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I guess this’ll be my first proper production item that’s for sale from Shedfire. Distributed, as with the Ragley stuff, by the lovely chaps at Hotlines.
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Nukeproof Bar Final – shipping soon
shedfire
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Ragley Ti graphics layout
We like it better this way. Shades of Grant Peterson. Who is a hero of mine, though I’d never admit it sober.
And I’d still like to meet Pineapple Bob.
If you get even half the references in this post without the use of Google, then I’ll give you a free pack of beef jerky (when we work that deal out).shedfire
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Ragley cable guides
shedfire
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Ragley Blue Pig with the welds still hot
See and download the full gallery on posterous
Just in, first shots of our chromoly frame, with our factory burning the midnight oil. Off to SGS now for CEN testing. Gusset under downtube and externally butted top tube, with the transfer gusset taking some of the pressure off the downtube joint alone, reinforcing the headtube so it doesn’t bend – that’s the theory!
shedfire
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Ragley Blue Pig incoming
I should have my first (well 2nd actually) sample in a week and a bit. The first sample we saw in Taiwan I’d got a bit carried away with wall thicknesses.
Sample landing has:-
4130 double butted chromoly, including my coolest ever tubeset (externally butted top tube, get in!)
Same funky dropouts and chainstay plate thingy (that I still don’t have a name for).
Sample coming in a burnt orangey sort of colour.
Name is Ragley Blue Pig.
Price circa £250ish.
27.2mm post, 1.125in headset, 68mm BB shell, 135mm rear spacing, 29.8mm seatclamp.
Not sure whether it’s going to have bolt on cable guides or not yet. Perhaps not.
The Blue Pig is a downhill from Heptonstall to the Blue Pig Working Mens Club in Midgehole. Local favourite.
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/142539
More soon!
shedfire
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Cable guides, 3rd revision. Check.
For a brief time yesterday afternoon, all of the Ragley’s cables were going to go under the downtube. I asked Ed to come around and see what he thought, he slapped me, and I put ’em back like they were.
Then in a moment of “does it have to be like that”, I’ve revised it again, and now have all three control cables/hoses under the top tube, and then the disc brake hose routing under the seatstay to the chainstay mounted caliper. To work right, the brake caliper needs an adjustable banjo connector. It works perfectly about 80% of the brakes I checked out the other day and 100% of the ones I’d actually consider using.
Keeps the downtube and chainstays clear. We’ve got some lovely CNC’d cable guides coming, courtesy of Ginger Shen from the Yozu Metal Company.
Lynskey are on with water-jetting dropouts and other parts – a slight revision to the seatstay brace too (for their welders sanity) and we’re looking good for production.
Oh, and the steel and alloy samples should be in transit this time next week. We can’t wait!
shedfire
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So THAT’s what Glentress is about
Got a call from Illy from Hotlines at 8:30am telling me that he was on his way to Glentress for the Future Publishing Bike Demo day (Sunday), and he was going to pick up up in 2hrs. Bit of a shock to me and the family, but bag packed, apologies made, we were on the road for most of the day due to a scenic but slow route thanks to his Satnav being set in “pretty roads” mode we got there about three, in the wind and rain.
The Hub was rammed, the coffee was good, and as the crowds started to drift home, I bought a new waterproof coat from the Hub bikeshop, the clouds started to drift apart, and by 5pm, I was at the top of Spooky Woods and basically had the place to myself.
From looking at the map, I seem to have ridden:-
Pennels Vennel, Super G, Hit Squad Hill, Blue Velvet, Betty Blue, Ewok Village, Double X, The Bitch, Magic Mushroom.
It was interesting to see this place that so many people talk about. Favourite Trail I think was Hit Squad Hill, with the nice Black shortcut at that corner, I remember Double X and The Bitch being quite interesting too.
So – some riding on Saturday, a meal out with Future Publishing on Saturday night, Sunday woke clear and blue and sparkly, and I shared a breakfast table with Nico, who was over as he rides for Lapierre who Hotlines distribute as well (awesome bikes, oh, and he’s not bad either).
Got another ride in on the Sunday, riding much of the same again. It was good. I’d not go again recreationally but as this was “work”, it was OK
Oh, and I was pleased to find the Tweak Ragley which was designed for riding ultra-tech trails in Calderdale works great with the combination of “stuff it down there, ride it up there” style of riding you need for trailcentre work. I can do berms now (though the ones at Lee Quarry are better), I can do doubles (though the ones at Lee Quarry are better), but yeah, for sociable types, I can see what the attraction is. There’s a shitload of riding at Glentress, and I love the feeling of just railing into stuff, or hitting rock obstacles knowing that they’ve designed it so they won’t kill you. ps: has anyone done Spooky Woods “brakeless” – I think that’d be a fun thing to try.
shedfire
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Tweak Bikes goes live
Tweak Bikes is the name of the [brand] that I’ve been working on, and you’ve been watching for the last couple of months.We press-released it all this afternoon, and here’s the story on Bikeradar, and another on Singletrackworld.com.
I’m just relieved to get it all out in the open at last so we can crack on with what we’re meant to be doing, rather than doing things with smoke and mirrors. Cheers!
We’ve got a tweak website, but it’s not there yet – http://www.tweakbikes.com
shedfire
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Ragley Ti-re clearance + caliper position
I’ve put a lot of work into the chainstay area on the Ragley’s, and here’s a vid to show the clearance we’re getting. It’s the best I’ve seen of any titanium production frame.
Ovalising tubing is heavily frowned upon by Lynskey, apparently leading to failure in fatigue, unless you start with very soft tubing!shedfire
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Is that a scratch?
Ti frames offer interesting and different finishing options. In the past I’ve done frames in both brushed (shiny) and blasted (matt satin) finishes.
Satin is much cheaper than brushed. You blast the frame and it smooths the surface to one neutral finish. Brushing costs a lot more. Because a guy has to go all over the frame and get a consistent brushed polish all over it. Lynskey can do mirror polishing too. But it takes one guy about two days to do it. And it’d scratch up on a mountainbike.
I like industrial finishes. The Japanese call it Wabi-Sabi.I got into this wabi-sabi stuff particularly from following the creations of motorcycle designer Shinya Kimura. He does ace work. And loves bare, just-worked finishes. I love it too.
So I have been working with Lynskey on a new finish. I wanted frames straight off their welding tables. With all the marks still on them. They were unhappy about that. People often over-analyse Ti frames, and they weren’t happy about them going out super-raw.
We’ve reached a compromise on the finish, or rather lack of finish. Ragley frames will be “scrappy brushed” – just to remove welding debris – rather than brush polished or media blasted. Gives a totally individual raw industrial finish which will age wonderfully, polish as your knees rub it, be easy to buff big scratches out of (which you can’t do on a satin).We’ll have some ace stickers which are going to look punchy and poppy and cool against the raw finished Ti. And if you want to sit there for a while with a pan scourer and some furniture polish, you can do it to your hearts content.
Of course, if you’re one of those people who is going to go down the “I’ve paid all that money for a frame I want it to look beautiful”, you’ll be getting the idea that this isn’t the model for you.
shedfire
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