I got pumped up on the idea of building an aluminum frame with smaller diameter tubes than I usually use. This is not “available” material (it could be and it was once) and it’s not really all that thin compared to more current profiles.
I haven’t ridden an aluminum road frame for quite a while and I wanted to try a carbon fork again (after riding a steel fork) to see if I could tell a difference.

I rode a carbon fork for a few weeks, ‘been on steel for 2000 miles so perhaps a change is in order.

I also wanted to try “washing” or “wiping” the welds. If you are not familiar with this term, it means to go over the welds simply to smooth them out. The action is a bit like brazing except the positioning of the torch may be more critical. I can’t say this for fact as I have a way to go with brazing skills. With TIG and aluminum, you can’t raise the torch off the surface as one might (and must) do with brazing.
The idea here is more to “soften” or push the ripples around until the weld is smooth.

Aluminum tubing being the same color as the filler material is very challenging to shape without undercutting the tube. I was very careful.

Anyway, here are some photos. I thought of a name for this frame a couple of weeks ago but didn’t write it down. Hopefully it will come back to me at some point.

Here are the basic numbers for this frame.
HA/73.5
SA 72.5
TT 580
CS 410 (or 406 may be) and the BB is a bit higher than usual. I am sure Dante’s dilemma will see the pics and get us though this before I get back to the shop to read the drawings. I did this because I am going to widen my Q factor a bit. I am pronating like crazy.

The head tube is the IS type that you just drop the bearings in. It saves a ton of weight and works with the overall look of the bike.

The only thing to decide is the color. Right now, Day-glow blue is interesting to me.

I went for a nice ride today.. it was still cold..