black cat bicycles

Nuevo Mexicano

2012-02-01T20:21:00.000-08:00

Hello there.
A bike frame today for Robert Winkel from Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Robert made himself a head tube badge inspired
by the Zia tribe's design featured in the New Mexican flag.

The paint design is lifted from Anasazi pottery.

Internal brake hose routing.

The lines of the gusset on the down tube have
evolved through the years.
Lately I've been trying to mimic the miter,
and thus the fillet,
as closely as possible over the top of the tube.
Makes for a tidy appearance that I really like.

Thanks, Robert.

All right folks.
There are people that love them
and people that loathe them.
There are few that lie between.

For those not acquainted,
for your consideration:
WEEN.

If you don't like what you're hearing,
wait a song or two.
From Mexican campo ballads to
Ziggy Stardust-esque hallucinations.
From Jimmy Buffet flashbacks
to tick rants.
From Yelling bouts to a
whole country record.

Huffing some Scotch-Guard
will get you in the mood.

Pure Guava is pure genius. Really.

Steel That Sleeps the Eye

2012-01-18T10:13:00.000-08:00

Hey gang.
Today, I present a bike for Eric Richter.

With Eric being here in Santa Cruz, the conversation
about this bike started with listing names of roads.
Names like Stetson, Redwood Lodge, Schulties,
Redwood Retreat, Mountain Charlie, Skyland,
Valencia School, Uvas Canyon, etc.

Names like that conjure up thoughts of tight, twisty, steep roads,
shaded by redwoods, with pathetic pavement, if any at all.

The conversation continued with the new re-release of Columbus' Max tubeset.
Eric, being a junkie of all things Max,
wanted a custom bike to add to his collection of bikes built
with these legendary tubes.

First designed when tubes were narrow and didn't
take the abuse under larger, more powerful riders,
the double oversized tubeset was like nothing before it.
Huge, ovalized profiles allowed a bike to remain in one
piece while being raced in events like Paris-Roubaix
and the Tour of Flanders.

We decided not to use the entire Max tubeset,
settling for the bi-axialy ovalized down and top tubes,
chain stays, fork blades, and fork crown.
These are the most instantly recognizable tubes of the bunch
and overwhelmingly responsible for the look and feel of the bike.

We took it step further and added the ability to run 28's,
with fenders, or up to a 35c tire without.

Disc brakes, Dura-Ace parts.
If you can't ride this bike there, that place should probably be left unridden.

Between the capabilities of the bike and the fact that
Eric is one of the coolest, nicest, most genuine people I've ever met,
it was truly was a pleasure to build this bike.
Thanks, Eric.

All right kids,
enough of the sentimentality.
Melvins!
When I went to see the tour
supporting the Houdini record
(was that almost 20 years ago?!?!),
I remember thinking that it simply
could not be any louder.
Hooch
Honey Bucket
Night Goat

Up For Grabs

2012-01-12T09:57:00.001-08:00

Hey, Y'all.
Today is a different day so we're going to do things differently.

Normally, the bikes posted are built for specific people.
Not the case for this bike.

As luck would have it,
this bike is, as the title suggests, up for grabs.

It has a 6 degree sloped, 56.5cm top tube.
Built for someone 5'11" or so.

Built with lugs and a super light, double oversized tube set,
this bike has the aesthetic of an old world charmer,
but the ride of a race bike.

Hooded dropouts for a stiff, responsive feel.

Fillet brazed pf30 bb shell for all the pedaling stiffness you will ever need.

Enve composites 1.0 carbon fork.
Will take 28c tires happily.

Drop me a line via email for pricing or for further details.
I'm happy to sell as a frame set
or to build it up as a complete bicycle.

SOLD. Thanks.

Let's hop in the Way-Back Machine for some Wipers.

New Year, New Bike

2012-01-03T11:01:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, y'all.

Let's start this year off on the good foot
by introducing a bike for Kyle E______.

Kyle and I have been acquainted since we
worked at the same bike shop about 10 years ago.

Having good friends on bikes is about as good as it gets for me.

Oversized head tube for those tapered steerer forks.

PF30 bb shell. Mega.

17/4 Stainless dropouts. Shiny.

Curvy tubes. All the bells and whistles on this one.

Been doing a lot of listening to Baroness.
Particularly The Red Album.
Rays on Pinion
The Birthing
Isak
Get it.

This Song Has No Title

2011-12-09T20:46:00.000-08:00

Gentle readers,

and not so gentle ones too.

Another road bike today.
Sean Coffey is the owner of this one.

A double over sized tubeset makes this bike thoroughly modern,
with all of the pedaling stiffness you'll ever need
to get you down the road as far and as fast as your legs will take you.

This post's music pick is
the one and only Elton John.
If you haven't already,
do yourself a favor and purchase
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road as an easy primer.
Who doesn't love the Crocodile Rock?
He's absolutely killing it here on Rocket Man.
If you don't like Bennie and the Jets on Soul Train(!),
you, my good friend (and gentle reader),
have deeper issues not easily overcome.

Thank you and good night.

Street Eater

2011-11-01T08:32:00.000-07:00

Hey, gang.

This is a road bike for Shinya Tanaka, who has
been importing handmade bikes over the Pacific Puddle,
to Japan.

This bike is for himself.
He asked for a road bike and carbon fork with room for fatter tires.

Fastback, swoopy seat stays.

The paint is a combo of painstaking masking and big brush stokes.

I hear the road riding in Japan is pretty unreal.
Might have to get over there for some
market research at some point.

A little while ago, I was talking with some
friends about the state of music these days.
More specifically, if you could travel back
in time and kill one band, group, or individual
to nip some musical movement in the bud,
who would it be?
To avoid the catastrophe that has come to
be known as Emo (Screamo, Emo-core, whatever),
Hightower and Danny B both agreed that AFI must die.
I may or may not agree. Well, ok, I agree.
However, Akimbo might also fall into the category
of being a band that was copied right and left by
screaming teenagers.
Don't get me wrong, I like me some Akimbo, but
to avoid this, someone must pay the ultimate toll.

Who knows? Someone may have this power.
Maybe Buddy Holly, Ritchie Vallens, and the Big Bopper
were about to start a super group from
which rock and roll would never recover.

Sand Blast

2011-09-30T21:36:00.000-07:00

Jello.

This 'cross bike was bought by Josh Yablon for his
favorite special lady friend, Devon Yates.
Nice guy.

The paint is obviously inspired by the illustrious
Gulf/ Porsche four wheeler racing team.

The frame design is relatively straight forward.
No big surprises here.
Built for 38's with room to spare.

Stem to match.
Modern stems are fatter than
most steel road or 'cross bike down tubes.
Unnecessary and aesthetic killing.

Thanks Josh and Devon.

Seeing as both Josh and Devon
are punkers from Minneapolis,
maybe we should play some
appropriate music from there.
Prince? No.
How about some Dear Landlord?
Yes, let's do some of that.

Belt Drive Factory Racer

2011-09-09T19:35:00.000-07:00

Howdy, y'all.

This is a bike for Black Cat Industries' own
hot shot racer, Greg Martin.

I swore I wouldn't do another one but, here it is:
a belt drive, short chainstay 29er.

Curves in all the right places.

This bike is made for a 100mm travel fork with a tapered steerer.
It's been a pretty popular option lately.

Greg was pretty insistent on the olive green
and robin's egg blue color scheme.
Happy to oblige.

A pic of the split-able belt drive dropout on the frame
and one of the first prototypes I made a couple years ago.
You can see the top is a socket that attaches to the seatstay
and nests the rest of the dropout, with a bolt that runs through both.

This is the magic part that allows for the short chainstays.
It's a spider that I made for the Sram cranks that offsets the
belt ring about a half inch from where it would sit
otherwise, giving room for the chainstay.
Between the custom spider and the new-ish
Center Track belt system from Gates,
things worked out without a compromise in sight.

I have several more of these that I made only for
belt drive Black Cats in the future. Get 'em while they're hot.

Say what you will,
Rumors was/is a good record.

Corners and Curves

2011-08-29T11:08:00.000-07:00

Hey folks, what's up?

This bike is for Oliver Laing, in Willagee,
Western Australia.

Oliver wanted a 29er race bike with
options for running a full compliment of gears
or as a single speed.

These oversized head tubes for tapered steerers are simply
the way to go on a frame made for a suspension fork.

A bit of an asymmetrical, geometrical
freak out for a paint scheme.

I like me some Heartless Bastards.
Gray
All This Time

Hold Your Head High
Get some.

Single and Loaded

2011-08-08T08:41:00.000-07:00

Hey.

Nathan Shearer is the intended victim of this bike.

Nathan lives in the DC area and rides decidedly rocky,
steep, technical, long rides.
The geometry of the bike follows his lead.
Relatively relaxed angles, and a bb height to allow clearance for the rocks.

The paint scheme on this one is inspired by
a metal smithing process called mokume gane.
Came out pretty neato.

Sometimes when Nathan heads out into the woods, he stays there for a while.
He asked for the ability to carry a bit of sleepy time supplies.
I ended up making some racks to reflect his desire to ride
technical singletrack while, ahem, loaded.

The bikepacking scene right now is all about bags
mounting to handlebars and seatposts,
claiming all the typical light weight virtues.
Seems to me though that the bags are mounted in such a way
as to prohibit full mobility on the bike.
Its hard to make the steeps and tight switchbacks
if you can't get off the back of the saddle.

The racks have three mounting points to allow for moving and
bending in case of a crash (instead of breaking)
while still staying stable with weight.
The racks are not designed for panniers, just mounting cargo
on top to keep the weight tight, centered, between the wheels,
and as low as possible while keeping a very slim profile.

I'm sure those bags work great,
but I'm better with a torch and tubing
than I am with a sewing machine.

Makes me want to go spend a few days
riding around in the woods.

The Ergs! is your new favorite punk
band that doesn't exist anymore.
Thought you'd like to know.

Select Dorkrockcorkrod
Hit "Play all".
Freak out.

Man in Japan: Part 2

2011-08-01T07:14:00.000-07:00

Hey, y'all.

This bike, like the last post, is headed off
to my man in Japan, Shinya at Circles & Co.

It seems the kids in Japan have been
bitten by the 29er bug. Can't get enough.

What do you think? Worthy of a bug bite?

Try listening to Wye Oak. I dare you.
They have it going on without falling
into the 1-female-1-male-duo trappings
that are so often the case these days.
Homegirl's got more pitch perfect
power in her voice than 100 screaming
middle class punk rockers.

My Man in Japan

2011-07-28T22:36:00.000-07:00

A new cross bike comin' down the pipe.

This one is for Circles in Nagoya, Japan.
The spot for custom handmade bikes.

Classic "West Coast" 'cross geometry is usually
featured on the 'cross bikes I send over there.
This one is no exception.

Seat tube slotted in front, to keep the mud
and water from ending up inside your bike.

Plenty of room to keep the mud and water
off your bike in first place.

The Jesus and Mary Chain
is this moment's favorite band.
Automatic is pure genius.
Snakedriver isn't on there,
but its good too.

Brown Power

2011-07-20T09:34:00.000-07:00

Greetings, Earthlings.
Another bike today.

This one is headed over to Texas for Sean Blatnick.

This bike is made for one of those forks with the
tapered steerer and through axle.
The only way to go if you're putting a long fork on a bike.

Sean is by no means a whispy climber.
A custom frame for folks that are outside the "norm"
is the way to go. A bike built for Sean, not
anyone that happens to be more or less Sean's height.

Being able to have a bike that looks exactly
as you want is icing on the cake.

Thanks, Sean!

How 'bout some Rock and Roll
with capital R's?
Rye Coalition has (had?) the chops to
bang it out with the best.
Equal parts AC/DC and Shellac.

Surf's Up!

2011-07-12T10:35:00.000-07:00

Yo, gang.

This is a bike for Kevin Rhinehart.
It is a 26" wheeled mountain bike for him and the mountains
around his house in Los Gatos, California.

Kevin wanted a color scheme reminiscent of
the surf vans and t-shirts of the 70's and 80's.
Op all the way.

The bike is set up as being compatible with a
full compliment of gears or as a single speed.
Or anywhere in between.

Now if we could only get him to roll over...

If we were to stay in the same era
as all those surf vans and Op t-shirts,
we might be reminded of the
Press Darlings themselves,
Adam and the Ants.
All tom all the time.

Hello Kitty

2011-05-26T23:29:00.001-07:00

The last post's bike was all about subtlety.
This one is a little more outspoken.

It's for David Bonnet in France.

The paint scheme on this one was nerve wracking.
Getting the masking in register was a leap of faith.
Turned out as I hoped though.

There's something about that blue...

Rock out with Big Business.
Check out the drums on that dude!
If you were to ask me, I'd tell you
they were way better a few years ago
as a two piece, before they picked
up the noodling guitar. But that's just me.

Hand in Glove

2011-05-24T23:57:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all.
This bike is for David Meredith in North Carolina.

Subtle arcs, subtle colors.

Thanks, David.

How about some Smiths?
That's right, The Smiths, not Morrissey,
The Smiths.

I Got Stripes

2011-04-26T23:17:00.000-07:00

Hey gang.
Another bike here.
This one was made for Brian Vernor.

This bike is a pretty straight forward mountain bike.
Twenty six inch wheels and a full compliment of gears.

These are a new dropout option from black cat.

This bike replaces Brian's Fat Chance Yo Eddy
he bought new in 1991. Big shoes to fill.

Yes, there were a lot of tiny pieces of tape
used to make this paint job happen.
A lot.

You know how sometimes
something pops up repeatedly
in a small amount of time?
For me, lately, that's been
Willie Nelson's
Phases and Stages.
A very good record, but when you go
to the TUBES of YOU, all you can really find
is other folks singing Willie's songs.
All but this song.

Here's that Johnny Cash song that
matches the post title as a consolation.

Chug-a-Lug

2011-04-03T10:12:00.000-07:00

This post is going to a little long on pictures this time
around as this bike took a painfully long time to build.
I'm going to make you guys look at everything.

The bike was built using a variety of techniques.
Amongst those used are traditional fillet brazing,
bi-laminate construction, and quasi-traditional lug work.

Most of the "lugs" are bi-laminate construction where
collars are brazed onto the ends of the tube,
the tubes are mitered, then fillet brazed together.
The curved tubes are REALLY hard (if not impossible)
to get to a snug fit on a pre-made or custom made lugs,
so the bi-laminate method is the preferred route.

Curvy, curvy, curvy.

This chainwheel is the bee's knees.
made by the guys at RCR Fabrication.
I've got a bunch of 34 tooth numbers in black and silver.
They fit straight up to any of the newer Sram carbon cranks.
They will fit from a 3/32" to a 10speed chain.
Super light, super clean.
Give me a shout if you are interested in one.

The fork is made with a variety of methods by itself.
The crown is made by fillet brazing. The fork blades
and steerer are then silver brazed into the crown.
The reasoning for this is the silver filler melts at a
much lower temperature and effects the steel much
less than using all brass. Much stronger that way.
Strong forks are nice.

400 Blows is the music pick.

Stripped down and abrasive.

Spring Break!

2011-03-21T23:23:00.000-07:00

Hey Gang, another bike today.
Today you're looking at a bike that
was made for Paul Price.

Paul asked for what he was calling an "XC CX."
We settled on a bike that had room for fat cross tires
(45c's in these pics), a 1x10 speed drive train,
drop bars, and slightly slacker geometry
than a traditional cyclocross bike.

As I was taking these pictures, this month's
storm of the century moved in.
Sorry for the droplets.

The music this time 'round is
Iron and Wine. The songs are from
The Shepard's Dog record.
Lovesong of the Buzzard
Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car
Boy with a Coin

Oh yea, part two.
The theme of our road trip started as
"Let Go 2010" but we decided that
sounded totally last year, so we shortened
it up a bit to "Let Go."

Full Blown Touring

2011-03-16T22:55:00.001-07:00

Steve Brawley is the recipient of this touring rig.
This bike was built for one thing in mind: loading up,
and being able to comfortably go the distance,
no matter where that might be.

While the bike may look gentlemanly enough,
it will fit a 45c knobby tire, just in case the
desire for a gravel road tour strikes.
Not that gentle people can't ride dirt roads...

I've decided that painting or pin striping lugs
is the hardest paint job around.
It takes so much concentration and technical ability.
More than I've got, anyway.

Plain and simple lug lines.

Here are some more of those racks that so
carefully repeat the lines of the bike.

I've already told Steve that if he
doesn't want this bike, for whatever reason,
I'll happily take it back.

Music pick: Jawbox
Just dissonant enough to remember
that is was the 90's in DC.
Good stuff.
I like them very much. Always have.

Huh?

2011-03-01T17:09:00.000-08:00

Now that I'm totally famous I'll only be taking orders from celebrities,
celebrity chefs, celebrities' assistants, and celebrities' pet caregivers,
and celebrity chefs' pet caregivers.
Thank you.

Isn't 'cross season over?

2011-02-18T21:08:00.000-08:00

Cross bikes! Cross bikes in Japan!

This frame is headed over the waters to the west, to the land of the east.

Shinya Tanaka and the crew at Circles and Co.
are getting their hands on this bike frame.

The paint brush effect was created with
an actual paint brush, with actual paint.

With this post we're going to delve a bit
into some doom metal with the band Witch.
If they had stopped recording after the song
"Seer"they could have called it a success.
They had to keep it going though.
Mom, you probably won't like this one.
Just a heads up...

Spanglish

2011-02-18T19:15:00.000-08:00

Yo, Gang.
Here's a new bike for Geoff Garcia.
He'll be schralping it all over the East Bay hills and beyond.

After all the paint jobs that I've attempted,

I have decided that lining a shoreline is the
hardest thing in the world to paint.
Of course, the extra points on the gusset made
it that much harder. Glutton for punishment, I guess.

Swinger dropouts, of course, on this single speed.

Branding in Spanish to keep the street cred
amongst those who demand Spanish branding.

The seat stays have a subtle arc to them.
Just enough to give it that look.

Thin Lizzy is way
more than Jailbreak.
Emerald for example.
Careful you don't melt your
face on the wah-wah solos.

Translucent \tranz ˈlü-sənt\

2011-02-01T23:40:00.000-08:00

1: permitting the passage of light:

a : clear <translucent water>

2: free from disguise or falseness

— trans·lu·cent·ly adverb

Yo, gang. Me again.
This is a fresh cross bike for Jennifer.
Sitting in the golden setting sun, this thing really shines.

The paint in the direct sunlight is a clear, dark gray.
Other times at other angles, it appears green.
Other times still, it looks purple.
You can see the fillets beneath,
in all but the darkest of situations though.
Nowhere to hide on this bike.

When making bikes, I like to seal the tubes
so no moisture can ruin the tubing from within.
Jennifer, being as small as she is, got a bike whose
tubes contained enough air to cause the frame to float.
I had to weigh it down in the water tank when
soaking off all the flux from brazing.

What do y'all think?

There is band in San Francisco
playing some of the funnest punk rock
around. The name to remember is
Young Offenders.
I've had a song or two of theirs' lodged
firmly in my head for the last month or so.

What We Have Here Is A Failure To Communicate

2011-01-21T22:38:00.001-08:00

Hey gang. Sorry its been so long.
One stall after another on one project after another.
The cork has just been popped though. More to come soon.
Less talk more rock.

This is Sean Coffey's new cross bike.

I'm personally a huge fan of baby blue, powder blue, sky blue, whatever.
I like it.

Our weather has finally cleared up. Yes, the grass really is that green right now.

This bike has an excellent mix of tubing.
True Temper, Columbus, and Dedachai in all the right places.
The top tube is a Columbus tube with shaped butts that run parallel
with the seat and head tubes rather than just perpendicular to the top tube.
Its 29.5mm in diameter but still with a nice thin wall.
A perfect fit for this bike.

The music pick this time 'round is Pelican.
I like them.
Not much else to say.

Maintain Radio Silence

2010-12-05T18:52:00.000-08:00

By all outward appearances it might seem that I've not
been up to much, as I haven't posted in a while. Not quite true.
Lately I've been working on some tools.
Sometimes making the tools to make bikes is more fun
than making the bikes. Probably just novelty.

In the past on this here blog I've kept the posts
specifically about the end product. There is, of course, a lot of
work that goes into each bike. Much of it quite mind numbing
to those unfortunate enough to be watching.
There are plenty of people blogging about their
processes that are better spoken than I, so we'll let
them do the excellent job they do.

This post, however, I'm going to deviate from the usual course a bit.
Machining bits of aluminum into tools is way more exciting
(and photogenic) than me building bikes.
Here are some images from the making of a tubing bender. The benders
that I've been making will double the amount of sizes of
tubes I'll be able to bend- just how I like them.

In the past, I've chosen music that is
somewhere between mainstream
and a bit obscure. Something that maybe
not everybody has heard of, but is easy
enough to be accessible if someone were
to look further for more of the same.
Sometimes though, an artist very obvious
and well known must be given their due here.
Fact is, if you're not listening to Miles Davis
you're only doing yourself a disservice.
Not everybody can get into the later, avant
guard stuff from the 80's. I have a
hard time with it. However, the classic
Kind of Blue is genre defining and
cannot be ignored.

Double Trouble

2010-10-23T22:00:00.000-07:00

Yo folks.
This post is gonna be short on words and long on pictures.
I'm sure y'all are fine with that.

These two bikes are off to Japan.
Both twenty niners. Both single speeds.

The shop in Japan that bought these bikes is called Circles.
They've got an impressive list of builders they work with to
get customers on some pretty cool bikes.

Some of the super light versions of the swinger dropouts.
Sculpted a bit more, and they come with a set of titanium bolts.

Something about the color combo on this one.
I always like the way the bikes look when they're all taped
up with blue and green masking tape ready to get painted.
These are some of those same colors.

Both the bikes have a new segmented fork I've been working on.
The crown matches the gusset on the downtube
to make sure you know it's a black cat.
They cost a bit more but i think they are pretty cool looking.

Thanks for watching.

I'm not one who's fallen blindly in love with all the
"new grass" out there, but I'm quite fond of Langhorne Slim.
This show that's on the you tubes is worth checking out.
A reasonable selection of songs and good sound.
Just try not to look directly at his ruffley shirt.

Then there was the KARP

2010-10-07T23:27:00.000-07:00

This is Danny Buzzard's new ride.

It's name is the KARP.

Somehow he talked me into only listening to the band, Karp, when I worked on the bike. A pretty funny experiment until about hour five. With about thirty five more hours to go, things got a little grim. Stuck to it though. Only Karp, and love, went into this bike.
Not doing that again.

I really like the color combo on this one. The two greens look pretty good on the black.

Thanks, Danny.

Gonna throw down some Sleater-Kinney for the music pick.
Here's the best live stuff I could find before I got bored to tears.
Gotta love three piece band with no bass, and the
fact that all of them can sing is pretty alright with me.

And Now For Something Completely Different

2010-10-01T23:43:00.000-07:00

From last post's show pony to this post's workhorse.

Full blown touring rig.

There really is a lot more going on with racks than it would seem. A lot to keep in mind when designing and building them. How are you going to mount them? Are the mounts going to interfere with the function of any of the components like brakes and their cables, quick release skewers, fenders, etc. Can you mount them in such a way that if disaster does strike, the owner can walk into any bike shop and buy a rack off the wall that will fit? Can you keep the weight low and within the wheelbase, and on the the steering axis, over the contact patch, so you're not fighting the weight, so the bike will steer light? Oh yea, can you make them look nice too?
Tall order.

Decided to go with a very straight forward frame design and racks that follow the lines of the bike. Tried to go traditional, but not boring.

This bike is getting finished just in time for a trip to France.
Baptism by fire.

I had a really good time making this bike, thinking about all the good times that will be had aboard it. There is something pretty amazing about a touring bike.

Today's music pick is the Weakerthans.
Nestled somewhere between folk and punk.
Good stuff. 'Nuff said.

Goin' to Vegas

2010-09-19T23:33:00.000-07:00

Yo gang, here we go again. Today's fresh one.

I was asked by the folks over at Syncros
to build a bike frame to show off some of their new goods
for Interbike, the trade show in Vegas.

Very flattering to have people out there who want to
associate their work with mine.
Thank you.

If you will be lucky, or unlucky,
enough to be at Interbike this next week,
come check out the bike and let us all know what you think.

There are bikes to be built here at the shop, so I won't be attending.
No rest for the wicked.

Several posts ago I referenced Pinback.
Worth revisiting, I reckon.
They are one of the few out there that I can just
turn Ye Olde Ipod to "all" and happily listen
to for hours in the shop until the songs run out.
The writing is fantastic, the musicianship is excellent,
and it's just the right tempo to lose yourself in the task at hand.
Check them out.
Barnes
Tripoli
Fortress
Penelope
They always seem to speed their songs up a bit live,
so I thought I'd add some live songs and some studio.
More standout music from San Deigo...

Mustaches Wild

2010-09-04T22:42:00.001-07:00

Hey y'all. Here's the latest black cat to roll out the door.

Curvy, butted True Temper top tube meets curvy,
butted Dedachai seat stays.
Custom bent by yours truly.

I'm pretty attached to this shade of green.
I know bright colors are all the rage right now,
and really, that's fine with me. I even like some of those colors.
Really though, give me an olive green bike to ride through the trees.

Nothing says "classy" like a neatly trimmed mustache.
There are some out there who have bugged me relentlessly
for a black cat head badge. Well folks, here it is.
I really think the best reason for going to an oversized
head tube is more real estate for your mustache.

Quicksand anyone?
Their first record, "Slip", is an amazing piece of work.
I wore out several cassette tapes listening to it.
There might be a digital groove worn
into my ipod playing it these days.
There are very few records out there
where all the songs are so good.

The second (and final), "Manic Compression",
is also a very good record
but it didn't have the advantage of being as
mind blowing-ly ground breaking.

I remember seeing this live video about 10 years ago.

All the segments are pretty good.

Ashton's Uber Custom Machine

2010-07-31T22:56:00.000-07:00

Hey there folks.
Here's the newest bike to come out of the factory.
Its got some details to it that required a lot of time on the
machine tools.

A Campagnolo Hiddenset head tube, a custom slip fit bb30
bottom bracket shell, internal hose routing,
and a split-able belt drive dropout.

The part that the pivot bolt runs through is separate
from the rest of the dropout. The original dropout had the
top of the flange shaved from the eyelet, and it now nests
within the part attached to the seat stay.

The paint turned out pretty slick too.

The manufacturers of the belt drive said that it
wasn't possible to have a 16 1/2" chain stay on a
29er and run their belt. well, here it is.

I'm not making another one though.
Don't ask.
Seriously.

For the last week I've had, not just a song,
an entire record running through my head.
Good thing its a really good one.
Karp's Self Titled LP (yes, it's called "self titled lp")
is either one of the best records you've ever heard
or its just unintelligible noise and screaming.
you'll love it or hate it, if you don't love or hate it already.

Sorry none of those were moving pictures.
If that's what you demand, then here is 29 1/2
minutes of live action.

Factory Works Racer 2

2010-07-25T20:43:00.000-07:00

Black Cat's hotshot racer, Greg Martin, asked for two bikes in his campaign for glory this year. He ended up with a "regular" Black Cat (short stays, snappy handling) and this, something a bit more subdued for the 24 hour style racing he does.

On this frame we stiffened up the front end and over sized the head tube to allow one of those new fangled forks with a tapered steerer using Cane Creek's new headset. Slightly longer, and more comfortable chain and seat stays will give his mind and muscles a break at hour 23.

Ample clearance for tires, mud, sticks, broken spokes, or anything else one might encounter in a 24 hour grovelfest. I'm usually loathe to make a bicycle that is so specific, but since he's got a frame that takes care of the usual duties, and because he does do so many extended days (and nights) in the saddle, I figured I'd make Greg a bike that lets him do what he does, and get out of the way. Good luck Greg.

There are many dichotomies present in building bicycle frames. Finding swoopy, flowing, eye pleasing lines for a frame, but keeping the results to tolerances measured in thousandths of an inch. Finding an aesthetic that is yours but allows for seamlessly mating others' components. Etc, etc, etc...

I like to explore these dualities in paint. Rigid, hard lines requiring some technical savvy, juxtaposed next to something that seems to happen more spontaneously. Somehow the parts that seem to be the most "natural" are the hardest to pull off.

It's fun to try and walk that line.

This last Wednesday night, the Obits
and the Night Marchers played. These guys,
ladies and gentlemen, know how to write
good rock and roll music, no doubt.It was a
Wednesday night and the crowd was well,
a crowd on Wednesday night. Too bad, as
the potential for greatness with those present
was through the roof. I, personally, have
witnessed greatness involving these same people.
I could start an entire weblog devoted
to the greatness stemming from the San Diego
punk scene. Thinking about it, I could
start a weblog for each band individually,
there is so much greatness.
I won't so I'll have something for future
posts, though.

I will mention Drive Like Jehu.
Members of each of the above bands were involved
and the results were above and beyond
what would be fair to compare anything else to what
those people did in the past, or will do in the future.
Too many good ones to list, but here's some favorites.
I was lucky enough to see the greatness in person
several times. That sparkly silver Les Paul mesmerized
me. Shrieking and squealing one second, belting out
some of most unlikely catchy loud chords the next.
I don't care what you say, Danny, Yank Crime's (the second
album of two) ten minute long songs are brilliant,
and wonderfully loud.

White on White

2010-07-10T21:53:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite painters has always been Jasper Johns, so i was very happy to tip the hat to Jasper for Julio Rodriguez, in Austin, Texas. Julio wanted something that suggested a watermark.

Word of the day is: subtle.

I don't do a very good job of brand identifying via logo recognition (or sometimes logo visibility for that matter). It's a bit more interesting to change it up. After a run of logo stencils is used up, its kinda nice to retire that font. Everybody goes through fazes, right?

The translucent squares overlapping was Julio's idea. It took a couple tries to get it right, but in the end came out rather splendid. Thanks Julio.

White finishes are pretty hard on fillet brazers. It's the color that shows everything. No place to hide. The most minor flaw in the sanding can result in a shadow that immediately draws the eye. Gotta be on your game when you're finishing a bike that'll be painted white.

Hey gang, are y'all interested in the music I post here at all? Not that I would stop if you weren't. This post's pick is My Bloody Valentine. My favorite, by far, of the "shoegazer" bands of the early nineties. I listened to Loveless a lot back then and continue to these days. Not exactly subtle, mind you, but there are so many layers to the music that it almost becomes nuanced noise. Does that make sense?
Here and here are couple videos with reasonable audio. "Reasonable audio" may not be the word for it... for some folks out there.

Summertime Lime

2010-06-20T21:50:00.000-07:00

I'm never quite sure what to say to you, dear reader. Pretty sure you're not here to read a blow by blow account of each and every build. It's really pretty boring. I had a friend, Brian, hanging out in the shop, taking some pictures. He asked several times over the course of the week, "When are you going to do something interesting?"

Good question.

The bikes I've been making the most of may all look very similar at first glance.
When designing them, however, everything is definitely specific to the person riding the bike.
From body measurements, to where they live and what their hometown roads and trails consist of. Everything is a one-off. No cookie cutters here.

I'm trying to keep things interesting for each and every bike. Hopefully its interesting for y'all.

Kyle Ness will be getting his hands on this just as his shoulder relocates.

Remember kids: Skate and Destroy

How about some Two Gallants?
How about some more?

Calico Cat

2010-05-01T00:47:00.000-07:00

Jon Lewis has been waiting patiently for his new bike.

Head badge and paint scheme to match a favorite cat.
I'd say that cat has good taste in colors.

He's getting a 29er one speed with the swinging single dropouts and a curvy seat tube to keep the chain stays as short as 16 1/2 inches.

My terrible taste in music seems to wander. Some days it's all metal.
Some days it's more deliberate and quiet.

Factory Works Racer

2010-04-30T23:42:00.000-07:00

This frame is off to Greg Martin, Black Cat's hot shot factory racer.

We kept the color scheme simple so Greg's riding could do the talking.

Torche's Meanderthal has been played a lot as of late.
Here's live, and here's slick production of the same song.
They're worth a look if you're not aware of them already.

Gato Blanco De Los Camino

2010-03-23T00:06:00.000-07:00

Check out my ghetto-fabulous photo studio!
Only the finest oil stained canvas drop cloth for you folks.
So pro.

Carbon fiber top tube and seat tube/mast. Steel lugs.
It was harder than it sounds. More nerve wracking, too.

Press Fit 30! The only oversize bb platform worth fussing over.
The rest are marketing hype without the promised benefits.
Stiffness ain't worth a hill of beans if you have to pedal through constantly roached bearings.

15 pounds as you see it here.

Let's here it for The Thermals!

rOADBIKE.

2010-03-22T22:30:00.000-07:00

I'm running out of clever quips for titles, people. Times is tough.

This bike made it out to Richmond, VA, for the Fancy Bike Show. It was probably the most subdued item in the hall. It was made for Jen, and she likes it that way.

I particularly like the chain stays. Flattened in some directions, squooshed in others, and swooped in others still.

The wood paneling looks all rumpus room-y.
Too bad no polar bear skin rug to really make this one pop.

Sugar.
Actually, anything with Bob Mould.
dig.

Goes With My Luggage

2010-03-16T23:00:00.000-07:00

Here in Santa Cruz, this is a trail bike.
As Aptos Brad says, "there are 2 rocks in town and I know where both of them are."
Swoopy stays take the edge off those 2 rocks.

This custom stem keeps the brake cable as straight as possible to avoid any friction and ensures your brakes work as well as possible.

Asymmetrical paint scheme to make symmetry freaks freak.

Heel clearance? Yep.
Mud clearance? Yep.

Hecka smooth.

Listened to a lot of Sunny Day Real Estate while getting ready for the show. Yes, that is 4 different links, 1 for each word. They are that good.
Saw them in October. Still have it after all these years. In spades.

Green Machine

2010-03-16T21:40:00.000-07:00

Single speed 29er's have kind of become a calling card for black cat bicycles.
So here is the one that I took to the handmade show.
Hope you like it.

Curvy custom stem? You got it.

I spent 2 days, yes, 2 days making these fork tips on the mill.
That radius on the back blends with the radius on the disk tab just so.
They are wide and thick and tall enough to do the job but not look clunky.
How many people commented on my fork tips?
Zero.
I sure am proud though.

All the curvy tubes are butted microalloy sweetness. No straight gauge 4130 here.
Built as you see here: 20 pounds.

Even the chain stays are curvy.

Black ano dropouts look pretty sharp.

In honor of the handmade show being in Richmond, VA, the music pick has got to be:
Avail.
I wish they'd play live over on this coast a bit more often.

Oh yea, I owe Chip a huge thank you. This guy is what you would hope all bike shops to be.
When in Richmond, go say "hey" and check out his scene.

Handmade Show Freakout

2010-02-18T23:09:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Been too busy with my own personal Handmade Show freak out. These bikes aren't going to the show, just what i've been working on simultaneous to the show bikes.

This one up top is nice and neat. Satin finish.

This one down low is my "ode to Willie K." cardboard stencils and spray painted fingertips.

It took a while to get it to where i thought it looked "right". Strange how the seemingly random stuff is always harder than the tidy stuff.

Let's not forget the music pic.
Lo Pan.
Rock out.

See y'all in Richmond. Come by booth #400 and say "hey".

Yikes! Bikes!

2009-11-04T09:21:00.000-08:00

This bike went out to the single speed worlds in Durango, and then on to Interbike in Vegas.
I have to thank Yakima for displaying it in their booth, Fox for the fork, True Temper for the tubing, The Hive for the Chub Hubs, the FifteenG crankset, and the Formula Brakes.
Despite the adage, this one did not stay in Vegas.

I tried to get some kind of reaction out of you folks with the Abba reference, but apparently either you people are asleep at the wheel, are Abba fans, or more likely, don't care.
So, in light of no one caring about the music that plays in the shop while I'm trying to keep all my fingers, take that.
The sound is kinda crappy but the other videos are terrible.

Add Creative Name For Post Here

2009-11-04T08:46:00.000-08:00

Steve Weber has this frame and fork in his hands.

He'll be ripping it up in Indiana.

What do you think?

The green grass is popping up here pretty early. Might have something to do with the nine inches of rain we just got in one day. We'll take it however we can get it.

Been a Little Busy

2009-09-09T02:27:00.000-07:00

Been on a bike building bender as of late.
Here's a hand full of the bikes I've been working on.

Zak Ball ordered this bike in sour apple green.
Single speed 29er with the possibility of parole, in the form of cable routing and derailleur hanging.

It's taken about three years for the bike industry to sit up, take notice, and promptly "invent" swinging dropouts of their own. I'm surprised its taken as long as it has.

If you want USA made 4130 cro-moly quality, designed and built by bike nerds for bike nerds, ask your builder for Black Cat dropouts. Or ask me for your next bike.

On that note: try and find a better pop song than this. You can't.

It's Not British Loafing Green

2009-09-09T01:50:00.000-07:00

John Merriam in San Luis Obisbo wanted a race bike.

Extra light dropouts (Black Cat exclusive) with titanium bolt kit.
Deluxe race tube set.
Light but stiff in all the right ways.

Not to mention the Lotus team colors.

Don't git no sweeter.

What Constitutes "Monster Cross"?

2009-09-09T00:20:00.000-07:00

A quick handling yet stable geometry equally at home tearing up singletrack, laying it down on a two hour road climb and everything in between?
Check.

Room for 45c knobbies? Fenders? Three bottle mounts?
Check. Check. Check.

Fully sealed tubeset (like all Black Cat bicycles) ready for any weather mother nature can dish out (and you're willing to leave the house in)?
Check.

This one comes in "Ranger Danger Green" for Reverend Dick.

We have pretty different tastes in music, me and the Rev, but we can agree on the Decemberists. Everytime i hear this song i think of the those poor kids of his being scared (and possibly scarred) by his outlandish tales of whalers, pirates, ghosts, werewolves, and whatever else can make a kid nervous on campouts.

Twenty Six Inches With Twenty Seven Gears

2009-09-08T23:13:00.000-07:00

What's this? A mountain bike with regular sized wheels and a full compliment of gears?
Where's the niche?

As it turns out, a regular hardtail mountain bike is somewhat of a novelty these days.

Five inches of travel up front sounds like a good plan for the rocky, fast trails of San Luis Obispo county, one of my old stomping grounds.
Dominic will be piloting this here bike.

Brown Power

2009-09-08T22:26:00.000-07:00

Dave Sisamis from Ohio ordered up this one by nine, twenty nine inch wheeled bike.

Being the owner of a pizza joint, the natural choice for color was root beer.

It's been a couple posts since i subjected you to my terrible taste in music, but your respite is over! Don't fool yourself, The Marked Men are the real deal.

Lean and Mean

2009-08-09T22:23:00.000-07:00

In some ways one speed 'cross bikes are simple, beautiful, and fun to ride. In other ways they are like eating soup with a slotted spoon. Gotta go fast and it seems like it's nothing but chunks.

I really like the baby blue with orange. Makes your eyes go wonky if you look too hard.

Custom, one-off dropouts. Machined and filed by hand.
The slot is angled so you can change your gear ratio without messing with your brakes.

This one is staying right here in Santa Cruz.

Grey Ghost

2009-07-26T21:28:00.000-07:00

Mike Adamski, from Durango Colorado just got this in the mail the other day.

He sends me pictures of his local trails on the regular. Makes me jones for the BIG mountains y'all have out there.

Three tones of grey and a bit of sanding the letters. Its got a bit of a faded thing going.
Understated is the new bling.

El Gato Blanco

2009-06-23T22:37:00.000-07:00

Dan Atkins of Linthicum, Maryland will be riding this here machine.

He spends some time at the Bike Doctor.

Hopefully he'll spend some time on his new bike in the woods.

The heart was Dan's idea, nice touch.

Rocket From The Crypt

is always on rotation at Black Cat World Headquaters.

That one and this one from "Circa: now!",

recorded over 15 years ago, and still as good as ever.

Little rough 'round the edges

2009-05-13T22:50:00.001-07:00

This bike is for Mike Busch in Ventura, California.

He wanted something that was raw, maybe a little rough.

I ended up doing a wash with thinned out paint, sanded a few spots,

added some words, and clear powder coated the whole thing.

Came out pretty cool, i think.

Off With Their Heads has spent some time on the shop's speakers as of late.
Check them out.

Blood Simple

2009-04-29T23:37:00.000-07:00

Jeff asked for blood red with a black on black panel.

We talked about maybe doing more panels on the seat tube or the stays, but it was a shame to cover up such a cool color. Kept it clean and simple.

A fork painted to match never hurt anyone.

Been in a serious Lungfish phase in the shop.

There is not much on the innerwebs about them.

This is the best i could find.

Andrew's Mariposa

2009-04-29T23:01:00.000-07:00

It's hard to tell how good this metallic orange came out if you're not looking at it in the sun, in person.

It's really hard to capture how much time and effort goes into these frames. From the hand bent stays, to the custom cutouts, to the paint schemes, these bikes keep my hands and mind pretty occupied.

Andrew wanted sort of a hot rod aesthetic. I'll leave the motoring up to him.

If you see him around Southern California, see if you can catch up and check out that orange in the sun, in person.

Listening to The Evens alot.

Better late than never

2009-04-28T21:10:00.000-07:00

Sorry been lagging on the blog for a while, been busy. When faced with sitting at a computer, or going and spending some quality time on a bike for someone, its almost always the bike. Right now, I guess, is the exception.

This one is for Mike Styliano in Nelson, New Zealand.

The ever popular root beer color never seems to disappoint for translating the smoothness of fillet brazing. It is a very hard color to do well in powder coat as the brown is a transparent over a silver undercoat. Any flaws in the top or bottom coat are glaringly obvious and there are not really any second chances. The depth of color is pretty hard to beat, though. Victor Sanchez, who does all my powder coating, does a bang up job with it. Thanks Victor!

No ticks were harmed in the shooting of this bike.

On the auction block

2008-10-12T15:24:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have seen this bike in the pages of Dirt Rag magazine.

I finally pryed the bike loose from them and it is now up for sale, as a frame or complete.

The bike was built for someone 5'11", who lives on the East Coast,

For the complete review, go here.

Give me a holler if interested.

SOLD.

"And the winner is..."

2008-10-12T15:05:00.000-07:00

This bike was built for the Interbike trade show. It hung out at the Easton/Bell Sports booth and was decked out in Easton, Fox, and WTB's finest.
On Thursday it was raffled off and given to Tim, who hails from northern Montana.

Worked out to fit him perfectly.

Big in Japan

2008-09-20T14:42:00.000-07:00

This bike gets to go live out it's life, riding the trails in Japan.

Sounds nice.

Ian's street scorcher

2008-09-06T12:24:00.000-07:00

Another Black Cat prowling the hills.
Fast, clean, and smooth.

Russ Pope's 29er

2008-08-07T21:26:00.000-07:00

Fresh out of the oven is this little number.
Deliciously minty panels.

One of those super cross forks by Rick Hunter.

Burnt Offering

2008-06-24T20:23:00.000-07:00

Mike's frame has been finished as the Santa Cruz Mountains continue to burn. I didn't really think of the irony as I took the photos of the frame on a pallet pire, wiping ash from the paint between shots.

Hopefully which ever of the gods is in charge of fire will soon be appeased.

This one is off to Michigan to breathe easily.

Danny Buzzard's new ride

2008-05-28T22:10:00.001-07:00

Dear Blog, Today i finished Danny's bike, it's grey with matt black panels and shiny black letters,
and very swoopy seat stays, and a pointy seat tube, and room for 42's, and custom dropouts, and a radiused bridge, and a pointy gusset, and true temper tubing, and pointy water bottle boss reinforcements, and then i burned my lunch.
Oh Blog, you're my best friend.No one understands me like you do.
Or, at least you don't tell me to shut up when i talk at length about myself.

Best Friends Forever

Dave's one speed 'cross bike

2008-05-28T21:56:00.000-07:00

In a way, one speed cyclocross bikes are kinda like an abandoned mansion,
classy,
but ready to party.

Big Red

2008-05-28T21:39:00.000-07:00

This here bike is for JB in Ashland, Oregon. He sent some photos of old fire trucks as inspiration for the paint.

Baby Blue

2008-04-21T23:23:00.001-07:00

This one's for Eric in Pittsburg.

Large and In Charge

2008-04-21T23:13:00.000-07:00

Kirk's bike. A study in stealth. The satin finish of this one came out pretty cool. Just enough shine.

Root Beer Float

2008-02-17T22:11:00.000-08:00

I think this one speaks for itself.

Creativity from huffin' paint pens

2008-02-17T21:48:00.000-08:00

I think the people that really make out on the handmade bike show shinanigans are the significant others of the builders. This is Jen's bike. She earned her frame by going on a two month vacation while it was being built. This is what happens when you enclose yourself in a poorly ventilated room for eight hours with a bike frame needing a paint job and a couple of paint pens.
Those brain cells were just slowing me down.
Yes, that top tube is radiused. Yes, that top tube is butted. Yes, everybody else uses straight gauge cromoly. No, I'm not going to tell you how I did it.

Just in case y'all forgot I make roadbikes

2008-02-17T21:29:00.000-08:00

Fillet brazed frame, Campy Record parts kit, handbuilt wheels, 16 pounds and change. 'Nuff said.

There's a story that goes along with this lug. It involves cutting out the 1 1/4" seat tube socket, collaring an 1 1/8" seat tube to look like the others, then filleting it in while sweat brazing the rest of the lug. There's a story alright, but I'm not telling it.

"Monster Cross" is much scarier when its ridden by a lawyer

2008-02-17T21:05:00.000-08:00

John, the fabled Loudass, will be campaigning this bike this year in an all out attempt to gain world domination. He can't help but succeed when flying the Molteni team colors. Those rainbow stripes are gonna look bitchin'.

John's twin baby girls are dressed in rags so this bike could be outfitted properly for the show. There's plenty of time to make it up to the little ladies and there is only one chance to build up a bike right.

Thanks girls, soon Daddy will able to afford a babysitter again, for when he goes out.

Clive's City Shredder

2008-02-17T20:54:00.000-08:00

A few rare photos of Clive's urban destroyer. I didn't have the where-with-all to get some decent photos of this creampuff before it was handed off to it's owner. How many speeds are in that one speed hub?

The build up for the handbuilt show lasted for months, and then at 5:30 on sunday, the lights dimmed, and within a half hour everything was dismantled and back in the box van. This bike stayed in Portland, so my procrastination for photo taking really shows now that I have only these two pics.

El frijilito

2008-01-12T09:45:00.000-08:00

The Little Bean.

Carla Bray's bike has been affectionately named after the best taqueria in Watsonville, maybe the world.
I've had some super burritos lately that weigh more than this thing.
I hope Carla gets a little gas from this one.

silver bullet

2008-01-12T08:47:00.000-08:00

This is the panel that almost killed me, an extreme test of patience. The weather was cold and wet enough that the paint refused to cure enough. I ended up with the front half of the frame in the kitchen oven for about a week. Came out pretty spanky despite it's best efforts.
Eric Mellencamp will be ripping it up on this thing down in the OC.

Sorry for the lack of creative photography. I'll see if i can figure out how to get rid of that date, too. I'll think I've rid my camera of it, and then magically, it reappears!

Down with the Brown

2007-12-04T17:21:00.000-08:00

Jared's been patient waiting for his bike. Hope he likes it.
After building bikes with these for a year and a half, I'm beginning to be able to say "often immitaded but never duplicated."

Green Giant

2007-11-15T22:53:00.000-08:00

Team FRP

2007-10-29T21:21:00.000-07:00

Black Cat Bicycles was chosen as the frame supplier to team FRP this season. These frames are race only!! You can't even train on them. Untold horrors will occur should you ever run errands on them! Don't even think about the coffee shop!

new tools=happy boy

2007-10-29T20:40:00.000-07:00

Just scored a Burke horizontal mill. It's gonna need a little love before it contributes to any bicycle frames though. It came with a tiny dividing head and a tiny rotory table with an x and y axis, but very few other tooling bits. It took about two hours to disassemble it enough to know that i'm missing a few parts. There is a whole following, with chatrooms, devoted to these little machines. "They may be small but those #4's are real metal movers!" It's good to find yourself knee deep in in something a lot of people feel such affection for.

It took a few hours to get the smell of thirty year old stagnant grease out of my olfactories, though.

this one's a keeper

2007-10-24T21:08:00.000-07:00

The christening ride on this one was a twelve hour race. A real baptism by fire. One hundred and twenty five-ish miles and zero problems with the bike. My legs tell a different story though...

long days in the shop

2007-10-24T20:34:00.000-07:00

Watch for Carla Bray ripping it up in Orange County on this single speed this winter.

Eric Mellencamp has ordered this custom big wheeler. My bet is that his suspension bike might collect some dust here pretty soon.

The gusset/ lug (glug?) I've been fond of doing lately. Straight off the mill.

A picture of jared harris' bike. A soon to be twenty nine inch wheeled bike. Curvy tubes are the new black.

eric's bike

2007-10-24T19:48:00.000-07:00

This is Eric's bike. A big wheeled bike for an appropriately big guy. There's a reason why he's known as Hightower. Eric proves on a regular basis this is the best trail bike around. That is if you like going fast. Stable at speed, yet ready for action at a moment's notice.

Here is a picture of, what i'm told, the best looking and perhaps the best working one speed dropout in the biz.

They come with a derailluer hanger if you want, or not.