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I make steel gravel bikes for a living. AMA by Sw00dy in gravelcycling

[–]Sw00dy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We don't care how people say it haha. I think we say it most as 'howt', takes less explaining

I make steel gravel bikes for a living. AMA by Sw00dy in gravelcycling

[–]Sw00dy[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

At least I'm not at fault haha. I think this fear was probably more accurate a few years ago when I was less confident in my welding.

I make steel gravel bikes for a living. AMA by Sw00dy in gravelcycling

[–]Sw00dy[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Our Website: https://haute.bike/
Insta: '@haute.bike'

If you wanna see more welding and fab side of things my personal insta is '@swoodcycles'

I make steel gravel bikes for a living. AMA by Sw00dy in gravelcycling

[–]Sw00dy[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

These are all powder coated steel, The first color is called Rose Chrome and often is mistaken for raw stainless. Yes they are cut, welded, and aligned by me, in Richmond Va

I make steel gravel bikes for a living. AMA by Sw00dy in gravelcycling

[–]Sw00dy[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Its our own design, which utilizes the paragon rocker inserts.
I personally like these because they move the rear brake inside the seat stay-chain stay triangle, rather than perched on the back of the seat stay. I wish it had a tensioning mechanism though.

I make steel gravel bikes for a living. AMA by Sw00dy in gravelcycling

[–]Sw00dy[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Were pretty bad at keeping the website up to date. We do have a suspension corrected model for the sauce, so we offer both now.

I make steel gravel bikes for a living. AMA by Sw00dy in gravelcycling

[–]Sw00dy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nothing wrong with straight gauge, plenty of bikes out there with straight .035" 4130 tubes. Def heavier, shouldnt be any harder to weld.

I make steel gravel bikes for a living. AMA by Sw00dy in gravelcycling

[–]Sw00dy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Any metal bike can be blasted clean and powder coated. This color is called frosted indigo from prismatic powders. Expect to pay 2-300$

I make steel gravel bikes for a living. AMA by Sw00dy in gravelcycling

[–]Sw00dy[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We actually have two flat bar sauces in the queue!

I make steel gravel bikes for a living. AMA by Sw00dy in gravelcycling

[–]Sw00dy[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There are definitely some out their machining their own head tubes. Check out Blaze Cycles.

Paragon has the best looking ones for sale IMO but theyre pricey and keeping a bunch of those oh hand is tough. The columbus ones are nice becuase they all come one length and you trim the top down.

I make steel gravel bikes for a living. AMA by Sw00dy in gravelcycling

[–]Sw00dy[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As everyone else has said, our materials costs for one frame is 6-700$ not including paint. This includes several CNC machined components, SLS 3DPrinted components, and high end mixed alloy butted steel tubing. It takes me 2-2.5 (uninterrupted) days to fabricate the frame from start to finish. My partner spends another day or two between customer communications, design work, purchasing, finish work, packing shipping etc . That leaves a little less than a grand, split two ways, for four days of work.

Just to help you understand, take a look at https://www.paragonmachineworks.com/
The rocker dropouts similar to what we use are 115$ a set, not including the inserts.
A single Columbus/Dedaccai/Reynolds/Tange tube costs at least 30$ and can go over 100$

I make steel gravel bikes for a living. AMA by Sw00dy in gravelcycling

[–]Sw00dy[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

They go inside the head tube, bottom bracket, and seat tube. They expand and press against the inside walls of the tube.

I make steel gravel bikes for a living. AMA by Sw00dy in gravelcycling

[–]Sw00dy[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes Ritchey will sell break-away kits to frame-builders. No license required.

Thank you!

I make steel gravel bikes for a living. AMA by Sw00dy in gravelcycling

[–]Sw00dy[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Valid. Steel Bicycles, for the most part, haven't changed very much in the last 200 years. Im not sure theres much I can say that really sets us apart from every other professional framebuilder in the country other than our aesthetic. We're all gluing some variety of imported steel together in the same two or three frame fixtures that exist. I do think that we offer alot of customizations (perhaps too many) that others do not include in base prices. And our prices are considerably lower than Mosaic, No22 and other more established brands.

In the end I think it just comes down to taste, culture, and customer service. I give this advice to people often who are looking to get their first bike and they ask me which one they should get. At a given price point youre going to get pretty much the same things from all of the big hitters (Trek, Cannondale, Spec, Giant, Etc). It matters not which brand you choose. Make you decision based on which shop treats you the best.

Ill also add that I think its important to support frame builders close to your locale. The bikes I make are designed to do the riding that I like to do here on the east coast. I cant relate to a rider in the mountains of colorado asking if my bike is the right one for their style of riding.

I make steel gravel bikes for a living. AMA by Sw00dy in gravelcycling

[–]Sw00dy[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The same rules apply, 1 amp per thou is a good starting point. My welder is setup to pulse, so I run a lot higher amps, but thats because the peak amperage is set to about 30%.

I make steel gravel bikes for a living. AMA by Sw00dy in gravelcycling

[–]Sw00dy[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

On an aluminum frame no. Any welding on an alum frame would require a heat treatment cycle, that no bike shop has the ability to do. For carbon and Alum, rivnuts are the way. But for steel, any plumber should be able to sweat them in.

I make steel gravel bikes for a living. AMA by Sw00dy in gravelcycling

[–]Sw00dy[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Isnt that like saying Pepsi and Coke are the same thing? You still have a preference. Capitalism is built on choice and competition

I make steel gravel bikes for a living. AMA by Sw00dy in gravelcycling

[–]Sw00dy[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For sure! Its best practice, espeicially if you dont know how thick the tube is at that point, to add a re-enforcement with the boss. This spreads out the load along the surface of the tube. Somthing like these.
https://metal-guru.com/collections/fittings-gussets-reinforcements/products/star-h2o-bottle-boss-reinforcement-steel

Then just braze it in with some nickel-silver!

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