Cleaning up a lug shoreline on the latest bike. #bicyclebuilding #chapmancycles
The hacksaw is one of the essential framebuilding tools….for me. Slotting the quill stem clamp for the bike in progress. #h#hacksawq#quillstemb#bicyclebuildingchapmancycles
A day early for #weirdbrakewednesday. A few months ago, I made an oddball Cannondale Force 40 style brakeset for my bike that worked amazingly well (I was surprised too). I’m happy to report that it wasn’t a fluke. A few small improvements over the last set include some extra lower headset cup clearance and a wider quick release opening. Test fit is complete and I can now bring the rack, brakes, and stem to the plater. Feels good to be back in the shop after a week away! #cantileverbrakes #savetherimbrake #bellcrank #chapmancycles
Close up silver brazing of a water bottle boss. #silverbrazing #bicyclebuilding #chapmancycles
Adding a cable stop to the chainstay of a 1972 Motobecane Le Champion 650b conversion side project. Because you can’t have too many projects going at the same time, right? Haha! EDIT: I scrubbed the flux for about a minute with water and a wire brush (this is a Reel so it’s edited down). That is all. I keep getting messages asking about flux removal! #silverbrazing #chapmancycles
Filling in the binder, adding a cable hanger, and just cleaning up the seat cluster on this 1972 Motobecane 650b conversion. Just about ready to paint this one! #motobecane #reynolds531
Removing the bandages. The head tube was painted white and then mast with a combination of liquid frisket and painters tape. Now it's ready for clearcoat! #bicyclepainting #chapmancycles
Finishing the lining on this Nervex fork crown with the Fluid Writer on one of the bikes in progress. #nervex #1shotpaint #lining #bicyclepainting #chapmancycles
I wouldn’t say it’s a constant barrage of interruptions but there can be a lot starting/stopping of activities in the shop. Lining is done and now I’m waiting on the plater who has the front rack. I’ll hang this one on a hook for now and get back to carving lugs! #pinstriping #motobecane #chapmancycles
Lug lining is done with the fluid rider and a steady hand! Well, sometimes a steady hand. #bicyclepainting #luglining #chapmancycles
Carving a Pacenti Artisan lower head lug for the bike in progress using a cutoff wheel, rotary files (burrs), Dynafile, files (round, half-round, barrette, flat, knife edge), and 120 grit sanding strips. But clearly the most important tool in this video is the Sharpie™ and I have yet to master it. ##sharpie##lugcarving##lug##lugsnotdrugs##pacenti##bicyclebuilding#chapmancycles
Slotting and brazing in some Campagnolo track fork dropouts. This one will end up in a show in Brooklyn in October if all goes as planned. Got to stay on schedule!#brazing #bicyclebuilding #campagnolo #dropouts #chapmancycles
I love these Bitex hubs and I love them even more when I get to do a little customization on them. I removed the anodizing and added two small grooves on the lathe. And now I’m adding some gold lining to match what will be elsewhere on the bike. Can’t wait to show this one off! Also, that tool is a Kemper fluid writer. #bitexhubs #polishedaluminum #bicyclehub #chapmancycles
Prepping for assembly today! Lots of tapping and removing of paint off of stainless areas. I don’t polish these stainless areas as they get covered by other things but I do try to make them look nice. #bicyclepainting #tapping #radiozumbido #chapmancycles
The paint is down, gold detailing is done, wheels are built, and it’s time to assemble! Painting isn’t my favorite part of the process because small mistakes will always pop up out of nowhere. But when the clear goes down smooth and needs minimal polishing (like this one), it’s a great day in the booth. #bicyclepainting #luglining #chapmancycles
Getting chain clearance on the drive side chain stay for the Potenza drivetrain on the last bike. Came across these videos on an SD card and thought I’d share them on a Monday morning. #bicyclebuilding #barkingdog #metalworking #chapmancycles
Nickel plating these Campagnolo track drop outs with the do-it-yourself Caswell Plug n’ Plate kit. I have to relearn this process every time I do it, which is about once a year at most. I always forget that you have to heat the substrate before brushing on the nickel! I do not strive for perfection in the dropouts before doing this. There will be file marks under the plating that the rubberized Cratex abrasive can’t remove. And that’s OK! #evidenceofprocess #brushplating #nickelplated #chapmancycles
Cleaning up the paint edges on this twin plate crown. Fingers crossed this one gets finished tomorrow! #bicyclepainting #scalpel #twinplateforkcrown #chapmancycles
It seems as though my account is just dedicated to weird hand made brakes as of late. I think this might be the only set of mini V-brakes that I make (it was a lot of work). They work incredibly well with the 622mm disc. Haha. I think they’re a bit overkill for a single speed like this but I like them nonetheless! Thanks to everyone who came out on Saturday to see this bike in person in Brooklyn! And thanks to @atwbuilds and all the other builders and helpers for making it happen! See you at the @phillybikeexpo on the 29th and 30th! #weirdbrakewednesday #onamonday #vbrakes #filletbrazed #nickelplated #savetherimbrake #chapmancycles
I used a set of long out of production Nervex Professional lugs on the most recent build. Right out of the drawer they are pretty rough. Unlike most modern castings, they need every edge filed and shaped. It takes about an hour or two (more or less) to get a full set of lugs into a presentable form before starting the build. #nervexpro #nervex #lug #lugsnotdrugs #bicyclebuilding #chapmancycles
