Andy_K 

I heard a story somewhere that the monostay thing was originally a pragmatic experiment. Like he was building a frame and there was some problem that he couldn't solve with a traditional arrangement so he tried this. I guess he liked it enough to keep doing it. I'm not a fan of the monostay look, but it's definitely unique. I've got similar feeling about what Christopher Igleheart does with many of his forks.



I guess it's a love it or hate it thing.

merziac

You're probably right about the experiment thing, necessity being the mother of invention.

Newlands, Merz and DiNucci did a lot of it as they were brazing the trail when they started in PDX, on their own and self taught.

BG who learned at the hand of Eisentraut even moved to Eugene for 10 years to be close to these guys for what they were doing.

Can only imagine how many times you have do it wrong to get it right, constantly evolving and having the goal post moved,all the while trying to innovate, the very definition of
"work in progress".

merziac

Ouch!

ryansu

One of the first custom frames I became aware of, seems like I saw some at the PDX handmade show in maybe 2011 or 2012 (?) -very nice work, I would agree with the others that the headset arrangement is not my cup of tea.

79pmooney

I first saw the monostay on that red Strawberry I rode with for 60 miles. More I saw of it, the more I liked it. Clean and elegant. Looks like it could have simply been a way bikes could have evolved and be just as excepted as our conventional standard. Never occurred to me then that in a few years I'd be riding a ti monostayed bike. (But I did reguest that my second ti bike from the same maker be conventionally stayed. On an early phone call. Completely forgot until he handed me the near finished frame with beautiful fastback stays!)

I did take my monostayed bike one small step further. I had TiCycles mount the rear brake forward of the monostay. (I'd been turning rear sidepulls around on my previous bikes that were old enough to not have recessed brake fittings. Now, sadly , all my brakes except that monostayer are in back but that is because they are either centerpull, canti or on a fix gear with a long dropout travel and the further back you mount the brake, the less vertical travel to the rim's brake track.

Ben

79pmooney

That flare makes for a very small cup. "Bout right as a shot of scotch.

Ben

KonAaron Snake 

I definitely agree...but the paint is pretty

merziac

I'll just put this here for some perspective.




Andy has been doing this a long time, some of his ideas were ahead of his time, some not.

I have no doubt that the headtube challenge was necessitated by a problem that had to be solved at the time.

There are only a few examples of that, I do not think it was very long lived, thankfully.

Doesn't diminish the opportunity presented here, that one is in stellar condition.

Like I said, if it even remotely fit me at this price, it would already be mine.

merziac

You should have placed an order right then and there.

Wileyone 

Not my cup of Tea either. I am not sure I can tell the front end from the rear end. The seat cluster is interesting but it looks like something Legano did years before. Then there is the head tube...

But the workmanship looks second to none.

It's the design that perplexes me.

merziac

The seat post binder is actually a cam-loc and works well but like a few of his ideas and designs, came to not be sustainable.

Here's one of the most recent frames he did and while it was a long and winding road, the essence was always there.

This one is drop dead freakin gorgeous IMO.

Black Magic Paint-Strawberry Road

merziac

This one too.

Drillium Dude 

See, now that is *****in'! Much more artfully done - I actually like the monostay look any bike. It looks elegant. It was the head tube of the other bike that made me want to gouge my eyes out. And again, not trying to beat that one up, but besides being f-ugly it seems to me it was a solution looking for a problem. How many of us really have much of an issue with our headsets, anyway? I wonder exactly what "problem" his approach was trying to correct? This question coming from a guy who has a headset that has been in a regular rider since 1994 and was adjusted a little over-tight for years out of rider feel preference. When I serviced it this year there was zero brinneling to the races. So even though I technically had been abusing it for over two decades, not only couldn't I kill it, I couldn't even "dent" it.

Sorry, didn't mean to rant. I just think it's funny when the bike biz periodically takes these weird side-trips in the name of "innovation"

That blue one has some lovely proportions, too - particularly the seat lug.

DD

merziac

No worries, I agree, he must have had his reasons, I doubt we'll ever know what they were, chances are he didn't, really know.

Looks to me like he embraced the 1 inch Hiddenset headset before the larger headtube was in widespread use, maybe he was trying to get ahead of the curve.

Mr. 66

Davidson uses Black Magic as their painter.

merziac

Lots use them despite their premium pricing, they are the oasis in a desert of bike painters that PDX has become.

They are the only recommendation you get for it here now.

I asked and called 20+ builders and shops and only got them.

repechage

Andy had a fork crown that was also in keeping with this style. I like it, at one time he called it a touring bit. I suppose the threaded bosses above are for a rack. I have to think about that.
I thought about ordering a pair, fork crown and monostay kit... they don't look lightweight. I hope they are hollow. Andy had some conservative concepts, the barely visible in this image brake cable housing exit, looks durable but not elegant.
There is a tough line, solve problems but go a bit farther and keep the Style in the work.
Plenty go too far in the Syle direction and get away with it. For a time anyway.

merziac

Yep, they are hollow, probably heavy but very well produced and very strong when brazed correctly, they are his design.

Here's the fork crown, rear crown and rack mount/seat binder, as well as too much powdercoat.

merziac

repechage


Me too, I like it all, the cable guides are stout and pointy, and match the aesthetic for me. Odd, yes a bit, unique, yep.

The front crowns have threads in some of them, he may have drilled and tapped them himself as you would imagine. They are cast by Long Shen. not too many of them are tapped.

These were originally for 650b setups but got used on many others, they are stout so thick, clearance is tight but they can be modified without issue.

If you want some, I would encourage you to procure them as he is scaling way back and if these are not sustainable, they may go the way of the Dodo.

I know he still has some now so......

I'm going to try and go see him for 20 questions so we'll see.

obrentharris 

I can vouch for Colorworks in Eugene!
Brent

Andy_K 

I had that same experience. I didn't ask as many, but all I got back was Black Magic and someone else (honestly don't remember who) that used to be good but couldn't be trusted anymore. Black Magic does great work. I took my Pinarello to them to have the lugs painted. They do charge top dollar though.

merziac

Recently? Their FB and website are pretty much a no go.

I did get a couple of places that mentioned them but nobody had any current info on them or way to contact them.

obrentharris 

He painted my DiNucci about a year ago. Mark would know how to contact him.
Brent

merziac

Well, they sure did a great job there, Tx!

merziac

Circling back to Black Magic paint.

They do stellar work, second to none and are used by many of the best in the business.