Happy Birthday Pie and a Stickel update

Today is The Pie's birthday. What did I get her?

I planned on growing it out until the end of March, but she pleaded with me to end it for her sake.

That's just half the gift. The other thing she wants me to do is sign up for a volunteer shift at Give Kids the World so we can do our thing while we're down in Florida this Spring.

Anything for The Pie (who's letting me race the 6 Hours of Warrior Creek on our 17th wedding anniversary)

Time for a Stickel update.

This whole time, I never bothered to ask Steve how his process works. I've been through the custom bike frame experience enough times to know that I don't wanna know. Although I've been gathering parts and components, I've been dragging my feet on getting the wheels going. I wanted to try some high zoot crabon rimz, but everywhere I turned I was met with defeat.

ENVE ~ Only does internal nipples... sounds painful

Reynolds ~ Not enough holes to put all 32 Industry Nine spokes into.

I looked at some crabon rimz that were all the talk on MTBR. I even went as far as to put them in a cart, walk around the e-store looking for last minute impulse buys, and made it all the way to the payment screen.

And then I balked. Sure, 23mm wide (internal width) rims at 440 grams sounded nice, BUT I like Stan's rims. I also like some of the fine folks at Stan's (including Rich "Grape Ape" Straub), and I even like Stan himself.

I was gonna hem and haw some more, but I talked to Steve Stickel on Wednesday, and my front triangle is already done.

Shit, that was fast.

So I emailed Jake at Industry Nine and asked them to get hopping on some pink 29'er Ultralite SS specific wheels. Mine won't be "Ultralite" since I'm going with the heavier Ultrawhite Crest rims. Still, at 1,630 grams, I'll be looking better than a bikini clad super model holding an ice cold beer and saving over a half pound of rotating weight over my current white Flow/Arch combo.

Also on the way to complete Project BS DickStickel Meatplow V.6, I have an order on the way from Mark at Paragon Machine Works. I've ordered from him/them before, and it's a shame they didn't sell something I could order more often... like lacy panties or chocolate covered turnips. They're always so pleasant to deal with, especially considering I'm not even a frame builder. I ordered the bad-ass Titanium Complete Combination Bolt Kit.

This ain't my first time at the slider rodeo, and I can see these things being a major upgrade from what I'm used to. Multiple reasons I might get into later, I guess.

I also picked up the new post mount slider... in black

(image terribly altered to represent the color (or lack thereof) black)

I asked Steve if he had any photos of my frame in progress that he could shoot my way. Apparently he builds frames like I build bikes. I mean to document the process from the start, but the deeper I get into it, the more I forget to take photos.

Anyways...

Here are my tubes (maybe)

I'm assuming the rebar will be used as chainstays for ultra compliance.

These are "cylindrical stuff in your frame."

And this is the "Beginning, in fixture."

From that point on, Steve put the camera down and kept welding, cutting, and chuckling to himself.

I can hardly wait. Horrible time to not be drinking beer.

What am I saying? It's always a horrible time to not be drinking beer.

At least it's only one more week till the Southeast Bike Expo and the end of my dry February.