This weak (kidding) the computer issues were sorted (a new mouse that would scroll the zoom with the mouse wheel finished thing up nicely) and things are going great.
I shipped a whole van load of items while remembering a few I missed. (that 2.4 tire sheesh) .

I worked on some repairs and upgrades of OBB’s (other builders bikes) which is pretty fun. I really admire the Stowe, early IF and Steelman frames I recently worked on. Touching the thin small diameter tubes of those bikes took me back and got me thinking…

It’s interesting how things change over the years.

I remember going to Interbike (the old LA trade show, later Vegas) when mountain bikes first hit the scene. Many of the existing brands didn’t have mountain bikes and you could see how it effected them. Some of them made jokes. Many had lost their asses missing BMX or not recognizing it as legit and were set on not missing this trend.

Some had tried to build them with small road tubes and modified lugs, mixing in fillet brazing. TIG was around but it would be next year before it had swamped the market and “oversize” was upon us (though perhaps not the tag) as were more new brands and concepts. Tons of cranks and brakes. BAM then aluminum struck. There were a lot of sore cookies out there. I felt that way, not stoked when import bikes took the lions share of the market. Some changes, I choose not to embrace and continued as I was.

When composite construction began, I found it interesting and supported it. From that point until now, I haven’t really seen a place for myself in the big picture. Much of what I do is for dirt racing and the 10lbs+ production DH frames were pretty pointless for me but things have rapidly changed in the past couple of years. I can’t see myself making one-piece injection molded frames but “tube-to-tube” construction is working quite well and I have the ability to mitre shaped tubes (CNC mill). to go far beyond the usual limitations that face the glue crowd. Consider the fact that I can shape aluminum tubes to use as prototype molds for composite tube construction.

I guess the next thing on the horizon really needs to be an oven. The glue I have used in the past didn’t require any heat but who knows what is going on these days? If I could go 700F, I could do a full anneal process on most aluminum alloys. The next step up would be stainless or inconel lined for solution at 1000 degrees.

This would be sort of a “holy grail” oven with my space and electricity in mind.

http://www.whkay.com/batch-ovens-box-tempering-furnaces/item-20347/

Here is something to look at