Smile with me: 3lb steel frame, 2lb steel fork.





The frame, fork and front cable hanger were made by me, here in Chicago, IL.
- Campy Record 10sp shifters and derailleurs
- Loaded Precision stem, headset, and seatpost (all from their x-lite series)
- Boat anchor Vento G3 wheels that will hopefully be replaced sometime this season
- Kenda Happy Medium tires
- Ritchey WCS Curve bars
- Spooky brakes w/ kool stop pads and holders
- White Industries VBC cranks (46/38)

No idea on current weight, but it's certainly no feather.

With regard to the weight: who cares? Great work!

Do you have a blog with the build process documented? Can you tell us about the tubing etc, did you bend the SS yourself?

THIS IS AWESOME.

I agree, who cares about weight, but with that said, I would surmise the weight is still acceptable at about 19 lbs, give or take (no?)

The ride, just from the pictures, is sure to be sublime. Very nice, durable and classy build package.

Very jealous...

Thanks for the kind words! I haven't had a chance to really put it through its paces yet, but sprinting around the park next to my apartment was pretty fun.

On the frame...

The front triangle is made from True Temper S3 tubing joined with a low-silver-bearing filler alloy called Fillet Pro which is about 3x stronger than brass and melts at a much lower temperature so it is less likely to distort thin tubing like S3. The seatstays are upside down columbus life stays that i bent on a wooden mandrel, and the chainstays are thin, straight gauge 4130 that I formed by hand with a bench vise and some carved out wooden blocks. The dropouts are hooded paragon machineworks with a replaceable hanger.

The fork is also True Temper tubing - their KIT-FB-7 blades, and light(er) weight ox platinum steerer tube.

You can see some build pics on my flickr page here.

Thanks again!

I also ride a steel frame/fork on my cross. Weight has not been an issue for me but I'm not racing at a high level. It serves me great however and I spend a fair amount of time riding mountain bike trails were IMO the weight helps a bit going over the rough stuff. I just put a Campy cross crank on my bike and the gearing is oh so much better. Hope you enjoy your bike for years to come. Looks like a sweet ride. Thanks for posting

_________________
WW Velocipedist Gargantuan

Very nice! My carbon blue ex cx frame isn't even 3lbs.!

_________________
Britton
volkerbicycles.com

Sweet.

Nice. So you built it?

_________________
Cervelo R3, Campagnolo Chorus/Record mix... pastatrails.blogspot.com
And you can call me Macktastik Honey Pete Kicks, thank you.

that is stunningly gorgeous. really impressed. it all fits so well. really love the crank, looks like a hollogram, nice and sharp lines on it.

one thought, the brake hanger is a bit big - presumably to reduce flex, but since the fork is rather custom, what are your thoughts about a nice hanger on the fork instead?

Sexy!

_________________
Exp001

Do you make frames for sale?

_________________
WW Velocipedist Gargantuan

http://humbleframeworks.cc/ ?

_________________
Exp001

Sorry for the slow response - I haven't checked the forum in a few days, but thanks greatly for the kind words.

I did indeed make the frame and fork; I'm a builder located in chicago, illinois. I build fillet brazed and lugged steel frames, many (most?) of which are cyclocross bikes.

The hanger is a bit of a test run... I wanted to try making a really solid, long-drop hanger to see if it would help with chatter. I threw that one together pretty quickly out of a bit of 1/8" steel flat bar, a hacksaw, and a bench grinder. I made a couple different sizes for some friends to try out the thought being that if it worked well I would have a small batch made out of aluminum and try to sell them to my cx-loving brethren. I could've drilled it out a bit, but admittedly it was a bit of a rush job. More than a few folks have asked about mounting a hanger to the steel fork, and I may well give it a shot - the larger issue is trying to make it look pretty.

Frans - thanks for the props on the cranks. They're white industries VBC road cranks and I really like them. Currently geared 46/38, but I think I might try swapping out the 46 for a 44 or even a 42.

humbleframeworks.cc is my website, but there's really nothing there aside from a link to flickr and a tumblr that i don't update anymore. You can find me on facebook, and also via the emails at humbleframeworks at gmail - thanks again!

Fabulous and love the colour.

Steel seems to be enjoying a renaissance on WW.

Can you produce that front brake cable hanger for a 1" steerer if I ask nicely?
If yes, please PM me.