SeatStay

The rest of the frame is done. It's just awaiting the Seat-stay. This took me about all day to make. It takes a log time to get the angles right when you have to hand saw the small tubes at that angle. I dont have a proper jig for this so I have to make that to, but not even that will help you when you knock it over and have to reclean everything, and reasemble it.

Well I should have this finished tonight, I did a little clean up on it, and I think it's going to be fine. It didn't exactly go as planned, but it's good to work out right.

Front Triangle

The front triangle is done. Now the brazing clean up begins. All the brazing went a lot faster, and turned out a lot better, even the cleanup is going to be faster.

Not a whole lot to say other than I'll post pictures of my cleanup later.

Day 2 of TT Frame

I've got getting my miters done in about 35 - 40 minutes. I was going to show a "how to", but the pictures didn't work out the way I wanted. The frame right now look like I'm building it for someone 6'-7" tall, but you have to leave the tube extensions for when you braze. The heat with distort it if you don't leave the extension to support the shape when you add the heat. Hopefully by then I'll learn to work my camera.

A lot of time is spent adjusting the jig to the right specs. It looks easy enough. The thing is on my drawing I had the seat tube at 54cm, but that was center to top and I had to go back and find the center to center dimension that is 45.5cm. seems small be remember the design revolves around the seat to pad drop on a TT bike. In order to get the seat above the pad 9 inchs I had to make the head tube 3". and so there you have it.

The top tube is 52cm. seems short but the thing you have to remember about that is I have a 78 degree seat tube angle, so that pushes the front end out, so you have to spec a shorter top tube.

I've done all the math, now it's time to find out if it really works.

No.3 is out of the gate

Since my drill with the 1/4" chuck got chuck'd, I had to make this miter with a saw and file. This is the second frame I'm going to have to use this technique. Took me about 30 minutes. First I used the program called "WinMiter", printed the template, traced the miter on the tube, then started sawing to rough it in, then filed to contour. I didn't get the camera till late, so I couldn't take pictures of the process, maybe tommorow.

I think this technique is faster than setting up my tubing notcher. It does a good job for dune buggys or something like that, but doesn't hold the tolerance I need for bicycle frames.

This is the seat-tube and Bottom bracket for my Time Trial bike.

The wave speech

The wave speech
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear_and_Loathing_in_Las_Vegas

The wave speech is an important passage that appears about a third of the way through the novel, at the end of the eighth chapter. Thompson considered the "wave speech" to be "probably the best thing I've ever written." It tries to capture the zeitgeist of the hippie era, and the way it came to an end.

Strange memories on this nervous night in Las Vegas. Five years later? Six? It seems like a lifetime, or at least a Main Era—the kind of peak that never comes again. San Francisco in the middle sixties was a very special time and place to be a part of. Maybe it meant something. Maybe not, in the long run . . . but no explanation, no mix of words or music or memories can touch that sense of knowing that you were there and alive in that corner of time and the world. Whatever it meant. . . .
History is hard to know, because of all the hired bullshit, but even without being sure of “history” it seems entirely reasonable to think that every now and then the energy of a whole generation comes to a head in a long fine flash, for reasons that nobody really understands at the time—and which never explain, in retrospect, what actually happened.

My central memory of that time seems to hang on one or five or maybe forty nights—or very early mornings—when I left the Fillmore half-crazy and, instead of going home, aimed the big 650 Lightning across the Bay Bridge at a hundred miles an hour wearing L. L. Bean shorts and a Butte sheepherder's jacket . . . booming through the Treasure Island tunnel at the lights of Oakland and Berkeley and Richmond, not quite sure which turn-off to take when I got to the other end (always stalling at the toll-gate, too twisted to find neutral while I fumbled for change) . . . but being absolutely certain that no matter which way I went I would come to a place where people were just as high and wild as I was: No doubt at all about that. . . .

There was madness in any direction, at any hour. If not across the Bay, then up the Golden Gate or down 101 to Los Altos or La Honda. . . . You could strike sparks anywhere. There was a fantastic universal sense that whatever we were doing was right, that we were winning. . . .

And that, I think, was the handle—that sense of inevitable victory over the forces of Old and Evil. Not in any mean or military sense; we didn’t need that. Our energy would simply prevail. There was no point in fighting—on our side or theirs. We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave. . . .

So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark—that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back.

Many have stated that this passage was Thompson’s favorite part of the novel and the piece of writing he was the most proud of. He would often cite it during interviews and read it when he was asked to read a portion of the novel out loud.

1988 - 1992

The next year I got a Guerciotti, I won a number of races and the 1989 Tour of Kansas City as a Cat-4, after that year I totaled it in a head-on with a truck. I used to time myself over a course that I progressively rode faster and faster. 100% of the time I always slowed down before this blind corner, but today I was determined to smash the record and ended up smashing myself. The fork and down-tube buckled making my bike un- rideable. In an attempt to escape I fell again. It’s not like this would be my first chase . . . Did I mention I was also a member of the "BMX Brigade"? . . .

(Notice Dennis wearing a Midwest Cyclery Jersey )
www.23mag.com/gens/dmc.htm

. . . What I didn’t know is that I had a concussion and soon I was seeing double tunnel vision. I guess someone seen it and called the ambulance who soon carted me off soon enough.
After the crash I got a Concord SLX.

(This is me at the MO State TT. 1hr, 0min, 33sec . . . Oh so close!)

This was before Veltec-Boyer could import them, but PDM was a Dutch team and since the owners were Dutch and had some strings they could pull I got one Jorg Muller’s backup Concord/PDM frame sets. I had the only frame with a number braze-on.

I qualified to be a cat-3 early that year, then got 2nd at the Stage race in Fayetteville AK, now famed Joe Martin. . . . We just called it "Fayettnom" back then. Not long after I qualified to be a cat-2, despite all the warning from people who said I need to stay where I was for the season, then start next season as a Cat-2 I went up anyway. A lot of the races around here at the time were cat1/2/3 so what’s new? but the bigger races are cat1/2. This was the year I got an invivtation to go to the training camp in Colorado. After spending 2 weeks at the training I was burned out when I got back to Kansas City. I pretty much didn’t want to see a bicycle again. Well maybe just ride one. Soon as I got back I had Steve Kraly build me a custom frame out of columbus multi-shape tubing with all suntour superbe pro. I think the best group ever made was the Suntour Superbe Pro. Nothing felt smoother or worked better. The shifting performance was miles ahead of campy's.

The problem was I lived by the motto, the best training for racing is racing, so I never had an easy day, just some days that were longer than others. My friends told me I’d burn out, and the coaches in Colorado told me I would. One of the coaches spoke Dutch and said something to the effect . . . "Do you know what’s wrong with cyclist is that they are addicted to pain, but I’m the prescription" . . . So I had to win the climbs to the top of all the passes? . . . I think he was PO’d, well I think he was right . . . well about the part about me burning out.

Obviously at the time my aim was to acquire one of those Cat-1 licenses. I asked the Pro’s and nobody had one. Everybody's read Cat-2. I found it odd nobody had one, than the answer to the question was "Who Cares?". I guess Davis Phinney is Davis Phinney where his card says Cat-1 , or Cat-2.

When I got back to make myself feel better I guess I bought a LeMond TVT with C-Record and the new ergo levers. Too bad I don't have a picture of that bike.

Quotes

"To the man who only has a hammer in his tool box, every problem looks like a nail."
"If you deliberately plan on being less than you are capable of being, then I warn you that you'll be unhappy for the rest of your life."
- Abraham Maslow

"It's never crowded along the extra mile."
"The last suit that you wear, you don't need any pockets."
- Wayne Dyer

"I spent a year in that town, one Sunday."
- George Burns

"I have as much authority as the Pope, I just don't have as many people who believe it. "
"If you can't beat them, arrange to have them beaten. "
- George Carlin

"A rich man is nothing but a poor man with money."
- W. C. Fields

"A lot of people are afraid of heights. Not me, I'm afraid of widths."
"I drive way too fast to worry about cholesterol."
- Steven Wright

Time Trial Frame no.1

I guess if your thinking about doing some time trials, you had better have a Time Trial bike. I still might have a few tricks up my sleeve. I might still bend the seat tube for shorter chain stays, or a might eliminate the seat tube all together . . . that's right no seat tube . . . What will I do to remedy that? . . . Who knows. I got some ideas to build in a vertical compliance for really long time trials . . . Like 190 mile time trials!

The geometry comes from taking my body's measurements, and measurements on a trainer to make sure my thigh to torso is at 90 degrees when my pedal is at 6'O'Clock, and Shoulders will be above my elbow rests while being 90 degrees to my torso. (I'll post a picture later, but the fit process is well documented and easily found on the internet).

1982 -1988

I went through some bicycles and sponsors (Not that it was a bad thing). After my JMC I got sponsored by Torker. Here is a picture of me in a BMX Magazine at the Grand Nationals in Oklahoma City.

(Click on the pictures to enlarge)

Here are a few pictures of me at the VFW, BMX Track in Roeland Park

then Profile sposored me. When I was with Profile I was 14 and I placed 4th out of 486 other kids at the Grand Nationals in Oklahoma city. Note I still have my Torker Helmut

This is a picture of me and my dad after we got home. This picture was probably taken at 3am or 4am.

It seems like all I have are pictures of are me at the GrandNationals. I probably went out of town at least 2 to 3 times a month. At one time I had 537 trophies.

(Click on the picture to enlarge)

In 1984 I got Sponsored by Schwinn and stayed with them till I basically retired from BMX in 1986.

At the time Schwinn sponsored me, they also got me a job at Village Peddler, Schwinn in Blue Springs where I worked from 84 to 86. In 1986 was the year I also won my first national event and a lot of top finishes. I finished 5th in the national points ranking. But in 1986 where can you go from here, it’s not like they have, or would we ever think of BMX ever being in the Olympics.
In 1986 I started to get interested in racing road bikes. (Actually maybe back in 84 when TV covered the velodrome events for cycing). Most of my friends worked at a store called Blue Hills Bike & Hike (You might know one of the guys Curt Bales). They had top of the line bikes and the precision fascinated me . . . . What cyclist didn’t Campagnolo super record fascinate? . . . So I got into race road bikes. My first bike was a Bianchi made from Columbus SL tubing with Campy Super record components. The color was "Celeste". . . . (Special Note: At this time you could only get that color if it was the flagship model. Bianchi noticed it was losing some of it’s market in the late 80’s or early 90’s and then started giving that color to every bicycle, and things picked up for them I guess. I hated when they did that. If you seen someone riding a Celeste bicycle, it was the flagship Bianchi at the time. Not that I’m and elitist, which I’m sure if you have read, and keeping it will be well documented that I am not. I just appreciate quality things that are well thought out.

Although I will admit at the time I was 16, I might have been a bit naïve about marketing practices, at the time both Shimano, Dura-Ace; and Suntour, Superbe Pro were probably just as good, but I never gave them a thought because I was enamored by the Campagonlo name, but who wouldn’t when 99% of the pro peleton rode Campy . . . )
Blue Hills was also the only place you could get Vans tennis shoes. If you had a pair of Vans, odds are you got them at Blue Hills. Blue Hills Bike & Hike was owned by George Bradley. He had 3 stores
1. Lee’s Summit
2. Mission Road
3. 95th and Antioch
Sometime around 1986-87 George sold the shops. Lee’s Summit was sold to Tim Volpe, Mission Road, and 95th and Antioch to Midwest cyclery.
Ok where are we at? . . . OK 1986. in 1986 I took a job at Midwest Cyclery where I still work part time to this day. At this time (1986) they had 7 bike shops in Kansas City . . . YES! . . . SEVEN

Lets have a little Midwest Cyclery History.
1. Main Store. Midwest Cyclery opened on Main street in midtown Kansas City, then they bought Ride-On bicycles at was located on 3957 Broadway and then moved to where they are today. George Bradley got sick and sold the store.
The satellite stores
2. Mission Road (Mission & Johnson Dr)
3. Liberty (Vivian & North Antioch)
4. 95th and Antioch (South Antioch)
5. Watt’s Mill (103rd and State Line)
6. Blue Springs (I forget the location)
7. Troost (Across and down from SouthSide Cyclery, which is also no longer)

Midwest closed stores 6 & 7 and Midwest Cyclery became 5 stores for a couple years. Then they closed stores store 4 & 5 becoming 3 stores of which were ran by the Owner and his Son and Daughter. Then around 1992 -93 the lids went off on their own ventures and Midwest became 1 location, the owner then sold the store to Bob Albright who still owns it today.
Ok back to my Bianchi. I won the Tour of Kansas City in 1988 as a citizen or what USCF now calls Cat-5 now on that Bianchi. At the time the USCF had 4 classifications.
Cat-4 Local Potential,
Cat-3 Regional Potential,
Cat-2 national Potential,
Cat-1 National Potential.
I also had a top 10 finish at the MO state championships. This was back when the State Championships didn't recognize classes. The road race was just one class . . . One Race . . . One Champion. I think there were over 200 Cyclists in that race.