A couple weeks ago I had “one of those days” in the
shop. Already with two bikes in
near-complete status, plus the aforementioned extensive re-do, I suddenly had
four bikes in a state of build or rebuild.
The two that were already in process:
* a gravel bike (groader) was in need of the braze-on bits
and finish work that was set aside to finish
* a first pedal bike for my daughter, which just needed
seatstays and finish work.
I took an hour to cut up the lightweight climbing frame and
set up the jig for the re-do, then set to work on the seatstays for the
kiddie-ride. Getting them mitered was a quick job, brazing them on only
slightly more time consuming. Letting that cool a bit before dropping it into
the flux bath, I moved over to mounting a new tire on my MTB rear wheel. It was
slightly wider than the one I took off, and chainstay clearance wasn’t all that
prevalent on this frame, so I fit it into the dropouts to make sure I had the
sliders positioned correctly. Bike upside-down to better access the adjuster
screws, I put the wheel in, and saw that it was rubbing on the left chainstay.
When I opened the quick release to pull the wheel out, I noticed
it – a little line along the bottom the drive-side stay about an inch from the dropout, where I’d
drilled a vent hole. Oh no…

This would be the first frame I’ve had fail, it did so in a
very non-catastrophic manner (good), and pointed out a detail which I’ve not
put into any other frames (the vent hole located on the bottom of the stay –
normally I put them through the dropout; also good). This would also be my
first structural frame modification/repair on one of my builds after it’s gone
into the wild. Fortunately I have a back-up bike to take to work for my
lunchtime rides.
Back to the other bike (may daughter’s bike), I decided to
throw the wheel and crank arms into the frame to check on the chain run and
coaster brake tab location. That meant making sure the bottom bracket shell was
tapped and faced, and since all the heat operations were done in that area, it
wasn’t a risk. I got the parts installed, and sighted the chain line… which
passed right through the seatstay I’d just
brazed in.
D’OH!
Four bikes now in-process.
I’ve got the kid bike to the finishing stage, the groader is
getting the hand-work treatment, and the climber is slowly getting closer to
getting brazed back together. I’ve stripped the MTB frame and it’s ready to
have the chainstays cut out, and I’ve got replacement tubes to put in their
place.
And on Saturday I do a day road-trip for a fitting on a MTB
for a new customer.
Then there will be five…
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