The Radavist

This is one of my favorite frames to come out of the Signal Cycles shop in recent months and it’s now for sale. Check out the details here.

Photo by Andy White

It’s not everyday that you see a Richard Sachs coated in another color besides his signature red. But then again, it’s not everyday a 1970’s Richard Sachs pista shows up in the hands of Andy at Fyxomatosis. That’s a nice piece of America you’ve got there, mate. See more photos and a great post here.

Photo by Nao Tomii

Can you Clear Coat Raw Metal?

“Ooooh. Wowwww. So pretty! Can’t we just put a clear coat on it?”

This is what came out of Lauren’s mouth when I showed her photos of her Icarus Porteur. What came next was a very simple conversation that many frame builders have with their clients on why this isn’t a good idea. We’ll use this photo from Tomii Cycles as an example, only because it’s the most recent, clean fillet photo I’ve seen on my Flickr feed.

Why it’s a Bad Choice

I’ve heard just about every frame builder complain about the double-edged sword that is fine fillet brazing. With social media becoming a powerful tool for builders, they expose a precious part of their process: bare fillets. If you’re a master at finishing, you take pride in your pinhole-free, smooth fillets. They’re evidence of a lot of precise work and while they look great raw, they need to be painted.

Why? Oxidation. Rust destroys steel and the only thing that keeps it from forming is a primer. If you simply clear-coated or clear powdered a frame, it would rust. Even in a matter of weeks it would be present. For the longevity of a steel frame’s lifespan, it needs to be properly primed and painted. Don’t forget to Frame Saver, either!

In order to protect your bike frame, you must use a primer. This allows the paint to adhere correctly and protects the raw steel from oxidation. Without primer, the frame will eventually rust under the paint. Or in this case, under the clear coat.

Why Clear Coat in the First Place?

“But what about those fillets? You can’t cover them up!” Well, good fillets and good paint go hand in hand. You can cover bad fillets with good paint but they’ll look like shit. If your fillets aren’t smooth, or show the profile of mis-mitered tubes, paint will not cover that up. You don’t see the bad fillets being macro photographed now, do you?

A good builder doesn’t need to use filler and painters love them for it. It makes their job easier and the paintwork shows. Simply rub your finger over a fine fillet braze to feel the difference. Or watch the light reflect off the paint as it coats the shorelines. The best thing for an immaculately-finished fillet frame is a great coat of paint.

While Lauren was initially a bit bummed that her pretty, raw frame would be covered with paint, after explaining this, she understood. Especially after I showed her examples of exceptional paint covering exceptional fillets. So as a public service announcement for your builder, don’t even bother bringing this up! I’m sure they’d rather save their energy to discuss paint options with you.

Even though I have two awesome road bikes, part of me still misses riding my MX-Leader. Sure, they aren’t the lightest of bikes but they ride like none other. Even after parting with mine, I based both of my custom road bikes on its geometry. But this one’s got a history behind it. I rode this bike while I was in Australia last year and loved it. So when I saw Andy was parting with it, I got all pensive and contemplated buying it for a second.

This is one beautiful example of a non-team issue paint job on a stunning MX-Leader and FYXO is selling it now. If you ride a 58cm and have been looking for one, look no further. Check out his eBay auction here.

Pedal Consumpion and Leader‘s collaboration frame, the Kagero, is now in stock. Pick up either 2013 color at your local bike shop, or at the PC Shop.

It’s almost spring, well, sorta. Look at it this way. You’re a month closer to warm weather and sunshine than you were this time last month. What I’m trying to say is, the season of touring bikes, fat road and campeurs is almost upon us. The latest from Tomii smells of spring and summer good times. Check out more at the Tomii Flickr.

Great paint makes beautiful frames absolutely stunning but I guess that hand carved head tube lug doesn’t hurt either. Matt’s CX frame is one of the nicest Bishops in recent months. Aside from the details, I like that he’s doing a steel and a carbon fork. Check out the full set here.

All-City’s first aluminum frame, the Thunderdome is now in stock. These true-track geometry race machines can be ordered through your local shop, starting today. Head over to All-City for more photos and specs.

People go absolutely nutty for these Ti GT track frames and it’s easy to see why. The Buy it Now is around $2,000 USD (frameset), which isn’t a steal but that is one rad frame.

Spring is coming, so a lot of people are planning their tours for 2013. If you’re the right fit, this blue Signal is one Beautiful Bicycle. Head over to the Signal Flickr for more details and pricing.

These oversized tubed, fillet brazed, steel track machines have caught my eye. Antti Konga builds these bikes in Finland, which explains the name, Rata, which means “track” in Finnish. Antti doesn’t have a website yet, so check out more photos of the KONGA Rata track bike here. Really loving that set!

This is about as balleur as a single speed cross bike gets. The new Ritte Racing team rider Ben Jacques-Maynes is tearing apart SoCal’s cross races on this beast. Equipped with the 2012 TRP Parabox Hydraulic disk brakes, it’s good to go.

Ritte, we wanna see more ASAP! Maybe I’ll track down Ben at the SSCXWC in LA next week to shoot some photos.

Photo by Kyle Kelley

The Brooklyn Machine Works Gangsta track was one of the first cross over track bikes that really could adapted for just about any terrain. I remember a few messengers in NYC racing cross on these bikes at Staten Island a few years back. One of those messengers was Austin Horse. Well, he’s still on it. In fact, he raced the Westside Invite in LA a few weeks back before heading over to Japan to race cross and another Red Bull event.

Before Austin embarked for Japan, Kyle at Tracko took some nice photos of this unique machine. Check out more photos here.

Finding American-made components and frames is easier than you think. Check out what Cult’s current US-made offerings are.

Chris has been so busy building that he hasn’t had time to photograph any of his new bikes. That said, this one is far from new but it’s still classic Bishop. Kyle at Tracko shot a great set of photos after this Gilco tubing SSCX bike left Golden Saddle Cyclery for a facelift. See more photos here.

This has got to be the sickest modern production track bike I’ve ever seen. A mix of fillet brazed Columbus MAX and Zona really hammers home the meaning behind “ono”, or a tool for cutting through your obstacles in Japanese. See more photos of the Tokyo Fixed Ono here and pick one up here. This will probably be your only chance to own a Death Spray Custom designed paint job!

The first aluminum bike in the All City catalog is their new Thunderdome track frame. These race-ready machines are pre-booking now at your LBS for $650 frame and carbon fork. Get on it! Check out more specs here at All City.