Six Months

It's funny how things go sometimes.

Four and a half years ago, I wrote a post with the same title as this one.  It was nearly six months after I had moved from Los Angeles to the Bay Area to for a wonderful new job.

Today, I'm writing almost the exact same post.  

I again left Los Angeles nearly six months ago to go after my dream job that I had always thought was so out of reach.  But here I am.  

I miss LA dearly.  The cycling community there was the best I've ever seen, and the friends I made and places I rode are with me every day.  I'm so fortunate that I got to spend an amazing summer riding with SWAT, tearing up Encino Velodrome, bombing Griffith Park and spending every Wednesday morning on the LA River Trail for Camp Coffee.  It wasn't nearly long enough, but I'm so glad that I had it, even for such a short time.  

Being back here in the bay is wonderful in its own way, and I am slowly starting to get back up and running.  My little shop now exists, I am riding with a group of people at work, and starting to explore the hills of the east bay.

Sorry that I've been away - I've been too busy riding to update this little blog of mine.  But, like I wrote last time I returned from Los Angeles, maybe I can change that again.  

Super Quick Update

And then this finally happened.

Whhhhhhaaaaaaat.

To answer a few questions - no, they are not for sale.  They are 25mm at the shim, so they will only fit with their proprietary clamps and won't work on other bikes, which is one of the reasons they are not for sale.  I am not sure yet what will be built with them, but I have enough to do three frames with aero head tubes (see that steer tube?  Yeah, that's a steer tube).  They are awesome, but I do not think I can get or order anymore like this.  Maybe. 

That's all for now.  I'm riding bikes a lot.  Track bikes and road bikes.  And building bikes.  Bikesbikesbikes.  

I need about ten more hours each day to get everything done

Or, maybe I can stop sleeping and instead update this sadly neglected blog that I have so much content but not nearly enough time for!  

I am keeping Petrichor decently updated with photos, and Flickr also gets new things here and there since uploading from my phone can be done from just about anywhere.  If things are quiet here, chances are I'm over there.  Or, you know, dead.

Really, the reason I have no time to write about bikes is because my life has become nothing but bikes.  Mostly riding them with rad people and building them, but also tinkering, buying and selling, and building up gems here and there.

Like this awesome XB3 Sport that has become my new timeshare bike, or will once I give that BB an overhaul.  Anyone ever seen an orange one of these before?  All original parts, but orange.  And tiny.  It's like it was made for me.







I have a couple non half-assed posts drafted up that I need to get to.  But know that things are awesome in my little bike world, and I couldn't be happier, which is why I haven't been around enough.  Hopefully I'll manage my time a bit better in the future, but in the meantime if you see me riding around LA, say hi!

On Humanity

A few days ago, a very close friend of mine was pulled over on the side of the road during San Jose Bike Party, changing a flat tire.  He was minding his own business, wasn't obstructing traffic, and hadn't been riding recklessly - in fact, if there was a poster child for safe cycling, he would be it.  At one point a car drove by and he was hit in the face by what he thought was a substantially sized rock that had been kicked out by the car's tires.  He went to ER, and they scheduled him for an X-ray and possible reconstructive surgery.

It turns out, my friend - someone who I care deeply about - was shot.  He was hit in the orbital socket with a lead bullet from an air rifle, with the only motivation seemingly being that he was on a bike and the motorist was unhappy with cyclists.  Thankfully he's alive and in one piece, and didn't lose his eye, but the idea that someone would do such a thing to another human being is so strange and sad to me.  

Whether you're a cyclist or a motorist, and whether one or the other occasionally inconveniences you for whatever reason, we are all people.  Be it someone's son or someone's daughter, someone's husband or wife, someone's father or mother - the ten seconds you might be delayed is not worth the potential cost of someone's life.  

And if you truly feel that someone is inconveniencing you to the point where you should cause them physical harm, perhaps you should take a good, long look at your life. 

Fork Crown Cronicles: A Preview

Eons ago I cast two fork crowns.

I made two because it was recommended I make an extra just in case the first one failed.  I didn't make more because I wanted to be certain that they would work before I sold any internal organs to produce a bunch.  So the twin crown wasn't going to go to just anyone, it would have to go to someone special.  And it did. 

Today I was shown this photo, and initially it didn't even register.

Image Via Hrrundel's Flickr.

 That's my crown on that fork.  

Needless to say, I'm psyched to see more of this Colnago, excited that a successful build came of my crown, and happy that it means more of these are coming in the future.

I guess I need to finish the frame that goes with the other crown...

I'm still torn though - fillet brazed, or lugged?

Out Riding. And Building.

I've been so busy with everything else bike related in my life, I've been neglecting this poor little blog!

Geez, over the past three months a lot has happened.  Lets see...

- I have a frame currently being painted.  Another is almost ready to go to paint.

- I found a lovely Takhion Aero that's actually my size!  I tore my quadriceps tendon, so I'm off of fixed geared bikes for a while, but once it's healed I can take it to the track.

- I attended NAHBS, which filled me with inspiration and where I got to meet so many wonderful people!  

- I met some other local framebuilders, who are rad and wonderful people.

- I met some other local cyclists through LA's Bikes and Coffee Camp, who are also rad and wonderful people.  

- The shop got an overhaul, and now it actually looks like a proper shop.  

- I did the Solvang Century, which was my first century ever.  My knee held up just fine, I kept a decent pace, and I love my bike more than ever.  

I'm in the shop a lot these days, which I'm loving!  If you're in LA and want to stop by, please let me know.  

NAHBS!

Tickets are bought, and it's official - I'll be going to NAHBS this year!

I certainly won't have a booth or anything like that, but I am definitely excited to see what's new in the framebuilding world and finally meet some of the many builders that I follow in person.  I cannot wait!

I hope that everyone had a good holiday and is currently enjoying this strange week that always happens between Christmas and New Year's. 

Bike Santa was good to me this year.

Time to prep for New Year's festivities...

Merry Christmas to All!

I've been traveling literally every weekend for the past three months, so please forgive the lack of content lately!

It's Christmas Eve and I have finally been able to sit down for a moment, so enjoy a couple fall photos that I took during Thanksgiving.  I was a bit obsessed with the leaves and with my wheels, if you can tell!

The leaves were falling like crazy as I rolled through them, and a combination of luck and wind caught me some stragglers.

Cockpit.

Birch leaves and crows feet lacing.  It's the little things in life.

I'm off to prepare for the holiday, but I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, or whatever it is that you and your family celebrate.  Have fun and stay safe, and hopefully Santa brings you a brand new bicycle.

Takhion for Sale

Not mine, but this lovely 56cm frame is up for grabs:

One of many photos.  The seller also has the parts.

This frame was found in the same condition as this one, so it has been repainted.  There are lots of photos detailing the frame, and the album can be found here. 

If you're interested, please contact me at aeyoqen@gmail.com and I will get you in touch with the seller.  

Kids Bike Day

I know it's been a bit quiet here recently, since I've literally been home only to sleep (and maybe scarf down some cereal here and there) I haven't had a chance to update what's new in my little world of bikes.  This event happened a few weeks ago, but it was a lot of fun and I wanted to share it here.  

These kids were having such a blast, that they kept riding even when we started getting rained on.  

Young bicyclists got the opportunity to test their skills and learn new ones this past Saturday at the Kids Bike Safety and Skills Workshop held at Pacific Community Center.

The event was put together by Walk Bike Glendale, a local nonprofit that advocates for safe walking and biking in the city, according to Nathalie Winiarski, community liaison for the organization.

Full article here:

Walk Bike Glendale is a great organization that I discovered on Bike to Work Day this year - I asked if they needed any volunteers, and I was called regarding this event.  They needed someone who could do simple mechanic work, to which I said "absolutely!"

Though most fixes were simple, it was a lot of fun and a good learning experience for me, all of the kids, and their parents.  I explained what I was doing every time, and was able to fix just about everything that came my way.  

I set up a bike stand and just brought the basics with me, which was perfect for this event.  Ninety percent of "repairs" were just simple seat adjustments and demonstrating a proper bike fit.  I also pumped up quite a few tires - all by hand!  There were a few oddball fixes here and there, like truing one wheel and turning handlebars and forks around that had been installed incorrectly (just...yikes).  The thing that really got to me was the poor quality of the brakes that I worked on, as many of these bikes had brakes that didn't touch the rims at all, and I feel bad for these kids learning to ride on something that can't stop properly!  

This little boy was awesome, though I felt terrible because that seatpost bolt was completely stripped and was just spinning in place.  I didn't have the tools to fix something like that, and it was the only thing that slipped through the cracks.  I'm sorry awesome little dude!  I hope you were able to get it fixed and get back on your bike ASAP.  

It was non-stop chaotic work, but it was amazingly fun and I can't wait to do it again.  The kids learned how to signal, dodge obstacles, stop at signs, do an ABC check, use lights at night, and much more.  There were also lights and helmets given out, so everyone was riding safely.   

I'm glad to see more community events like this going on, both for kids and for parents.  So many parents told me that they want the streets to be safer for their kids, and that they want to ride more with them - and many families rode to the event together, which was awesome.  

I have to say though, that the best part of my day was when kids would come up to me and proudly ask if I could remove their training wheels, and then fearlessly tear off back to riding around with their friends.  Ride on, little cyclists!

Takhion Bars in the house!

Courtesy of Old Vintage Steel!  He's got a couple of Takhion track frames right now, so go check them out.  

42cm and 44cm.

Since one of my Takhions was missing true Takhion bars, I can now swap out the 3TTT for one of these.  And I'll have an extra for projects like this one which is still very much in progress.   

It's amazing to me how these bars seem to be quite difficult to fabricate, unless I want to place an order of 10,000 or so.  Finding the proper alloy and being able to do these bends is apparently outside of the scope of many of smaller fabricators, so getting a batch made has led to mostly nowhere.  I'm still trying!

Old Vintage Steel

I can't stress enough just how awesome the online cycling community is, and how many cool people I meet.

Recently I was contacted regarding Takhion parts by a man named Alex, who very obviously shares a passion for bikes from the Soviet Union.  He's found some amazing buried treasures all over his home country of Belarus and many surrounding areas - I almost couldn't believe my eyes at photographs of bikes that had remained hidden, possibly forgotten, for so long.  

Wanting to share these bikes with people who would respect them and understood the significance of their history, he started Old Vintage Steel, and can also be found on Instagram under the same name.

Of course, he currently has a Takhion he wants to get to a good home.

It's a 58cm road frame, and it comes with three (yes three) forks, handlebars, and a BB.  

Check out this beauty!  Lots more photos on the Facebook page.

The third fork is also a Takhion fork with the TT clamps.  

Columbus SLX tubing.

And of course, there are other gems for sale, like these XB3s.  

Such a pretty color.

And this lovely set of Fluidisks!

Amazing.

Go check it out on Facebook or IG, and check back often for new cool treasures. 

TT Sport GIT for sale

Wow.

I've only ever seen one other.  Image via eBay auction.

This beauty is up for grabs here.  It's been repainted and there are no measurements listed, but these bikes are not easy to come by.  What a beautiful frame.

The clamps are not the same as Takhion clamps.  Image via eBay auction.

I'd love to see what the eventual owner of this frame does to build this up.  And the hard-to-find parts all come with this frame, so finishing it off shouldn't be a difficult task.  

Kharkov cranks!  Image via eBay auction.

As always, I hope this one goes to a good home.

Red Aero

I spent the day watching Game of Thrones and deep cleaning this glorious machine.

After lots of elbow grease (and Phil Wood grease), it's looking worlds better!

This red and white beauty was apparently built for Latvia with Columbus SL tubing, and is serial number 263 87.  Aside from wheels, it came with all original components, though the derailleurs are ХВЗ and not Takhion.  Everything else though, down to the seatpost, is.  

Tiny little Takhion stamp!

This guy was lost in the mail for quite some time, but thankfully showed up safe and sound after a few months.  I'll need to check alignment, but aside from the usual wear and tear that comes from a frame older than I am, this Takhion is in pretty good shape.  

It's all in the details.  

I put the front Antonov front wheel and the mystery rear road kevlar wheel on to take some proper photos.  Eventually I'd like this one to have a Campy C-Record wheelset (as I have been expertly advised) and matching derailleurs, since the XB3 drivetrain can be a bit...questionable.  

There's a full album here, if you want to see more!

Takhion on eBay

Mostly, anyway!

Image via the eBay Auction

Here's the listing, though there is no size listed and unfortunately the original fork seems to have had its clamps cut off (which hurts my soul).  Though that possibly could be repaired...

There's another listing for it here, not through eBay.  

Serial number is 151 83, which might actually mean the frame was repurposed at some point.  It's a very early frame for sure, though it does have the BB cutout and the Takhion shifters. 

There's also a track frame in need of some serious love:

Image via eBay auction.

 If anyone ends up with either of these, I'd gladly help with restoration :D

Something Precious

If there's one thing to be said about the online bicycle community, it's that they're honestly some of the best people around.  Over the years I've made so many wonderful friends and have learned so much.  People here are always willing to help, to offer advice, even to sometimes do things that I thought were impossible.  

I received a gift today from one of these people.  

A fully restored XB3 Српинт.

I know what this frame meant to the friend who I received it from, and I can honestly say that receiving it moved me to tears.  Thank you, Alex, for being such a good friend and letting me question you to death about Soviet bikes.  You have no idea how much it means to me!  

Everything, down to the decals, is perfect.

I will do my best to do this frame justice.  And I will pay this forward in the future, somehow! 

1980 Moscow Olympics decal!!

There are a few more photos of this lovely frame over on Flickr, and I'll be searching for more XB3 parts to get it built up.  Every time I look at this XB3 I'll be reminded of how fortunate I am to have made such amazing friends - and that is truly what's precious.  

Nitto Tsubasa for sale

It's not a pursuit bike, but it's also not something that you see very often.  Anyone searching for this legend might want to check out the eBay listing here.

It certainly is pretty.

I don't really know the history behind these bars, but this velospace user writes:

"A Nitto Tsubasa handlebar is virtually impossible to find. Produced during the 70s for a short duration of time, they were always limited in quantity. Someone told me there are less than 50 left in the entire world. To find one in mint condition for sale is near impossible."

VeloBase also has the same information.  Truth be told, I've always wanted one of these crazy things, but to be honest I don't have the bike for it unless I wanted to be extremely impractical and put it on my Iribe.  I also wonder if it's possible to make my own...might be a fun experiment!

Good luck to you if you're trying to snag this one!

Both images are via the eBay auction linked above.

Home is where the bikes are

It's taken a while to get settled in to my new place, but it's getting there.

Frame on the wall = much better.

I've decided to use my Cycloc as a "current project" station.  I'll be building everything up at the shop instead of separating frame building and bike building like I did at my old place, but constantly having a project frame up in my office is a good reminder of what I need to get done.  

I have just about everything I need for this Sport, most of which has come from the generosity of friends I've met in this awesome online bike world (hi guys!).  In the meantime, I may throw a wheelset on it just to test it out until I can get proper wheels built.  I'd really love to take this one out to the local velodrome once it's rideable!  

I've got one other bike related project at the moment that I've been working on with a pretty cool group of people, which I'll be able to talk more about here in the future.  

On Petrichor

It was long before I started this blog that I knew I wanted to learn to build frames someday.  

I remember staring at my laptop screen after going down a rabbit hole of bikeforum links and ending up at the page for the Yamaguchi Frame Building School.  I knew then that I would take that class someday, and from that day on I started to daydream about what it would be like to build my own frames.  I knew nothing about what it entailed, nothing about geometry, very little about tubing, and almost nothing about the time and care that went in to building and designing a frame.  In my daydreams, I tried to come up with what I would call my frames.  There were a few ideas that came and went, but Petrichor was the one that seemed to stick.  

It seemed I wasn't the only one that had this idea, and that's why I am writing this post today.  I filed for the trademark of Petrichor Frames nearly a year ago, and shortly after I learned that the name was being used in the form of Petrichor Cycles by a man in Europe.  I was mostly upset with myself that I hadn't discovered this before - I had done research on the name back in 2011 (which are the earliest documented records I have of wanting to use the name) and hadn't found anything, and after taking the class in 2013 I began a the long, arduous, and ridiculous process of trying to get a business license under the name.  It took a year and a half, countless paperwork, more money than I should have spent (and then some) to finally be granted a business license.  Once I got it, I filed for a trademark.  After all of this, I discovered the name was being used.  

I ended up contacting the owner of Petrichor Cycles and explaining myself and the situation.  I found out that he's a pretty cool guy, and also that what we're doing is drastically different as far as the cycling world goes.  He is making mass produced frames, while I'm doing mostly 3D work and making a few custom frames when I can.  Basically, if he were a high end coffee shop, I'm the person with a salvaged espresso machine making drinks for my friends in the basement on Saturday nights.  He agreed that what we were working on was different enough, and since we're on different sides of the world serving different groups of people, we decided to keep each other posted on what was going on.  

A few days ago, the trademark for Petrichor Frames was approved, though I have declined to extend the trademark to any European countries.  That said, owning the trademark means that you own it for life.  Had I been declined the trademark, I would have gone through the process of starting to change the name, as I would have had a legal reason that I could present to undergo that process.  However, in the meantime, I am going to keep the name.  It's been an uphill battle for me to start this little business and to get to where I am today, and I want to stay where I am for a while.  

I don't consider myself a great builder, and I most likely never will.  The idea of getting a business license and a trademark was mostly born out of my desire to sell things like the Takhion caps legally, which I decided to extend over to frames, repair work and restoration because I'm a sucker for playing by the rules.  I work 45 hours a week at my "day job," and my tiny business venture is something that is reserved for weekends or rare days where I get in and out of work early.  But I love doing this, I genuinely from the bottom of my heart find joy in this.  Maybe someday I'll get to do it full time.  If it comes to that point, perhaps things will change.

I completely understand if this changes your opinion of me, but I wanted to be up front with everyone who reads this blog.  I certainly wasn't trying to tread on anyone's territory, or be a jerk, or anything of the sort.  

An Incredible Collection For Sale

A Takhion, Italian steel, Lasers, and just, well, amazing bikes.

Yeah.

They've all been extremely well cared for, and my friend who is selling them is a fantastic person.