an MRP 1x chainguide to keep everything in order. Running these cranks delivers a Q factor that blows the doors off any mountain crank. Renold put in a sweet little cut out to allow heaps of chainring clearance. The 36 is not for slackers and I may change to a 34 for the winter when I am not in as good of shape. Running a 36 gives me a low gear of 1.05-1 and a high gear of 3-1, this provides all the range I need while shedding weight and cost, and improving reliability. In the back is a X.O twist shifter and a X.9 rear derailleur handling a 12-34 cassette; solid.

I equipped this bike with XTR/Revolution/Stan's wheels with Stan's Raven tires. These wheels are so light I have to carry weights or I'll lose them to the wind, actually that's not true, but they're plenty light. The tires are semi-slicks because you have gratuitous amounts of straight line traction with any 29'er tire and there is no point carrying all that extra weight, I have found that you need to be really aggressive and lean the bike way over to get the side nobs to bite when cornering, but that is the proper way to corner anyway so no problems there.

Get to the point Peter!! How does it ride?

It is unlike any bike I've ever had, it feels very natural and fluid. I only had the bike finished for 3 days before riding in the Laramie Enduro, and although the race was a large disappointment for me this was not due to the frame in any respect. I made some tactical errors and attacked off the front way to early, I decided to attack because I was feeling really really good and there was no wind. What I did not take into account was the mental strain of leading and putting myself in a high stress environment with 3.5 hours to go, coupled with a slow flat and a broken chain (the fault of my road triple conversion into a mtb double with bashguard, has since been removed) and I ended up in 11th overall AHHHHHH. I believed I had the fitness for a top 5, but the first and second placed guys were definitely stronger then I was. I guess its a good thing I don't make a living riding bikes yet, as I still have a whole lot to learn. I had a blast during the race and would love to keep racing there year after year.

Yesterday I raced in a Laramie Mtb. Series race to whet my appetite for short intense efforts as I have been taking the summer mostly free from competition and that sort of exertion in order to bottle enthusiasm for the upcoming collegiate seasons. The course was easy to ride ,but hard to ride fast; with loose granite over hardpack and lots of high speed corners. Half the course was really fast and fun, while the other half had a lot of punchy climbs punctuated with false flats. The first lap hurt, a lot; but then I was able to get in the groove and try and reel in Trek's Eli Krahlenbuhl(sp?). I didn't end up catching him, but I ended up second and pulled a few minutes ahead of third place and local uber hoss Pedar Enger (who was under geared on his single speed) he probably would've put the hurt on Eli and I had he been on a geared bike. This race was very encouraging to me because I still didn't really know where my fitness was with my lack of racing or any intensity at all for that matter. The bike was perfect, as it is now under 25 lbs and still handles like a champ without beating the tar out of me. I am extremely excited for the upcoming Collegiate season.

Thanks for the sweet bike Renold,

Peter Haile

Rocky Mountain Bike Show

2009-08-12T21:57:00.002-06:00

Only 11 days to go, have you blocked your schedule?

It's at Family Affair

2009-08-04T22:21:00.003-06:00

In coordination with the Rocky Mountain Bike Show, ArtBike! is going on in Denver. A YiPsan Firecracker is now displayed at Family Affair, a hair salon with lifestyle goods. The Firecracker will be displayed until RMBS on August 22. Go check it out.

Faster, Faster!

2009-07-27T22:09:00.003-06:00

It has been a busy few weeks and as the Rocky Mountain Bike Show get closer, I think I will need to keep up the pace.

One interesting thing though is a few enquiries for a short turnaround for bikes. I sure appreciate the interest out there for my work, but in all honesty, a custom bike within a few weeks is close to impossible. For many other builders, it is absolutely impossible. Just getting the bike to paint and back can easily take up 2 weeks at the quickest, and in many occasions it takes 4 weeks plus.

I hope I do not sound like I am complaining, but in order to have a good experience for future customers, I would like to be open in communications. One thing that is crucial to customer satisfaction is what kind of expectation the customer has. Expectations can be shaped by the customer's previous research or experience, but is also promoted by the builder. I do not like to hype up my customer's expectation and run the risk of not delivering.

So, if you are considering a custom bike and you have to have it on the road by a certain time, please let me know a few months ahead and I am sure I can get that ready for you.

BTW, the Di2 stuff is dope and I have a good source for it! Here is a pic of a frame built with it in mind and you can see it painted at the Rocky Mountain Bike Show, August 22 - 23.

Cheers,

mission accomplished

2009-07-02T00:28:00.004-06:00

The MS150 weekend happened in a quick blur, Leigh had a good time and felt that she had helped a good cause and accomplished something meaningful. She wrote a few words to sum it up:

Just finished the MS150 Colorado Ride. It was a fabulous ride! Saturday’s route started in Westminster and took us through the scenery of Niwot and Hygiene with a challenging finish in Ft. Collins after the Masonville and Horsetooth Reservoir climbs. On Sunday, the 28^th we headed back through Horsetooth and Masonville enjoying the scenery of Buckhorn Canyon after a well earned descent. The route continued through Berthoud, Longmont, and Lafayette with a steady climb back to Front Range Community College in Westminster via Lowell Blvd. Excellent weather both days was an added bonus.

Our training paid off – the last several months I have been getting in a combination of short sprint rides, hill climbing rides, and longer weekend rides. Overall, I am feeling pretty good at the end of the event. Thanks to Rose, Arica, Mary, Mike and my husband Renold for the last several months of training rides – we were ready!

I am sure over the next few days many moments of the ride will enter my thoughts and stand out as memories. I rode on Team Intrepid – a big thank you to Ken Heisel (Arica’s dad) and all of the family in the Heisel clan as well as the associates of Intrepid Potash for their support of our team. Congratulations to all Team Intrepid riders! All of the volunteers who supported the ride were wonderful – rest stops were well organized with plenty of food, drinks, and bike shop support. The folks along the route who cheered us on were also awesome – a ringing cowbell, someone misting water and the shouts of encouragement helped me to keep on pedaling. Hearing the words “thanks for riding” from those individuals who have MS truly made the effort worthwhile. Finally, thank you to all who made a donation and supported me as a rider.

Most importantly, a huge thank you to Renold (my husband a.k.a. Yipsan) for all that you have done – the custom bike you built for me rocks! Thanks to the custom fit I have absolutely no aches or pains! (Just tired muscles……). The new component group (more in another blog at another time) was a dream – smooth, responsive and easy shifting all day long. Thank you!!

This is an awesome ride and I look forward to next year!

MS150

2009-06-17T12:02:00.003-06:00

My wife, Leigh, is riding the MS150 in a little more than a week. She has been training religiously and I feel she will do fine and enjoy the event. I am reminded everyday of what people with MS feels like after my spinal cord injury. I hope there will be a cure for nerve damages, and events like MS150 will help make this a reality.

Here is a message from Leigh:

On June 27-28, 2009 I will be cycling in the 24th Annual Colorado Bike MS Ride. This event attracts over 3000 riders for a memorable and challenging weekend ride from the Denver area to Ft. Collins and back.

It's a 150 mile ride and at some point along the way I am sure my legs will ache and I will feel tired. However, I think that is nothing compared to what people with MS go through on a daily basis. Completing the ride will be a personal achievement as well as a means to help the National MS Society fund research, advocate for change, and help people with MS and their families lead powerful and productive lives.

Currently there is no cure for MS. The money that is raised at this event will be used to find the cause, treatment, and ultimately the cure of multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis affects people in the prime of their lives, between the ages of 20 and 50. Every hour someone is newly diagnosed and more than 2.5 million people worldwide live with this unpredictable disease.

Please join me in the movement to do something about multiple sclerosis. I have set a goal of raising $500.00 for this cause. It is easy and convenient to make a donation. If you prefer to donate on-line, follow these links:

www.bikems.org
Select "sponsor a rider"

Select "search for a team" and enter team name INTREPID. Click on the blue button “Find A Participant”

Select Team Intrepid (make sure you select the first Team Intrepid that is listed – Team Leader is Ken Heisel)

Select Leigh Janko on the team roster and make your donation!! Thanks.

Black Lightning

2009-06-14T18:44:00.004-06:00

Another recent build in cooperation with TBE was for Colm. He made my day by sending me this message:

I'm just in from my first 50mile ride on my new bike. I wanted to mail you and Tom and let you know its absolutely great! You did a fantastic job with the frame. I think its the best handling bike I've ridden - it goes around corners like its on rails.

I did not have time to picture the frame before shipping it out, but here is some pictures when the bike was finished at TBE.

Thank you Colm.

Catherine's All road

2009-06-14T18:25:00.003-06:00

Being a framebuilder is interesting. I get to work with my customers to build something that they would enjoy for a long time in the future. While I try to incorporate their personal preferences and desires, I am also responsible to provide the technical details that will allow them to be at one with the bike.

The wait for a custom is never easy for the customer, but sometime it can be stressful for the builder too. Case in point, Catherine's bike. This bike was built for Catherine in cooperation with TBE and so I did not complete the build of the bike with components. Seeing the bike finished with paint gave me satisfaction that it will be wonderful, but not being able to see the bike fully built up can be a torture. However, I am confident to leave the final finishing work with TBE. Check the complete bike here.

I hope Catherine enjoys the bike.

Seat Binder

2009-06-10T23:05:00.002-06:00

A recent repair on an old Raleigh really got me thinking of how many of these old frames have this same problem.

It was not difficult to repair and I am sure it would last a lot longer than the original pressed ears.

Here are some pictures of the sequence.

Dirt Rag

2009-04-06T12:31:00.003-06:00

Just want to let you all know that one of my NAHBS bikes made it to the current issue of Dirt Rag. Get a copy to check it out.

Country of Origin

2009-03-17T22:02:00.005-06:00

During the show, I get to meet a lot of people from many different backgrounds and it is interesting to see how we all only focus on the handmade theme of the show and the bikes. There was never any sentiment that I could feel that being a Chinese is any issue or disadvantage.

The reason I mention this is that a lot of times in various forums on the internet, people would mention "sh*t build in China" and it became a common phrase to mention or label something poorly made. However, not everything made in China is bad in quality. This kind of phrasing sometimes would get to me personally, feeling that everything made by a Chinese is poor in quality. Because of this, I had at one time thought of making a decal that says “ handmade by a Chinese”. But not wanting to alienate potential customers and making a combative intention, I had abandoned the idea.

With some of the consumer magazines that I collected during the show, I read an advertisement from Rivendell, a company that is well regarded by a lot of cyclists and people in the bike industry, the ad mentioned about a lot of the features of Rivendell's offering, and the last line says “nothing here's made in China”. It is amazing to see a company who sells products that are mostly made outside of the US to single out China. A country is made up of its people, does it mean Chinese made bad quality? Is it true that Japanese made product is always high in quality? Is it true that European made product is for sure perfect and of high value? How about Taiwan Chinese? Do they make quality products?

This truly befuddles me. China may not be up to the western standards in many front, but products made by China / Chinese are not inherently bad or low in quality. A lot of the companies in China which manufactures a lot of goods that is imported to the US are actually part owned by non-Chinese. What does it say about these business owners? If I were to move back to China, and keep on building frames, would it suddenly mean all my frames are rubbish?

I would really like to question Rivendell if their operation uses or consume anything made in China. I only hope that people can understand that broad stroke labeling can only hurt us. I am also disappointed that a company that so many respected can publicly advertise with such statements.

Well, enough of my rant, I better get back to my workshop and prove that Chinese / China made product can be of high quality. Rose's bike is just done and will be off to paint shortly.

NAHBS withdrawal

2009-03-10T19:07:00.006-06:00

I am officially suffering from NAHBS withdrawal. Work happens slowly, distraction from emails and already thinking about what I should have ready for the Rocky Mountain Bike show and the next NAHBS, wherever it may be.

I realized the cost for driving vs. flying is very similar. And of course exhibiting at NAHBS is a high expense for a micro operation like mine. However, working alone everyday can be like a caveman. And this is how my wife sees it too. The event not just let me see the world more by traveling to places I have not been to, but also to speak with fellow cyclists and fellow bike builders. There is a lot to learn and a lot to absorb.

One of the people I met this time was the people from Nova. I have used their product / service since the beginning, but had never met them (though they were in Portland last year, we did not get to speak with each other). Lon is the big cheese at Nova, a very nice person and understand the needs of us framebuilders. He was kind to my work on display and encouraged me about the ups and downs of a small niche business. Lon’s wife, Lisa, was equally nice and kept my wife in saner conversations. They are both not involved in the bicycle industry and have their proper profession. I believe their conversation was way more contemporary and way less geeky.

I was surprised how much of the small details on the bikes were noticed, not everyone, but a good portion of people who stopped in my booth. I try to personalize each bike with small subtle bits when the situation allows, but they are not always noticed or even appreciated. These little subtlety is in fact the things that I spend more time on to try and blend in without it sticking out like a sore thumb. It is very satisfying to know that there are a lot of people who appreciate my work. Another interesting thing that I learned is there are a lot of Americans who had been to Hong Kong and China and this kind of cultural exchange is always intriguing.

The small interview I did with Urban Velo was fun. I get to talk up Fort Collins a bit and interact with the public not just through pictures of my work. If you are interested to hear it, here is a link. I appear at about 10:50.

It is good to see the weather being warmer this week, and the clock had just sprung forward last night. Spring is truly in the air, although the Colorado front range is extremely dry and wild fire is on the verge of breaking out any time. I have a few road frames upcoming and a 29er. All of them I am very excited to build because the customers are all very appreciative of us small framebuilders. The economy may be sucking the wind out of everyone, but I hope the change allows us to think and ride a bit and remember that it will all be fine in the long run.

The show of the year

2009-03-05T19:42:00.003-07:00

Wow, the Indy show was great. The showgoers, the volunteers, the exhibiting builders and vendors, they have all been wonderful. I met some new people and also caught up with others that I pretty much only see during this show.

It has been quite a week, driving 1200 miles one way to Indy, spent 4 days there and drive back. One of the cool thing was meeting Tom there, where he sees his new bike live for the first time.

If you have not seen the bikes I exhibited, check it here. Urban Velo also took some nice pictures as well. And they did a short interview with many builders and just uploaded it as a podcast. I appear around 10:50 if you do not want to listen to everything.

We got back home on Tuesday, but I am only just getting back to my routine. I guess I am getting old. I will have more to write about the show and what is happening in the shop soon.

Cheers for now.

NAHBS 09

2009-02-27T20:03:00.004-07:00

Check out the full set of pictures on my flickr here.

The first day has been great with a steady flow of showgoers coming in throughout the whole day. I am having a good time speaking with bike lovers and now am tired and ready to sleep.

Thank you for everyone who stopped by today. I hope to meet more of you this weekend.

Cheers,

Renold

NAHBS '09 Preview

2009-02-23T20:13:00.005-07:00

Time flies, and it is time for NAHBS again.

My wife and I are leaving for Indianapolis tomorrow. We have our subaru loaded up already and we are hoping for a relaxed 1200 miles of driving.

Hope to see you there. We are at booth 214. Come by to see these bikes. Here is a sample.

If you are not attending the show, please visit my flickr pictures for a complete set of pictures this weekend.

Cheers,

NAHBS '09

2009-02-17T22:55:00.002-07:00

Well, Tom's bike is back and built. I am happy with the result and if you are interested to see it, visit the upcoming NAHBS at Indianapolis where it will be displayed.

Here is a picture to whet your appetite. More will be loaded on flickr next week. I hope to see you at Indi.

Renold

A randoneuse

2009-01-23T21:39:00.004-07:00

Just finished another randonneuring bike. It is very similar to Tom's commuter in geometric design, but it runs gears and canti brakes. The lugs are tubes were different but it only added to the fun in making them. This one involved a little bit of lug cutting and it is still simple yet different.

Tom's commuter is with the painter and I cannot wait to see it finished, it will be stunning.

Next up would be an mtb, I am not sure if I can make it in time for NAHBS, it is approaching fast.

I hope to see some of you there.

Cheers,

Renold

Tom's commuter

2009-01-09T22:05:00.003-07:00

Happy new year.

I have just finished a bike that started in 08' and was finished today. The holiday season has slowed the progress a bit but it is now done and heading to paint soon. Other than the frameset, a custom stem and seatpost were commissioned.

A very nice parts list was drawn for this bike and it is heading to Indianapolis for NAHBS 09'.

I will be building another bike very similar to this in the next couple of weeks, this one is not going to NAHBS though.

If you are interested in custom bicycles, plan ahead to visit the show, it will be a big one.

Kate's custom

2008-12-25T11:54:00.003-07:00

I have not been slacking since the Rocky Show and was actually working on a special bike for Kate. Alex, Kate's better half, was preparing a Christmas gift back in July for her and I had the luck to build this bike.

Here is a picture and there are more on my flickr site, go check it out.

What's cooking these days? A fixed gear commuter with all the fixings for even rando use. Some build pics to come.

Rocky Mountain Bike Show

2008-11-03T21:42:00.004-07:00

This past weekend, I was showing a few bikes at the 1st annual Rocky Mountain Bike Show. Turnout was pretty good despite the super nice weather. Having shown at Portland last Feb, a local / regional show felt very home like. Most showgoers are from towns along the front range of the Rockies and Colorado being a state popular for cycling, I got to meet a lot of bike nuts.

Apparently, I was the only builder showing a 650b mountain bike and most were very interested to see the semi-translucent finish with the swirl pattern underneath.

Roger's 650b all road bike also received lots of attention, the bike is now in a box ready for its trip out east. I hope Roger will enjoy his new ride and show his bike off to fellow east coast riders.

I am currently working on a special bike, but I will not be updating build pictures for now. It is a special gift from Alex and I think it is best to unveil the bike when it is all ready. So, there may be no new pictures for a little bit, but it will not be too long.

Cheers,

Renold

Travis 29er

2008-10-01T22:47:00.005-06:00

Travis had his bike assembled for a couple of weeks and we got together today to take some pictures. For all the shots, go here. He also took some pictures for me while I was working, maybe I will upload some of them later.

Fort Collins is GOLD

2008-09-25T21:07:00.003-06:00

Wow, check this!

On another note, Peter's bike is done and I am happy how it all turned out.

2008-09-15T18:46:00.005-06:00

Our trip to Crested Butte was a very pleasant one, we did some bike rides and chilled out playing Monopoly at night by the wood fire. The scenery there cannot be beat and I have attached a few memorable shots here.

Another impressive encounter was during our first day driving out to Salida. We stopped at the Safeway at Frisco for a break and some lunch and met a couple that inspires me much. I first saw Scott and Paulie right before we turned into the Safeway store, they were riding their bikes across the road. I noticed that they were older, and did not pay further attention. While we were enjoying our lunch, they returned, only after about 20 minutes. They actually stopped right next to us and this time I noticed Scott's bike has a bike rack at the back and was carrying an oxygen tank. It is connected directly to his nostrils. I was impressed and inspired at the same time, here we were at about 9000 feet altitude and this older gentleman is riding his bike despite the fact that he was using oxygen support. He told us he had been to Alaska this past summer and was advised by his doctor to use the oxygen for a while to acclimatise. Whatever the reason, it shows me that there are a lot of hardships in life but we sometimes make it bigger than it is. Here is a picture of Scott and Paulie.

650b rocks

2008-09-01T21:07:00.002-06:00

The past few weeks I was working on a new 650b mtb and was quite happy with the result. This is built for myself and also for a bit of front end testing / experimentation. The pictures here shows a rigid fork from an earlier 29er, and an old Psylo XC fork is also ready for test in the near future.

A quick build into a single speed before paint promises the instant gratification in me and a test ride was had at Lory State Park the next day. The bike feels great, and there is no complain so far.

Leigh and I had a very nice long weekend, and I am ready to start building the next bike. A cross bike for Peter. I think this will help him in his college career and give him a foundation to win some races. Pictures to follow on Flickr for sure.

This is the best time of the year here and we are taking a short trip to Crested Butte in a week. Can't wait.

A recent review

2008-08-13T14:38:00.002-06:00

In the past few weeks, I have been busy building a 29er for Travis and also patiently waiting for a frame to return from paint. The frame came back and was prepped and shipped this Monday to TBE. It will be there for demo and display.

While the same time, I had one of my 650b road bike tested by 650b.com. The 2 part review is here and here. I am glad to read the positive feedback and accordingly there will be another part of the review that is more generic to the whole concept of road bikes with 650b wheels.

This week I am starting another 650b bike, a mountain bike this time, no pictures yet, but will surely post them as they become available.

Have a good week.

A sad day in Fort Collins

2008-07-25T18:24:00.002-06:00

It is a sad day in Fort Collins. I attended a memorial of a fellow rider, Rebecca Allen, who died after severe head trauma caused by a drunk driver hitting her and her riding partner from behind.

Her riding partner, Jennifer Garvey, is wife of my friend and colleague at Lee's Cyclery. She was injured but was able to attend.

Many cyclists answered the call to attend the memorial and Lee's Cyclery actually closed both stores for almost 3 hours so staff members can attend the mid day service.

Be safe out there. But I am not sure how we can avoid drunk or unfriendly drivers.

The bike that took so long

2008-07-21T15:57:00.002-06:00

The bike that was 75% built before my accident is finally complete. Painted, assembled and test ridden. Here are a few pictures.

Reborn

2008-07-15T20:05:00.002-06:00

It has been another long period since I last updated. Recovery is still in progress but symptoms are bearable and I can do most anything. The most important thing though is that I just finished my first complete frame after my almost career ending accident. I am very happy how things turn out along the process and I was paying extra attention to how my body reacts to the work of framebuilding.

There is a lot to do to pick up whatever momentum there was before the accident, but I am really quite happy I am building on.

A few pictures of this frame that is going to TBE after paint.

why 650B road bikes?

2008-05-08T12:47:00.004-06:00

The recent resurgence of the 650b wheel size road bicycles has generated a lot of interest but there are still a lot of people seemingly on the fence about it. I just want to summarize some of the benefits of 650b wheeled road / touring bicycles.

I will not be looking into the history of the 650b size; others had covered this.

To begin with, 650b means an effective rim diameter of 584mm as compared to 622mm of 700c, and 559mm of the popular 26” wheel used in a lot of mountain bikes. Current tire width selections for 650b size ranges from about 32mm to 42mm for road tread while there is one mountain tread at 58mm (more to come very soon). This condition has ruled out certain application for this rim size, e.g. modern day racing. While tire choice is certainly on the short side as compared with 700c or 26”, those available are not bad at all for its intended purposes - mainly paved road use but also good for hard pack dirt or gravel roads. With this description, it meant most randonneuring and touring condition would be covered.

Looking from another point of view, it is beneficial for some riders to simply choose to use wider tires, no matter if they are using 650b or 700c wheels. Wider tires simply make more sense for most riding conditions, it provides more traction, more comfort to the rider and a lower chance of tube failure for heavier riders. So, if you have decided to use wider tires already, should it be with 650b wheels or 700c? Read on.

With a 32mm to 42mm width tire mounted, the resultant wheel diameter of a 650b wheel is quite close to a 700x23c wheel, this means that if you are used to modern sport bikes with such a wheel size, you will easily adapt to the 650b size since the gearing on the bike will feel very similar. However, you can also easily gear down for loaded applications or off road riding conditions. For those concerned about speed, I must say that riding a 650b wheeled bikes is not any slower than a 700x23c wheeled bike on most recreational sport riding provided that the bike fit well. The up side though is a much more comfortable ride which may give the rider a stronger ride for a longer duration.

Another thing about gearing is that with a wide tire 700c wheeled bike, it will be harder to accelerate or require down shifting more. If in a stop and go situation, it can be tiring with all the shifting duties. I think that on a 650b wheeled bike, a compact crank (50/34) combined with any road or off road cassette can cover most riding conditions easily.

A lot of riders chose to have fenders on their bikes dedicated for randonneuring, touring or commuting applications and this is an important issue. If you are planning for a bike for this use with 700c wheels, the resultant diameter of a 700 x 32c wheel plus fender clearance would mean a very high chance of toe overlap unless you are quite tall or require a bike that has a relatively long top tube. For most riders between 5’4” and 6’ considering this kind of a bike, a 650b wheel choice would make most sense. The resulting bike with 650b wheels will also look more balanced than a 700c wheeled one.

Some may ask why not use 26” (559 erd) wheels. And I do agree if you plan to ride across regions that will not give you access to 650b tires, it may be prudent to use 26” wheels and tires. Otherwise, a 26” wheeled bike is too limited to extreme loaded applications and makes gearing a bigger problem when a more sporty riding is called for. Some may also argue that wheel strength is an issue, but I think modern hubs, spokes and rims are so well developed that it is no longer an issue, just look at all the 29er wheel doing well even in rugged off road use.

In order to achieve good handling on such a bike, a low trail front end is best suited. It provides stable handling at low speed and when a front load (eg handlebar bag) is used. This low trail design can be achieved by a shallow head tube angle or a fork with high rake. A 650b wheeled bike with this design feels very natural, especially when compared with a bike with similar width tire on 700c wheels. The 700c wheeled bike feels a little clumsy on low speed or maneuvering around tight areas; the same feeling or complain some people have for 29er off road bikes. This is easy to understand, as your wheel diameter gets bigger the mass is also concentrated further from the bike and when turning your handlebar, there is more force required to turn the wheel. This feeling only happens at low speed, as the wheel is not needed to turn at higher speed when cornering.

In the end, I think application, rider body geometry, and fit specifics would be the key factors when choosing among these 3 wheel / rim sizes. A well designed frame with the appropriate wheel size will not just look good, but function to its fullest and handle optimally.

If you are interested to try out this wheel size, I suggest to skip the adapt-to-a-700c-frame route and go for one of the dedicated production frames although there are not too many to choose from. The geometry will be more appropriate plus if you use rim brakes and just put on one of those super long reach side pull calipers on a 700c frame I am not sure if it will stop the bike quick enough. Of course, a made to measure bicycle would be the best way to go with all the features that is desired, be it lights, rack, fenders, and fit and handling specifics.

Well, I will not go back to finishing the 650b I did not complete before the accident.

Cheers,

Renold

It's been long

2008-05-01T14:28:00.004-06:00

Wow, it has been long. It is approaching 8 weeks since my accident, which I initially thought would be over in a short time, well, it turned out to be way worse than I thought. I am still recovering and had just started hand therapy this week.

It was 1:20pm or so and I was going lazily to my fitting appointment at Lee’s south store. This was a kind of a special appointment, my client, Judy, was going to meet me outside the bike shop as her husband had asked her. This was supposed to be a gift from her husband, Dan, as he was planning a couple of bike trips with her for this summer and also a way of staying fit.

Wait as she did but no one came to meet her and invite her to the fitting studio.

It was such a nice day, temperature was about mid 50s, sun was shining, it was a day when there could be no excuse to not ride. I decided it should be a casual easy ride to the store so I just wore casual clothes but put one my riding shoes since the pedals on the bike was clipless. I decided to wear my helmet, which I sometimes did not wear especially when my wife was not in town – a desperate hope to blend in with the young and hip college bike riders.

Not a minute from my home along the bike path, I laid face down on the ground, my body half turned. I did not feel much pain if any but noticed the lost of my front teeth. I was gasping from the sudden change and yelled out two “Help”. I could not quite move but wanted to turn my body so I can lie on my back and take a break to catch my breath. I heard a lady voice from a distance; probably from the sidewalk about 100 feet away, asking if I was okay. I saw my right arm and tried to move it but it did not obey. I tried harder and this time it moved but it flopped to the side and hit the ground. I could not feel any pain from my arm hitting the ground. Now with my torso pretty much lying on my back, I tried to turn my hip and legs as well so I can really lie down, but again, my legs were just kind of flopped. I was finally lying down. I thought, ok, just rest, give it 15 minutes and I will get up.

About this time, a gentleman stopped by to check in on me and let me know an ambulance was called. I asked this gentleman to call in to Lees and inform of my mishap but I forgot to ask someone to fetch Judy from outside the store.

A runner stopped by who happened to be an EMT asked me a few questions and helped the other EMTs who arrived on an ambulance. I was strapped onto a board with my head secured and loaded into the ambulance. They were very concerned if I had broken my neck, but I kind of knew my neck did not break because I moved it quite some and there was no pain at all and I can feel it too. However, I never thought of what was really injured.

In the ER, I received quite some attention and went through x-ray, cat scan, and finally MRI. My upper lip was cut through and required 6 stitches. It was 4 weeks later that my dentist found a fragment of my broken front tooth embedded on my upper lip on the inside that was never checked in the ER. It took another small procedure to take it out since the 4 weeks of healing had took that in as part of the new me.

About 7 hours after the accident, a technician finally came and let us know what the doctor found was injured after seeing the MRI results. They injected a steroid through my IV to help fix the injury. After some research since I got home, it was revealed that if the steroid had been injected earlier, maybe the healing would have been faster and more complete. At this point they finally informed me and my wife, who just arrived from Utah (she was on a business trip there), that I have to stay in the hospital for a couple of nights. No one in the ER thought I would have to stay, but also, none of them thought my extremely numb and tingly arms and hands would last so long either. So, we spent another 2 days in the hospital and were sent home after that.

Our neurosurgeon visited the next day and told us that I had a form of spinal cord injury - spinal cord contusion. It was swelling and bruising of the spinal cord, and it happened on my neck region (cervical), which controlled pretty much all the functions from the neck down. I regained all leg movements and normal sensory in the ER, but not my arms and hands. Doctor said we should just let it heal but it would take some time. He asked us to visit him again in 4 weeks. I was a little shocked that it would take so long but somehow their positive attitude seem to indicate I would be completely back to normal in about 3 weeks.

During the first 3 weeks, anything that graces or touches my hands would cause me much discomfort and so I did not do anything at all, just sitting around or sleeping. But sleeping usually only last 2 – 3 hours each session as any body movement causes discomfort and woke me up. I gradually improved along this time and we visited the neurosurgeon who further explained my condition and the fact that I have a genetically narrow spinal canal, which makes this kind of injury a higher occurrence. I also got a taste of what it is like without hands and how life changes under the circumstances. In fact I was quite close to becoming a quadriplegic and I guess I had a glimpse of what it was like during the first couple of minutes after the crash.

In the last few weeks I have been able to do more by myself with various ways of coping and avoiding the sensitive areas. I am not sure if my hands will be completely back to the way they were, but I am hopeful that my hand therapy will complete the loop.

Totaling all the losses, I had missed my first trip home (Hong Kong) after 6 years, 2 very nice pieces of cycling garment were cut up in the ER, the shoulder trap of my messenger bag, my cracked helmet, the front wheel of the bike was toasted, as was the front fork and the fender, but most importantly, 8 weeks + of my productive life, and of course all the medical bills that are arriving. I have medical coverage through my wife’s employer, but there are all sorts of deductibles, overages and uncovered expenses.

I have to thank all the fine folk who helped at the scene, especially the EMTs, the nurses at the ER, friends from Lee’s who stopped by and called during my recovery, friends and neighbors who helped to take care of Lucky and offered words of encouragement along the way and of course my wife. She had gone through much hardship to dealing with a husband without hands for this period while holding down a full time job.

I should be gradually getting back to building frames and fitting riders soon.

2008-03-10T21:17:00.002-06:00

Hello there - it has been a while since I wrote. I had a bit of a mishap the other day - actually, a bit more than a mishap as it was a bike crash. The crash was a major face plant which resulted in several lacerations on my face including a clean through cut on my upper lip and two teeth getting knocked out. The crash landed me in the hospital over the weekend because of ongoing tingling and pain in my hands and arms. The pain is now under control and some of the swelling has reduced, so I was released from the hospital and am now at home. Looks like there will be some time needed for the healing process and I really can't do much work right now, if at all for this week. This is a big bummer for me as I was getting started on a new frame.

2008-03-03T22:02:00.004-07:00

This is a short clip of my recent brazing on the 650b frame being built. It took me sometime to edit this video. But it is fun and useful to review it. The actual time it took to braze both joints on the headtube was much longer, but I think most people will be very bored to watch the whole process and so here is the condensed version.

cheers,

update on build pictures

2008-02-28T10:52:00.004-07:00

I just did an update to flickr of the 650b bike build. Still working on the video I took the other day. Well, took another brazing session of the head tube as well. Now, I have too many videos to cut and I am not good at it, so be patient and it will be ready soon.

cheers.

A new 650b winter bike being built

2008-02-25T19:23:00.004-07:00

The past couple of weeks I have been working on another 650b winter / rando bike. Here are a couple of pics along the way. I took some short clips when I brazed the dropouts too, but those will take some time to edit. Click for more pictures.

Cheers.

riding the 650b mtb

2008-02-22T21:06:00.003-07:00

The weather had been nice the last few days although it is still wet and a bit muddy at places, I took the 650B mountain bike out for a couple of rides. As compared to my 29er it feels to have a lot less to deal with, especially around tight switchbacks and muddy spots. It goes around corners very naturally and hold its line very well, turn in on this bike is quick with a 72deg head angle mixing with the F29, G2 (51mm rake) fork. I think I would enjoy tight singletracks on this bike much more than a 29er.

Although it does not eat up obstacles as easily as a 29er (the difference is not big), it is a very good medium between 26er and 29er, plus going back to what I mentioned before, this wheel / tire size is simply a much better equipment choice for certain riders, when combined with a properly designed frame.

The neo-moto rides nice with its big volume, I played with tire pressure for quite a few different settings and was happy to stay with relatively lower pressure. I believe the velocity blunt rim also helped to provide a wide footprint but not create easy snakebites. I bottom out the front tire a few times on sharp rocks but did not get a flat.

All in all, I really enjoyed the last couple of rides, but of course, will test it out further to see what needs improvement.

Review by Gordon - 650b winter bike

2008-02-18T10:37:00.003-07:00

As promised from last week, ride report from Gordon. The below is the full text that Gordon sent me, I did not change a thing.

For those who do not know Gordon, he is from Scotland and you will know once he speaks with you. He is an excellent mechanic and works at the north store (Laurel and Mason) of Lee's Cyclery in Fort Collins. If you would like to speak with him direct, visit the store during Friday to Monday, his winter work hours.

Here is what Gordon has to say:

hi Renold, thank you very much for loaning me the white rando bike. It was the the perfect bike for the time of year i took it for some longish rides well long for this time of year and it performed beautifully.

I made some minor modifications from the bike you delivered to me , i swapped out the Brooks saddle for my own one that has been broken in a bit , i put on a couple of water bottle cages and attached my carridice saddle bag, changed my pedals and i was good to go.

My first impression of the bike was how attractive it was with the ornate lugs, custom stem and matching white fenders it drew a lot of admiring glances wherever it went. i rode it around town for a couple of days when i fist got it to get used to it before going on any big rides. i was struck by how stable the bike felt even with my saddlebag swinging around behind me i was able to confidently ride no-hands while adding or removing clothing, eating stretching whatever. the tires took a little getting used to as they were about twice the width that i normally ride and to be honest i would probably change those out for something a little smoother and narrower like a nifty swifty, especially if i was going to riding primarily on the road. The first decent ride i took it for was over rist canyon ( about a 10 mile climb) and then back to fort collins via masonville about 55 miles, i was nervous about doing the ride at this time of year as there are some icy patches, and a lot of gravel or salt on the roads and it also features some fast twisty descending but i need not of worried, the bike handled really well and the disc brakes helped me stay in control at all times. I also managed to hang with a racer out training on his light full carbon bike on the way up the canyon which was big surprise for me i thought i would get dropped like a stone as i'm sure i was on a much heavier steed.
The only things i didn't like on this ride were the position of the right shifter which was on the top tube and was fine while you were in the saddle but when climbing out the saddle would cause you to hit it with your knee causing the rear derailleur to shift you into higher gears which would reduce my progress to a crawl, the only other thing that annoyed me was a noise during every rotation of the wheel but i traced that to a low spot on the front tire which i fixed quickly when i got home and was never a problem again.
I also took the bike for some longer rides (around 80 miles) up the poudre canyon and the bike was very comfortable and i could have ridden it all day long had my fitness been a bit better. Another thing i would do if it were my bike would be to put a 48 or 46 tooth large chainring on the crank as this would give me more useful gear ratios as i found i was cross chaining a lot when i was in the big ring.
All in all this is a great bike to ride and one that will give somebody years of great riding in almost all terrains and weather conditions.

As a reference to Gordon's comment, I want to add that he had been riding a full carbon race bike for the past 2 years and he is planning to sell it since he had just acquired an older Tomassini in steel and going back to the roots with down tube shifters and all. I was excited to learn this about 2 weeks ago and knew that he is planning to do the next PBP too.

His comment is very spot on and I think my test of the top tube shifter has just concluded, if I were to do it again, I would either have to move it closer to the head tube or to the stem, but for the next one I am currently building, it will be on the down tube.

A slideshow from before.

more 650b info soon

2008-02-15T10:21:00.004-07:00

Yesterday I picked up my 650B rando / winter bike. It was loaned to my good friend Gordon while he was between bikes. I talked to him briefly about some test comments. He was very positive and said he would write something up to post here.

I then went on to return a couple of items I borrowed for use at NAHBS, Heath Garvey of Lee's Cyclery is interested in displaying my bikes on an event coming up later this month. It would be a nice way to introduce YiPsan Bicycles to Fort Collins.

I have been tracking back to happenings during NAHBS and thinking of builders who inspires me. Among all the master builders, his work speaks a lot to me and will serve as an inspiration for my work. I know a lot of people were very impressed seeing his bikes live.

I would like to thank Darrell for sharing tips openly and sincerely.

Alright, I am heading back to the shop. I started another 650B rando / winter bike. This time with Rene Singer lugset.

NAHBS Post show review

2008-02-11T14:41:00.001-07:00

NAHBS came and gone with the blink of an eye. It was a fast 3 days for me, a first time exhibitor. The fine folks at Portland did not just show us how much they love custom handmade bicycles, they also showed us their hospitality, it was impressive.

Before I go on, I would just like to thank the staff of Chris King, for helping out all the exhibitors. In fact I was the last exhibitor to leave the hall last night. I was slow in packing up my 4 bikes and caused 2 of King's staff to wait until almost 9pm to pick them up to head back to their warehouse pending shipping today. Thanks again. Portland rocks.

As for YiPsan Bicycles, it was a very positive event for us. Lots of excitement and compliment for the 650B mtb and the Firecracker fixed gear. My stems also have received lots of demand and I explained to most who noticed them that a nice stem completes the package for a custom bike.

Thank you also goes to cyclelicious, 650B Palace and sixfiftyb.com for coverage. I am sure I missed some, so forgive me if I do, and check back for new update as I get up to speed in the next few days.

Withdrawal symptoms are kicking in and I am feeling the impact of lack of sleep, talking too much, laughing too hard and trying to memorize all the names of the nice people I met the last 3 days. Congrats also to Black Sheep Bicycles for winning the best Ti bike award, fine folks from Fort Collins, CO, my fellow neighbors.

I am now waiting for my flight home and excited and ready to get in my shop and get some new frames made. For those who are near Frederick, MD, and did not come to NAHBS; the Firecracker fixed gear and my personal road bike are on its way to TBE for show / light demo and I am sure Tom would welcome you to stop by to check them out.

Day 1, NAHBS 08

2008-02-08T23:47:00.001-07:00

Day one of the show is over, and I am very excited to have met a lot of industry / press folks and other show visitors. Even though this was supposed to be a slower day with much less people in the show, I did not have much time for lunch or sitting down.

I just updated my flickr pictures and full set of show bike firecracker and 650B mtb is now online. Check it out and see if you like it.

Again, if you are going to the show the next 2 days, stop by booth 618 for some chinese new year treats and say hi.

Live from Portland, it's NAHBS 08

2008-02-07T13:22:00.001-07:00

Portland I have arrived. An early morning flight from Denver got us here safe and sound, and I am very excited to get started. I am now at my hotel room (can see the OCC right from my room) Will have lunch shortly and then get into the OCC to started putting my bikes together.

I just noticed that my 650B bike was linked from cyclelicious, how cool.

You know, maybe I just did not sleep enough, I thought I saw Tyler Hamilton on the same flight. Maybe he is here to promote for Parlee?! Anyway, it is going to be a good show.

I also saw a Moots van as we left the airport to head to our hotel, I did not know they are exhibiting, but it would be good to see their stuff too.

A little postcard memorabilia for show visitors, if you want one, stop by booth 618 to check it out. See you this weekend.

seat stay brazing

2008-02-04T16:36:00.000-07:00

A short clip of some of my work. This is the brazing of the seatstay cluster of the singlespeed cross bike. I learned a lot trimming down the clip with iMovie and also see that I could have shot the footage better, oh well, next time.

This frame is now at TBE being build up for demo rides.

I intend to make a clip of all major framebuilding sequences, but it will take some time. Check back for more.

Ought to start packing for HAHBS too, see you there.

Fenders for the 650b rando bike

2008-01-31T11:47:00.000-07:00

After a long delay with my painter to finishing the fenders, I got them back 2 days ago and spent some time fitting them in and trimming off excess stays. They are low cost Planet bike fender but look very well matched with the fat (650b x 41.5c) Fatty Rumpkin tires. This is now a perfect winter bike or long distance (aka rando, brevet) bike. I hope my scottish friend Gordon will enjoy it. See more pictures here.

Firecracker fixie - NAHBS 08 Preview

2008-01-30T14:04:00.000-07:00

Well, final preview of my show bikes. Full set of pictures including complete bike shots will be prepared between now and show time and I will try to upload them between Feb 8 - 10. Some good folks have kindly posted my Flickr pictures on MTBR.com and thebikesite.org. Thank you for the kind words, I hope to see you all there.

Here is my way to celebrate Chinese New Year - a fixed gear code named Firecracker. The first day of show will actually be the 2nd day of Chinese New Year and it is an important day to a Chinese. We have prepared some treats that goes along the theme of this fixed gear. If you are going to the show, please stop by booth 618 to check out this fixie and some treats.

A preview slideshow here, or still pictures on Flickr.

Now, back to getting ready.

650B MTB - NAHBS 08 preview

2008-01-28T13:07:00.000-07:00

Got this back from Keith last Friday and had finally put it together and took some pictures. This is all I can post now. Hopefully to tease you enough to come to actually visit NAHBS 08. It is so near and I am feeling never being ready for it.

Anyway, check this new slideshow here, music is by my good friend Phil McIntosh, or go to my Flickr for still pictures.

Now I am off to get Firecracker ready!

The heat is going up - NAHBS

2008-01-25T12:25:00.000-07:00

NAHBS is really only 2 weeks away and I can feel the tension. It is also good to see some press about it too.

Back to getting ready. Hope to see you there.

Renold

SS Cross test ride

2008-01-23T21:00:00.000-07:00

Well, it is actually not much of a test ride. It was quite cold and a bit windy today, but I thought if I do not go out today, I might be too busy to go in the upcoming 2 weeks leading to NAHBS (North American Handmade Bike Show).

So I waited for pretty much the warmest time of the day and headed out, it was good fun rolling on the bike path towards Pineridge (my intended test route) but once I hit dirt I realized the light coat of snow from Monday was hiding a thick sheet of ice. I thought I would give it a go but a couple of skid and fall, I was ready to turn back. Traction was nowhere to be found with my 35c cross tread and even short downhill coming back prove tricky. I got off the bike at one point but even my winter shoes were not able to provide much foothold.

I wonder if my 650B x 41.5c sucker cup tired bike might do better.

So, I instead rode on the pave trail for a bit. I guess I will have to ask someone else to help on the test ride!

This 650B thing

2008-01-22T11:40:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to follow some of the comments and happenings in the blogosphere about the 650B wheel size. It surprises me in a few ways. Before I start, let me lay down my position so if you disagree and not want to waste your time reading, you can ignore this. I am with the 650B movement and I am happy that it has arrived to the current state in such a short time.

I see a lot of people trying / considering to put 650B wheels on 26” mountain bikes and 700c road bikes. While I understand that this is common to do to just find out more, but it will never be a really good answer as the handling of such bike is not really what a proper 650B bicycle will be.

Why? First off, BB height will not be correct / optimal after the conversion. Some may ask, what is the big deal. To me, it is a big deal. Without a proper BB height for the designed use, weight balance of rider over the bike will not be optimal, for most 26” mtb frames, it will be higher while for 700c road frames, it will be lower. Then, there is the front end geometry to worry about. With a different wheel diameter in front, combined with unchanged rake of your fork, trail will end up bigger or smaller. The result, again, will not be optimal. Of course, depending on what tire width you chose for your 650B, it will also affect the contact patch size. Lastly, chainstay length. Some believe shorter is better, but I disagree with this notion. Chainstay length should again be application specific and it is a factor within a whole pool of factors for designing a frame.

I think 650B is best suited for riders of certain body specifics. Height, weight, riding style, and application. In fact, that is why 650B had survived in Europe all these years. During the popular cyclotouring era, 650B was the wheel size of choice. Because of application and road condition at that time, it really is the best. Some riders who carry on the cyclotouring sport have chosen 700c with 30-ish tire size in modern times but I can tell you this size is not optimal for a lot of riders.

As for off-road, 650B has its place too. Kirk Pacenti will tell you one of the main reasons is for long travel full suspension bikes, and I completely agree with that. On top of that, it is also very nice for hard tails. As you might have read that many people have switched to 29ers over the past few years, and most of them will cite the better momentum, how much easier it is to roll over obstacles, etc. These benefits will also appear on a 650B bike, not in the same magnitude, but the characteristics is there. Also, bear in mind why some 26” riders tried 29 and did not change. They will tell you cornering is just not very natural, slow technical handling is cumbersome and that their climbing prowess is not as good. This is where 650B will shine just like a 26” mtb plus some of the benefits of 29er. But these are simply generalization. Like for road bikes, the choice should be rider driven, their body dimension, riding style and application.

I believe riders of 5’4 to 5’9 are major benefactors of this wheel size. You will have a bike that handles properly, no toe overlap, fit properly with correct weight balance. As tire and rim choices expand, we will see more discerning cyclists switching to 650B wheels, and purpose built 650B frames.

So, my suggestion is go ahead and experiment, but a really nice bike is most likely a custom made to measure bicycle, consult your favorite framebuilders and allow them to give you suggestions, not just on wheel size, but also on fitting and frame design. Also, visit the upcoming North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) in Portland, Oregon. I hope to see you there.

SS cross

2008-01-21T13:19:00.000-07:00

Just finished this singlespeed cross bike yesterday, I was about to take pictures and the battery died after 3 shots. Well, now it is done, I feel quite happy with both the bike ad the pictures. Hope you like it too. Sorry for the unsightly cable hanger in the front, I did not have the steerer mount type, but anyway, a custom stem with an integrated hanger is really the way to go. I am planning to ride it tomorrow. Today is way too cold, it is now 9 deg F outside. A view from my work area.

This bike will get to TBE in the near future, maybe not in this trim since I need some of the components for other uses, but will be ready for demo rides, etc..... For those who is not going to the North American Handmade Bicycle Show, TBE is the place to go to see my bikes. And they have IF there too.

See the slideshow here or go to Flickr for still pictures. Cheers, Renold

In case you have not seen this

2008-01-17T17:58:00.000-07:00

For whatever reason, I forgot to link this here. Check Flickr if you want to see more still pictures.

Working on quite a few different things this past week, not much to show, but there should be something quite interesting near the end of next week.

Thoughts from snowshoeing

2008-01-10T22:58:00.001-07:00

Last weekend, I went snowshoeing with our neighbors and had a very good time. The snow covered trails with tall pines on both sides were a nice break from city views. It adds to the effect that it was mostly snowing the whole time we were hiking. More pictures here.

This weather however highlights the fact that the gear that I used during the trip was really not up to the task. We moved to Colorado for only 1.5 yrs and I did not have the kind of gear for the high country in the winter. Sure the experience is what counts, but when snow started gradually soaking through and getting to your skin, it puts a damper to your enjoyment. This resonates with my sometimes cheap bike components purchase thinking that I only need something basic and ultimately paid the price of being cheap! Well, I swear I will not do this to myself again. How about you?

A new slideshow- NAHBS preview part 2

2008-01-10T11:18:00.000-07:00

Other than the IR heater yesterday, I also got my other piece of shipment. A big roll of black photo paper. Those who had seen the other slideshow of my 650B rando style bike will know, the white color with the white background is kind of hard on your eyes (will update this soon too), so I got the black paper now and really liked the result when I pictured my new road bike. This bike is also heading to NAHBS 08, so a little preview here and I hope it whets your appetite and maybe go to Portland on February 8 - 10 to check out the bike live. Here it goes, a little slideshow with Soul II Soul as background! For still pictures, check my Flickr pages, or other slideshows - my website.

But it's cold outside

2008-01-09T21:15:00.000-07:00

Wow, finally, I got my new infra red heater. Can you feel the heat? They really do a much better job than fan heaters or other indoor ones. Now I think I can work in my workshop during the remainder of this winter.

A new slideshow- NAHBS preview

2008-01-08T18:04:00.000-07:00

So, just put this short slideshow up. This is my wife's new bike and to be shown at NAHBS.

See more here.

2008-01-08T17:17:00.000-07:00

Oh, I also have updated some photos on Flickr and a slideshow on my own site, check it out.

A new beginning

2008-01-08T17:03:00.000-07:00

Finally, I have time to decide and start this blog. Before this, I had started to write something down on my laptop, maybe I can just post them as one big post now. Here it goes:

10/18/07

It has been almost a week since I registered Yipsan Bicycles llc. There has been crazy getting things together with all the government type form filling, opening a business bank account, trying to catch Don to get registered to go to NAHBS and of course all that there is to go with a modern day business.

The thing that pretty much pushed me over to commit to doing this was NAHBS, and the fact that I have to just commit and jump into the pro level. I am in a lucky situation where I could have just stayed as a hobby builder for any ten years or a lifetime. But I have been wanting to be a pro builder for quite a while already. I know most pros would say that this is not the way to turn pro, I did not have the classic trained up in a production environment kind of thing. I tried, but did not get in. also, most pros would also say you need to find your niche before going in, well, I do not have a niche, seems like most niche are kind of occupied. Do my frames top others, no, they do not. But they are pretty good by itself. Do I have customers lined up? No, not one, well maybe one since I was lucky again to have a friend who owns a bike shop to agree to be my dealer. Well, his wife rides one of my frames.

Enough with all the negative, I think by keeping a regular pace and work hard, there will be a tomorrow for me as a pro framebuilder. I may not be the next Sachs, but I am confident that I will have my little foothold in the field.

There are still a lot of loose ends that may mean I cannot show at 08 NAHBS, but only time will tell. I am more concerned if I have the absolute best stuff to show rather. All the expenses is also a concern. I cannot keep spending crazy but it looks like my next 6 months will have at least $10K worth of spending.

The feeling of jumping into an unknown is nauseating but I grew up sailing, so occasional puking is not a big problem. I will hopefully post this as my first blog when it became available. Thanks for reading.

10/30/07

Time goes by quickly while I was trying to register to exhibit in the next NAHBS, arranging for all necessary business necessities (insurance, website, graphics, etc……). Just trying to put up a simple one page website costed me lots of time, but anyway, it is up for now, a single page, single picture letting you know of how to contact me, but more will come as I have better pictures of my frames.

On the other side, I attended one of Serotta International Cycling Institute’s Advanced Fitting class yesterday. It was very informative and I get to meet many national and regional fitters to exchange experience which broadens my horizon. Equipped with such knowledge, I am capable of providing even better fitting services and of course design your next frame in the best possible way to fit you and provide the ride quality, build quality and aesthetic quality that you have been seeking for.

A small batch of tubing has arrived yesterday and I better inspect them and have them ready for a couple of builds that I have planned.

Happy riding.

11/2/07

Wow, just got my macbook yesterday and have been busy trying to hook everything together. I have just successfully retrieve files from my old PC through our wirelss network, cool, but it took me some time since I am very new to Mac and really not good at all with computers. Anyhow, next up is to get the network printer to print from the Mac. Hope it will be smooth.

Oh, one cool thing now that makes a Mac not so different than a PC is the fact that it runs on an Intel chip and also the amount of software available to help. Case in point, I downloaded OpenOffice from OpenOffice.org, it is free and pretty much can replace Windows Office. I am sure there will be some restrictions, but most likely good enough for my purpose.

Well, more later, need to get everything ready.

11/28/07

wow, it has been too long since I last wrote. Work has been moving on and I think I should be able to hit the deadline to get frames for the show to my painter. Some other work has been slow though, but I have kind of expected that to happen. It is not critical for the time being but it needs to get on to be ready.

We have also been thinking of ways to promote YiPsan during the show but we have not confirmed on anything yet.

Just finished a 650B MTB with paragon sliders, it should head out to paint when I finish the stem on Friday. A fixed gear to replace my other one is also on the way, about half done. I am improving as I go but still see lots of room for improvement mainly in my efficiency rather than fit and finish.

Spending has also been crazy and I am feeling quite concerned. I guess I have to trim down on something else that I planned. And I know this is a constant for business – change!

12/14/07

well another long stretch that I did not write anything, mostly because I have been pushing to finish frames for the show. Now they are with painter, Keith Anderson, I feel a little relieved and was actually slacking a bit in the past couple of days. I did put together the photo taking area though. Fluorescent light fixtures given away by a neighbor together with a big roll of photo paper hung up creates an area where I can try to take some good pictures. Now I would like to see the first couple of frames back to start shooting. Work in the shop does not end though, there are still wheels to build, parts to line up and some headbadges to get ready for putting on frames.

12/26/07

wow, another 2 weeks! Christmas has come and gone and I have lost some time due to the festives. Things are going along, and most things are on schedule. The first 2 frames are back and pending for taking pictures. I am still learning to take good pictures and also learning as I go in editing them and making them into my website. There are so much new things to learn to make this happen, it is a bit overwhelming. But then, learning new things can be fun. Like using this mac instead of a PC, I just upgrade my mac OS to the Leopard that was released when I bought my macbook, it got me to learn more about backing up and also different settings and functions. Now, the next thing to learn is my all new Adobe CS3. It will help me prepare designs and web authoring and I am quite excited to do it. The only thing is the lack of time and concentration on my part.

A powdercoat frame had just been finished as well, it will be a winter randoneur type bike and I plan to loan it to a friend to test it out and give me some feedback. Also on design stage is a couple of bike I am planning to build for demo at The Bicycle Escape. Wow, even thinking of all this feels busy already.

Hope all is good with your holiday, happy new year to all.