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I have done a lot with mountain bikes over the last 20 years...
I started racing downhill, dirt jumping and doing mostly gravity oriented riding. During college I made some frames out of steel- primarily to try and learn how to weld, and I was curious to see if I could ride something that I had made. A few years later I ended up getting college credit for a frame project. Eventually the frame building led to a few jobs in the bike industry. I still race enduros occasionally and am still riding as much as possible.
Past Projects:
Amphibious bike: This was a freshman class project for engineering school. It had links to raise the pontoons so you could ride on land or water. My buddy Adam (in the pictures) did all the welding, and it was this project that got me wanting to make my own stuff.
The following bikes were made while I was in college from 2006 to 2008.
These frames were all MIG welded 4130 and the first couple were pretty poorly made but finished quickly. My goal was never quality craftsmanship or stack of dimes welding. I just wanted to ride my sketches as quickly as possible.
The DC Special bike 1- started as a project mostly to learn how to weld. The frame was a high pivot with chain roller; it coasted like a freight train, did everything else bad. This bike got raced to a mid-pack pro class finish in Snowmass when my real race bike was stolen a week before the race.
The DC Special bike 2- I had this weird linkage stuck in my head and had to try it out. The 'death spike' downtube never once hit anything on the ground despite what you might think. I rode this bike probably 5 solid days of lift/shuttles. It was impressively heavy, but rode well.
The DC Special 003- A much cleaner/lighter version of the linkage found on bike 2. This bike worked well except for some pedaling kickback. This frame cracked on the seat-tube but was repaired and ridden some more.
DC Special bike 4- I actually got school credit for this one. It had a deraileur and 5 gears in the downtube, but it was no more than a proof-of-concept. The bike rolled around, but you couldn't pedal too hard because the spindle between the cogset & output cog was too small and would twist up from torque and it felt like you were pedaling with a rubber band instead of a chain. Besides that, it took a long time to shift gears because the shifting chain was moving slower than on a normal bike. I got a B+. I think it was fair grade.
The last of DC Specials bike 5- A simple single pivot with an ultra low bottom bracket. I rode this one until the top-tube cracked at Whistler after a lot of flat landings. I loved this bike.
2010/2011
After a few years off I decided to make some more frames and to learn how to TIG weld.
This was the first TIG welded project... a trail hardtail. Something was off with the geometry because I hated the way this thing rode and quickly threw it in the garbage. It was a good lesson on TIG welding though.
My attempt at a 'gearbox' bike. The bike uses an 8-speed Shimano Alfine geared hub fit in between 83mm shell Saint cranks, a 20mm through axle front wheel as the rear wheel and tomicogs on the brake side of the hubs to drive the left side chain.
Honestly the bike rode decently, but there is enough frame flex from chain tension to make the bike feel "soft". Similar rubber band feeling when pedaling as my other gearbox bike. That could also be due to 2 chains and the internally geared hub. Another thing is since the drive chain is constantly running, there is a noticeable amount of drag- nothing huge, but any more than a normal bike is too much. Basically I think this design is 7/10ths there, it just needs to be lighter, a little stiffer, and have a freewheel at the rear wheel. Sounds like a Zerode!
Lastly my 2011 race bike. This bike worked flawlessly for a full season of racing and riding. It sat in my garage for years until I sold it in 2017 to a guy for $500 and then saw it at Trestle bike park ldoing laps in 2018!!!!
I also made this frame jig... it was adjustable for wheelbase, steering angle and bottom bracket location.
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