Bob Keller Frameworks: March 2013

I was very excited about exhibiting at this year’s Detroit Bike City Show. Jacob and I went down to it last year to see its first show and I was impressed with it. This year’s show was quite a bit bigger and the attendance was great too. We had a great time there meeting new people and catching up on some old friendships. Katie and I went down to Cobo Hall on Friday afternoon to load in and we decided to stay downtown in the Renaissance Center hotel so that we would have to drive back in the morning in what was forecast to be some lousy weather. It worked out great and Katie and I had fun Friday night. The show on Saturday was great. Katie and I had fun. Kelly, Amanda and Jacob even made it down later in the day to see the show. We finished off the day with a family dinner at Pizza Papalis.

I have been neglecting this blog for some time now and it is high time that I update it with recent activity (several month’s worth). While my day job has prevented me from spending as much time as I would like in the shop, I have been busy with a couple of things. Most of this time has been spent preparing for an exhibit as a ‘New Builder’ at this year’s North American Handbuilt Bike Show. I have been thinking of doing this for some time now and finally made the plunge just after Christmas by purchasing a round-trip ticket to Denver (the host city).

I decided to take a Fatbike frame that I had started that I was building for my family. It is a take off on the Fatbike that I built for George (the white one). I took the curved tubes one step further by adding a cantilevered seat stay design that terminated into the down tube. I was really pleased with the design of this frame and decided that it was the obvious choice to take to the show. As a ‘New Builder’ I am only allowed to bring one frame or bike. This made the decision easy.

At this point the dilemma became whether to take it in its raw form or to have it powdercoated. In the past I have read discussions on how the quality (or lack of) of filleted joints are hidden when under a layer of paint or powder. I was pretty sure that I wanted the quality of my fillets to be visible to anyone looking at my frame. I posed the question to Sven (my powdercoater) and he suggested that we show both the raw frame and fillets and the look of a powdered frame by coating one half of the frame right down the centerline. This was a brilliant idea, IF he could pull it off. But he was willing to tackle the masking nightmare and after what included 9 hours of masking the frame looked awesome. He had to mask it twice. Once for the red color coat, and again for the clear. The raw side of the frame was protected from rusting by a couple of coats of ‘Sharkhide Metal Protectant’ before Sven began the powder process. As you can see in the pictures below, the result was phenomenal. We decided to go with an eye popping racy red that would look good with the raw frame and fillets. The result was met very enthusiastically by the people at the show. I heard many times that I should just leave the frame like this and build it up. I am not sure what will ultimately happen with the finish of this frame. As it sits it is a great way to show what I do. But it would be a shame not to see it as an assembled bike.

The trip to NAHBS was great. It was my first trip to Colorado. I must say that my exposure to the state was very limited. Denver and the Expo center were great! Even my hotel (the Crowne Plaza downtown) was great.

In a nutshell (because I think that a detailed account of the show would be a boring read), the show couldn’t have been better for me. My table’s location in ‘New Builder Row’ was right inside the door. Therefore when most people came to my table they were fresh and not worn out from being in the show for hours. The enthusiasm of the show attendees was unbelievable. The fact that I got to meet and get feedback on my frame from builders that I have followed and respected for years, was priceless. The level of craftsmanship at the show as a whole including the ‘New Builder Row’ was amazing and inspiring. There was so much to see and so little time for me to see it.

Finally some well-deserved thanks. Sven, thank you for coming through with a great idea for the powder concept on this project and for executing it so well. Thanks to Martin Vecchiofor taking the amazing frame pictures. Thank You to my son Matthew for taking those pictures and creating the business card and posters. Thanks to Don Walker, Lesley and the rest of the NAHBS crew for making this possible and a pleasure. Thank you Ben for standing in for me at my table, allowing me to eat and see some of the show. Thank you to my family, of course, for putting up with me and supporting me.