Just a hello (and an intro, and I'm sorry it's so long!)

First off, I'm gonna do this right and include my name!

Chris Gerber here, out of Seattle, WA.

I just wanted to say hello, and let you all know that it's been so awesome to watch, follow along, learn, and study, via y'alls posts, some of what can be done in the framebuilding world. I can't tell you how many hours I've spent drooling over the pics seen in some NAHBS catalog from years gone by. I've been lurking here, as well as on MTBR forums, Reddit, Facebook, bikewebsite, and countless others for quite some time, and it never gets old. I'm getting close to almost 30 years of loving bikes, and actual framebuilding (metal, that is) is the only aspect of biking I've yet to undertake. It all started with XC riding, from WI to WA. I've raced collegiate and state series, solo'd some 24hr XC events, did layup/build of TREK carbon frames at Waterloo, race directed and organized, wrenched, and after a number of years of wanting to do so, I figured it's about damn time I actually built myself a frame. The last couple months, I've been acquiring steel frames/bikes, and chopping them up into short sections for mitering practice. No mill or hole saw here, just a grinder, handsaws, and files. I'm a jeweler/metalsmith by trade, have a background in foundrywork and welding, and grew up around a machine-shop and watchmakers studio, so generally speaking, I can handle tools fairly well. I even dated a gal in college (also a jeweler/metalsmith) who quickly transitioned to a brazing gig at Waterford Precision Cycles in Waterford, WI, her hometown. I thought this would all make it come together is such a seamless fashion, but boy-oh, have I been humbled!

I silver and gold solder (yes, I know, it's actually brazing) day in and day out at work, but this is such a different ballgame. And I love it! Measuring my miters and watching angles get totally screwed up depending on the pattern of where/when I tack, weld, or braze different areas is so informative. And the notion of having a few select pieces of dedicated tooling to help do the job right? Yeah, that makes sense after jerry-rigging clamps, balancing tubes this way and that to have them stay together during tacking, eye balling this and that, and just making stuff up as I go! Through other things I've done in my life, I know it suck having to "unlearn" bad habits, but right now, I'm really just exploring some of the landscape that makes up the process of building a frame.

I do have an end goal, with all of this. A rather specific one, actually. I want to build a 29er for some epic bikepacking trips I want to do. Able to run 27.5+ or 29, on a shortish travel fork, and not be "too" stable (loaded bikepacking) to be difficult/boring in technical areas (singletrack/XC). I'm in the early throes of reading/learning about what goemetric differences will need to be balanced to give the feel I want. I also don't expect my first frame to give me the dreamy feel that I want, I kinda imagine it's gonna take a few iterations to get things dialed.

Anyhoo, I just wanted to say hey, and tell you all what an inspiration y'all have been for me lately. The whole COVID19 thing has no doubt thrown a lot of people for a loop, and for me (unfortunately? fortunately?), that means I have a lot more time on my hands to tinker in my shop. So as a parting shot, I'll leave you with the monstrosity I decided I wanted to practice on instead of short tubes. Scrap tubes, only cleaned the paint from right near the miters, trying a variety of paste fluxes I already had as well as some blue powdered crap I had kicking around (made it into slurry/paste.) 1/16" LFB (god, I wish I had some 1/8"). Largely eyeballed with some mitering profile templates I made. Whipped out some 26" DJ geometry to tinker with, but I completely expect to get it fully assembled, and then cut the joints off (and slice them open to assess penetration) and toss the remaining tubes in the scrap/practice bin again. Just playing around, really.

There you go! Back to reading through this forum!

Chris Gerber, again. Full name :)

Attachment 115147

Welcome Chris. I'll add your full name to your signature and save you the trouble of weeding through our system

Dig your backstory.

-J

Chris - Cool! I always like seeing what people who braze for a living (in other industries) do with bikes. (Be careful with how far you go down this rabbit hole, though... Reading through this forum's archives on the regular can fuel serious obsessions.)

-Chris

Thanks Josh for the welcome and the sig add, I didn't even think of that.

And thanks other Chris! I'll be curious to see what it's like too! The gal I knew who moved over to framebuilding at Waterford picked it like it was old hat, and I've enjoyed what people people approach their frame projects in a SIMILAR way that I would a jewelry or sculptural piece. It's all art, I guess, though I would be more inclined to refer to it as craft. That said, I dig the giraffe rig you built for your little gal!

-Chris

Welcome Chris. I think you will fit in around here really well. I have to say Mr. Gerber, nice screen name.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by babyfood1217

Chris Gerber here, out of Seattle, WA.

---

Welcome Chris. There are a few Seattle folks here!