The Rider Cooperative
Alchemy Bicycles Part 2 of 2
(Source: bicycleimpressions, via pureclimber)
Mason Oneal’s NACCCs trophy
Fresh out of finishing and in it’s new owner’s hands. Like a yellow jersey, only you can ride it….
Detailed shots:
There you have it. Pretty much the best trophy idea ever.
Building NACCCs champ Mason’s Bike
Building Mason Oneal’s NACCCs trophy frame part 3
After hashing out geometry and the details of the single speed configuration (cantilever brakes and sliders with a future disc option) we started cutting and welding the frame together. Below, we see Wes preparing to weld the rear end of the frame.
Once welded, finishing work begins. Given its ‘stainless’ properties, it doesn’t make a ton of sense to paint stainless frames. In this case, we buffed out the weld scars and etched logos into the frame. Etching involves using a media blaster to make an image in the polished steel surface. To do this you have to be careful to protect the polished areas of the frame from any errant media that ricochets within the blast chamber. Any loose particles flying around will leave a mark. To protect the frame, we mask the logo area and then cover the frame with tape to protect the polish.
Below, we see Matt masking and blasting the frame.
You’ll see what emerges in the next post…
2011 NACCCs winner Mason Oneal
NACCCs trophies part 2
Being from Austin, Mason made it up to our shop likity split to begin the ordering and process for his frame. Mason is a pretty seasoned rider so he had a clear idea of the frame he wanted. Mason was going for a single speed cyclocross bike with a geometry based roughly on his geared Bianchi Cross Concept. To update the design a bit, he opted to upgrade to an oversize head tube to accommodate a tapered cross fork. Mason came into the shop to have us measure him and his current bike up. We also put him up on our Retul fitting system to see if there were any glaring ergonomic issues with his current fit. Again, Mason is a seasoned rider so there weren’t any big changes that needed to be done in terms of fit.
Once we had Mason’s fit numbers, it was time to draw a bike so KVA could supply us with the appropriate tubing for Mason’s geometry and the demands of cyclocross. Here are the numbers on his new frame:
After sending the design to KVA, a tube arrived a week later full of the steel that would become his bike.
Stay tuned….
Trophy frames for the 2011 NACCCs winners.
NACCCs Trophies Part 1
A few months ago KVA, makers of MS2 stainless steel, came to us with an interesting proposal. They were promoting their MS2 butted performance tubing and they’d signed on to sponsor the 2011 North American Cycle Courier Championships in Austin. Their sponsorship came in the form of a custom MS2 frame for the overall male and female winners of the contest. KVA asked us if we’d partner with them to make frames for the winners with the tube sets they provided. We loved the idea; what could be a cooler trophy than a shiny new custom stainless steel frame?
So, the event was great with riders coming from all over the continent to contest the championship on Austin’s famed Driveway Race Track. In the end, two lucky winners emerged victorious, Mason Oneil and Christina Peck.
Christina, above, and Mason, below left, receiving their award certificates for new frames.
In winning these frames, Christina and Mason set in motion the process that is ordering a custom bicycle. Alchemy bicycles are available both factory direct and through select quality bike shops. In this case, Mason is from Austin so he could work directly with us and Christina lives in Chicago so she would work with our awesome dealer up there, Iron Cycles.
In the posts that follow, we’re going to give a brief overview of the process that these guys followed in getting their trophies for being the 2011 North American Cycle Courier Champions.
