December 14th, 2010 scottk
We just finished building a pair of fantastic S&S coupling equipped Titanium road bikes.
Phil’s bike makes use his Campagnolo parts off of an existing True North road bike; Campy components tend to last a while! He added an Alpha Q stem and seatpost as well as a matching silver Salsa seat collar and Chris King Headset. The couplers will allow Phil to travel quickly and without those pesky airline bike charges.
Susan’s bike turned out just as nice.
Susan’s bike is built up with a Campagnolo Comp Triple Group, an Alpha Q Seatpost, and a matching black Salsa seat collar and Chris King headset. A beautiful and travel-savvy bike that will last a lifetime.
If you liked these two Ti coupling bikes, then stay tuned, more S&S Titanium bikes are on their way!
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December 7th, 2010 scottk
After a month or so of it slowly getting colder, it looks as if winter is finally here to stay in Guelph. The first snowy pictures of the year are always a treat as I have to remember how to operate our camera with my mitts on.
After waiting for a few final pieces to arrive, we were able to get Kane’s 29er Singlespeed all together. This bike has all the bell’s and whistles; Hope hubs laced to Stans Arch Rims, an XTR crank, Fox 29er Fork with Thru-Axle, Eriksen Sweet Post and of course, a Brooks Swift Saddle. The Gold and Black colour scheme turned out amazing.
Hugh finished up work on two very nice TI road bikes this week and Sean is busy doing all of the final finishing work so I thought I might leave you with a few sneak photos. I should have them assembled and featured in next weeks post.
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November 23rd, 2010 scottk
It’s not every day you receive an email inquiring if you would like a 3 Foot by 5 foot by 7 inch thick granite surface plate, however that’s just what happened to us the other day. Our friend Andrew is getting into framebuilding and found out that the Toyota plant near our shop needed to rid itself of some excess inventory and this 1400lbs slab of granite needed a new home. It was a bit too big for Andrew’s space but he thought we might be able to use it. Not only will this surface plate allow us to accurately check the alignment of even the biggest road frame, it will also allow us to check alignment on tandem frames with the greatest of ease. To give you an idea of scale, pictured below are a 62cm road bike and an older Mariposa tandem. The surface plate has tapped holes which allow us to mount the bb post easily and Hugh is already planning out the dimensions of the stand he will have to build to hold the plate. We’re sending our old surface plate Andrew’s way; it should make for a nice addition to his growing collection of framebuilding tools. I’ve included a picture of a mountain bike he made himself.
Contrasting the sheer size and weight of the surface plate is Star’s new road bike. Hugh crafted this frame out of Columbus Ultra-Foco tubing which makes for a nice light bike. Star opted to build it up with a mostly 105 build and some nice touches like matching pink Chris King headset and Octto Bar tape. This bike is equipped with long-reach brakes allowing Star to run larger tires or fenders if she desires.
Mike’s road bike is another light bike built with True Temper S3 tubing. He chose to build it up with a SRAM Rival group and some really nice handbuilt wheels featuring Chris King Hubs and Mavic Open Pro rims.
As it is getting towards the end of the year, we start to hear back from all the people that we made bikes for earlier in the spring and summer. We received this really nice note from Terry along with a picture.
“This weekend I completed my goal of riding 1000km over the 2010 riding season. This may not be impressive for some, but when I started riding in May this year, out of shape and a scant 6 months before my 40th birthday this seemed like a lofty goal. But with a level of commitment, and having a really reliable, comfortable, indestructible bike, it became an easy goal to achieve. “Woodworm” is the bike Hugh built for me (and named). I consider it more of an heirloom than a piece of equipment. When drive trains, and wheelsets wear out they will be replaced. The frame will be repainted when too scratched, but the bike will be with me for a long long time. Thanks Hugh and True North.”
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November 17th, 2010 scottk
We’re chugging along steadily here at True North, turning out several bikes a week. I just finished assembling Eva’s Hunter Green S and S coupler equipped flat-bar road bike. This bike features long reach road brakes, handbuilt wheels with Ultegra hubs and Ambrosio rims, a Brooks B17S perched upon a Eriksen Ti Sweetpost and a 105 30 speed drivetrain. A beautiful bike that will travel easily, whether through an airport or down the road.
Kane’s singlespeed 29er mtb is beginning to take shape.
I thought I might include a few photos from September. It was quite the busy month and we didn’t get to update the website. Here is Russel with his new Campy equipped road bike.
Handbuilt wheels, Campy shifting, a Brooks saddle. All the finer things in life.
Rob’s singlespeed 29er turned out stunning.
Mike’s singlespeed cross frame and fork ended up looking great. Lots of tire clearance for fun in the mud. Hopefully Mike will send us some photos when it’s all built up.
We built this road bike for Gary in California. Noah at Velocolour handled the paint duties on this one. It features a carbon rear end and full Sram Red. We think it turned out amazing.
Remember to check out our Framebuilder’s Garage Sale page. I just recently put up a really nice long reach brake equipped singlespeed road bike.
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