atmopocalypse now atmo -

[e-RICHIE]

The other day I tackled a wreck that needed attention and here are some images atmo. The frame was made in late 1993 and was one of the last non OS units I produced with any regularity. Do when it came time to fix this, I needed to dip into my stash of EO lugs and old dimension pipes. Yuck, kinda'. Anyway, it has been a looong time since I handled anything as small as these parts, my anatomy notwithstanding.

The client requested a shorter cockpit reach for the repair and I thought I could use the original top tube, cut back the wrinkled area, and resume assembly. The bow in the pipe fought me and I further dissected the mofo until the service tag included a new front end. I used 2cm less in length, and also slanted the front of the bicycle up, all in order to accommodate the client's current lack of flexibility.

Notes: 1) I would never build a frame without adding the braze-ons to the pipes before they are assembled into a triangle. For reasons I cannot explain, I'm agnostic about these things when it comes to repairs. The cable guides etc will be added today. 2) I will make a new fork for this later this summer. 3) The mother lode of images I shot are in this Flickr set, so go mental atmo.

[cement shoes]

Richard,

Thanks for posting these. couple questions...

1. It looks like you cut the stub of the dt in the bb socket so it can be removed in two halves. Is that correct? Or, was that removed cold (via grinding)?
2. I see the tt has been removed from the seat lug with heat. How do you prep the lug/st for brazing? Do you brass braze the new tt in place or just clean as best you can and let 'er rip?

Flickr is blocked from my work so I'll check there later.

Thanks,
Tom

[e-RICHIE]

I slice the down tube remains with a rat tail file, use an oxidizing flame to quickly and thoroughly burn/melt through the wall of the tube in the two areas, and then remove the pipe one section at a time. There's a pic in the set showing the offcuts.

The sequences showing the cleaned up seat lug were not shot (my mistake...). All I do is take a Grobet 4" half-round needle file and scrape away all the silver alloy residue until the new pipe, mitered, fits in for the repair. I use 56 percent Ag filler for this.

Richard,

Thanks for posting these. couple questions...

1. It looks like you cut the stub of the dt in the bb socket so it can be removed in two halves. Is that correct? Or, was that removed cold (via grinding)?
2. I see the tt has been removed from the seat lug with heat. How do you prep the lug/st for brazing? Do you brass braze the new tt in place or just clean as best you can and let 'er rip?

Flickr is blocked from my work so I'll check there later.

Thanks,
Tom

[Alistair]

Hey Richard,

fantastic picture set. Thanks for taking the time to document this repair.

Alistair.

[cement shoes]

Hi Richard,

Thanks for the information regarding the seat lug. That's pretty much what I had envisioned.

-Tom

[Craig Ryan]

Excellent addition to your flickr site. Thanks for posting. Expands the curriculum.

[devlin]

Man, I learned so much just looking at these pictures. Thanks for sharing.

[Eric Estlund]

Looks good, Richard-

For other folks working on repairs it's a good idea to try to pull off some paint before adding fire. Something as simple as a wire wheel can get you most of the way there.

[Luke]

Man, I learned so much just looking at these pictures. Thanks for sharing.

I agree... ;)

[zetroc]

richard - thanks for posting these photos.

when you're repairing an older frame like this, do you find yourself consciously trying to stick to the older construction style, or do you worry about it at all? do clients make requests like that or do they just let you repair it the way you want to? (i.e. replacing a broken slotted dropout with a piccoli gioielli)

[veryredbike]

Ha, I just got a pin kit and was wondering where folks pinned their head tube lugs. Good timing!

[jamaris]

Thanks for sharing as already mentioned. And how long does that oxidizing flame last for?

[e-RICHIE]

richard - thanks for posting these photos.

when you're repairing an older frame like this, do you find yourself consciously trying to stick to the older construction style, or do you worry about it at all? do clients make requests like that or do they just let you repair it the way you want to? (i.e. replacing a broken slotted dropout with a piccoli gioielli)

Yes - you are (I am...) confined a bit because the frame is already built, and the repair has to match what's there, synergy and all that shit being important atmo. I don't allow new logos on old frames, old logos on new frames, or anything in between. When I fix a bicycle, I do what I can to return it to its original state. Updating it with more contemporary braze-ons, a threadless (in lieu of threaded) fork, and even spreading the rear triangle are not options. And PS the new dropouts woldn't fit in the same real estate as the forged ones that are there now. Thanks.

[e-RICHIE]

Thanks for sharing as already mentioned. And how long does that oxidizing flame last for?

I am not sure what sequence you mean - but when I remove tubes/lugs, I show no mercy and have the flame well past the capacity of its orifice. The goal is to heat large and fast, and always direct the flame on parts that will not be reused. The heat will travel from the wasted area to the zone you want to disassemble and - voila - shit soon just be slippin' apart atmo.

[zetroc]

Yes - you are (I am...) confined a bit because the frame is already built, and the repair has to match what's there, synergy and all that shit being important atmo. I don't allow new logos on old frames, old logos on new frames, or anything in between. When I fix a bicycle, I do what I can to return it to its original state. Updating it with more contemporary braze-ons, a threadless (in lieu of threaded) fork, and even spreading the rear triangle are not options. And PS the new dropouts woldn't fit in the same real estate as the forged ones that are there now. Thanks.

I suppose a builder facing such a repair could say something like "you can't make a 2012 frame out of a 1992 frame" or "if you want a 2012 frame, you can buy one, but your 1992 frame will still be a 1992 frame."

thanks.

[e-RICHIE]

I suppose a builder facing such a repair could say something like "you can't make a 2012 frame out of a 1992 frame" or "if you want a 2012 frame, you can buy one, but your 1992 frame will still be a 1992 frame."

thanks.

I am lucky atmo. Folks that call in here know that their 1992 frame will always be a 1992 frame no matter what happens to it.

[ThomD]

When you say you don't want to spread the dropouts, is that:

1) because a '92 is always a '92

2) because a custom bike should never have a klugee alteration.

3) because no rear end should ever be bent, or should only be bent X mm.

Just curious what people think. Personally I'm a big proponent of 2, and think there probably is some relatively harmless degree to which non-customs can be bent since if done with skill they could end up better than they came from the factory, though I don't know how much is prudent, and have never done it.

[e-RICHIE]

It's because...

Just because you can bend metal doesn't mean you should atmo. My vision never included taking frames from the previous eras and updating them (using force, leverage, pulleys, or fulcrums) owing to the fact that the industry has changed its specs, the O.L.D. in this case. The frame and material have feelings too. Bending them to allow wider hubs, while possible and though often done with skill, is taboo here. I do it, but at gunpoint, and for the money. I am more an advocate for the frame than for the owner or his new components.

When you say you don't want to spread the dropouts, is that:

1) because a '92 is always a '92

2) because a custom bike should never have a klugee alteration.

3) because no rear end should ever be bent, or should only be bent X mm.

Just curious what people think. Personally I'm a big proponent of 2, and think there probably is some relatively harmless degree to which non-customs can be bent since if done with skill they could end up better than they came from the factory, though I don't know how much is prudent, and have never done it.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Thanks for this post. I spent about 2 hours studing the photo documentary yesterday. I've never seen this process before and found it very interesting!!! Awesome.

[rgordin]

Hello. My first post here . . . and a happy one. I am the owner of the bike featured in this thread. I had waited almost 10 years before "biting the bullet" and ordering a bike from Richard (in those days, the wait itself was more like 2 years). I picked up the bike in early 1995 and have loved riding it since. As you can see from the first set of photos, the bike was still in excellent condition until the collision . Although I had a separated AC joint (shoulder) and a fractured vertebrae in my neck, I was mostly concerned about the bike, something I am sure most of you appreciate. So here are photos of the finished project that Richard showed in the first post. The repair is seamless. From front to back, the bike looks new, giving no indication of where Richard joined new tubes or where old tubes were freshly painted by the amazing Joe Bell.

Many thanks to Richard for his superb craftsmanship and getting me back on the road for this Spring.

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